The Book of Jonah

CHAPTER BY CHAPTER VERSE BY VERSE BIBLE STUDY
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JONAH STUDY #3 [Jonah 3:1 - 3:10]

NOTE: In the last chapter we saw Jonah being spit up onto dry land by the great fish. Below we are going to see that the people of Nineveh instantly accept Jonah. This would certainly seem odd for a heathen Pagan city, if we did not understand that the Ninevites worshiped a fish-headed god name 'Dagon'. So to the Ninevites this man Jonah, who claimed to speak for God, and whom was delivered unto them by an immense fish, must be a Devine sign. The Ninevites took to Jonah and his message like a fish takes to water (sorry, could pass that up). But seriously, if they worshiped a fish god, and this man was delivered (sent) to them by a fish, they would almost worship him, and would most certainly heed any warning he delivered. Perhaps this was Almighty God's plan all along. To get a better feel for the state of Nineveh's Pagan activity and why Almighty God was so angry with them, I supply an exerpt from the Fausset's Bible Dictionary. In our Description Of Recommended Bible Study Aids section we review several good Bible dictionaries and offer direct links for ordering.

NINEVEH's RELIGION: The man bull and man lion answer to 'Nin' and 'Nergal', the gods of war and the chase. 'Nisroch' the eagle-headed god and 'Dagon' the fish-headed god often appear in the sculptures. The sacred tree answers to 'Asheerah', "the grove" [2nd Kings 21:7]. The chief gods were 'Asshur', 'Bel', 'Beltis' or 'Myletta', 'Sin' the moon, 'Shamash' (shemesh in the Hebrew tongue; Hebrew word #8121) the sun, 'Vul' or 'Iva' the thunder wielder, 'Nin', etc. "Witchcrafts" and "whoredoms" in connection with Nineveh's worship are denounced by [Nah 3:4]. The immense palaces, the depositories of the national records, were at once the god's temple and the king's abode, for he was the religious head of the nation and the favorite of the gods.

CHAPTER 3

Jonah 3:1-10:

1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah*1the second time, saying,

Explanations: *1 the word of the LORD came unto Jonah = This or like expression appears seven times in the book of Jonah (1:1; 2:10; 3:1; 3:3; 4:4; 4:9 ; 4:10). In Biblical numerics, seven denotes Spiritual Perfection, and this phrase is placed in this book, seven times, by the operation of the Holy Spirit. It reminds us that they are the words of Almighty God, to bring about change according to God's will by the Devine inspiration on people and things by the Holy Spirit.

2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city*1, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

Explanations: *1 great city = Not good, but this word 'great' in the Hebrew is 'gadowl'; Hebrew word #1419, and it means: massive, proud, insolent, and of old. God was talking down about it. Here we see God telling Jonah once again to proclaim His judgement upon Nineveh. This time as we will see, Jonah does what he is told. He didn't want God to put the fish on him again.

3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey*1.

Explanations: *1 great city of three days' journey = Not three days from where Jonah was, but this was a form of measure in those days. What this is saying is that the city was so large that it was three days walk to go around it's outer walls. Three day's journey was approximately sixty miles around. Quite a large city for those days, and in [Jonah 4:11] we see that Nineveh had sixscore thousand inhabitants (120,000).

4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey*1, and he cried*2, and said, Yet forty*3days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown*4.

Explanations: *1 began to enter into the city a day's journey = Jonah walked 20 miles into the heart of the city. *2 cried = Proclaimed (same word used for 'preach' in verse 2). *3 forty = In Biblical numeric's, the number forty represents probation, and Nineveh had just about exhausted God's patience, their probation from destruction was ending in forty days. *4 overthrown = Destroyed. This is Hebrew word #2015: 'haphak', and it is the identical word used of God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah [Gen 19:24-25], which was accomplished sometime between 1910BC - 1896 BC. The Ninevites may have been aware of the 'legend' of God's judgement and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, as this proclamation by Jonah unto Nineveh was given in approximately 690 BC (some 1200 years after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah). And as we will see, the Ninevites took this proclamation very seriously.

5 So the people of Nineveh believed*1 God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth*2, from the greatest of them even to the least of them*3.

Explanations: *1 believed = Believed the proclamation of their impending doom, and sought to atone to God wherein they might be spared. *2 proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth = A sign of mourning and repentance (See note below). *3 from the greatest. . . = Everyone in Nineveh heeded God's words through Jonah, and they all participated in the offering of repentance to the Lord.

NOTE: In this chapter we are going to see three things that symbolic of repentance, mourning, and offering to the Lord. These three things are Fasting, the putting on of sackcloth, and the rubbing on or rolling in ashes. We can understand these traditions by recognizing that even in our generation, the wearing of a black suit or black dress at a funeral is representative of mourning and grief over the loss. Below is a brief description of the three ways the people of Biblical times showed mourning and repentance, understanding these should help clarify this third chapter of Jonah:

• FASTING: As fasting was a perfectly natural and human expression and evidence of the subject's grief, it readily claimed a place among those religious customs whose main object was the pacification of the anger of God, or the excital of His compassion. To manifest a still profounder humbling of the soul before God it was not unusual to put on sackcloth, rend (tear) the garments, and scatter ashes over the head [1st King 21:27; 2nd Sam 13:19; Lam. 2:10].
• SACKCLOTH: A rough, coarse cloth, or a bag-like garment made of this cloth and worn as a symbol of mourning or repentance. In the Bible sackcloth was often used to symbolize certain actions. In the case of mourning, either over a death [Gen 37:34; Joel 1:8] or another calamity [Estr 4:1-4; Job 16:15], the Israelites showed their grief by wearing sackcloth and ashes. This was done also in instances of confession and grief over sin [1st King 21:27].
• ASHES: The word ashes is used figuratively in the Bible. Sitting down in, or covering one's self with ashes is the symbol of mourning, as when Mordecai tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and cried out with a loud and bitter cry [Estr 4:1]. In the Book of Job, ashes are symbolic of dejection [Job 2:8] as well as repentance [Job 42:6].

6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Explanations: Even the King participated in this great repentance.

7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

Explanations: The King made it a law that all should participate in the offering to The One True God Jehovah. So serious did the Ninevites take this vow, that even their animals were ordered to participate in it. God surely touched the hearts of the people of Nineveh in a very strong way. For just a few days prior, Nineveh was worshiping fish gods and participating in all forms of wickedness and idolatry.

In our present day, we are so far removed from the reality of the days when God directly chastised His disobedient children that we erroneously think it won't happen to us. We, as a world, will be believers in a mighty and sudden way when prophecy is fulfilled with the Second Advent of Christ, when He returns as Lord of Lord's and King of King's, with a rod of iron to rule the world and destroy the wicked [Rev 19:11-16]. Unfortunately, it will be too late for many, one day too late.

8 But let man and beast*1 be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

Explanations: *1 beast = Animals. The King further calls for a turning away from all that offends The One True God Jehovah. Nineveh has been converted from false gods and Idols. Through history, we know that this conversion did not last, for Nineveh back-slid away from the Lord and it'd destruction was completed approximately seventy-eight years later. Below is an article from the Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (click to review) which describes the fate of Nineveh.

What we are to glean from the instance of Nineveh is that God can condemn, God can save, and God can re-condemn again if we don't keep our end of the 'bargain'. How many times do we in our personal lives, run into a bad situation and ask God to help us? We promise God that we will do something if He pulls us out of the calamity. But once the trouble passes, we forget our promise to God; then we wonder why our lives are one adversity after another. We bring it upon ourselves for forgetting the Lord in the good times of our lives, but God however, has a very long memory, and He forgets nothing, it's all written in the books [Rev 20:12].

THE DESTRUCTION OF NINEVEH: In 612 BC Nineveh was destroyed, as prophesied by the Hebrew prophets, especially Nahum. Many scholars questioned the existence of Nineveh until its discovery by A. H. Layard and H. Rassam in AD 1845-1854. The site has now been excavated thoroughly. Occupational levels on the site go back to prehistoric times, before 3100 BC Some of the pottery indicates the city may have originated with the Sumerians.

The Medes, with the help of the Babylonians, sacked Ashur and Calah in 614 B. C. Two years later (612 BC) Nineveh fell to these combined forces. Nineveh was left in ruins [Nah 2:10-13] and grazed by sheep [Zeph 2:13-15], just as the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament had predicted.

9 Who can tell*1 if God will turn and repent*2, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

Explanations: *1 Who can tell = Who knows that God won't? *2 turn and repent = Change His mind, turn away from destroying them. They are holding faith that if the repent and change their evil ways, that God will spare them. This no doubt impressed God, for Nineveh as you remember, was a Heathen Pagan evil city. I'm sure that God was impressed at the heartfelt change and sacrifice that the Ninevites had made.

10 And God saw their works*1, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. (KJV)

Explanations: *1 their works = Not their words only, but God recognized the sincere change that they had made. Nineveh had been saved by the grace and mercy of the Lord because they effected a real change. Don't read over the fact that God expects something from you.

This is the basis for repentance even in our lives today. Not just empty words of promise to God, but action; they made a real change and had a real change of heart. For this, God spared Nineveh, just as He will spare you of your sins and circumstance. If you do it His way and follow through, He will likewise follow through.

God is not sitting up there in Heaven just waiting to zap some poor soul to 'hell', He wants us to repent and thus be forgiven and attain everlasting life with Him in Heaven. It is God's will that all be saved. Below is a parable, in it Christ is the man (Shepherd), the people of the earth are the sheep, and perhaps at one time we were all that lost sheep who had gone astray from our Lord:

Matt 18:10-14 (Jesus speaking)
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. (KJV)

End of chapter three

Click on Jonah study #4 to go to the next and last study in the book of Jonah.

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