Jonah 1
Jonah Flees From the LORD
1The word of the LORD came to Jonaha son of Amittai:b 2“Go to the great city of Ninevehc and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” Map: The Book of Jonah
3But Jonah rand away from the LORD and headed for Tarshishe. He went down to Joppa,f where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.g
4Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.h 5All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.i
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and callj on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”k
7Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.”l They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.m 8So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD,n the God of heaven,o who made the seap and the dry land.q”
10This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
11The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
12“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”r
13Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.s 14Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man,t for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.”u 15Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.v 16At this the men greatly fearedw the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vowsx to him.
Jonah’s Prayer
17Now the LORD providedy a huge fish to swallow Jonah,z and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 2
1From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2He said:
“In my distress I calleda to the LORD,b
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the deadc I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3You hurled me into the depths,d
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your wavese and breakers
swept over me.f
4I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;g
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’h
5The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.i
6To the roots of the mountainsj I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, LORD my God,
brought my life up from the pit.k
7“When my life was ebbing away,
I rememberedl you, LORD,
and my prayerm rose to you,
to your holy temple.n
8“Those who cling to worthless idolso
turn away from God’s love for them.
9But I, with shouts of grateful praise,p
will sacrificeq to you.
What I have vowedr I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvations comes from the LORD.’ ”
10And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah 3
Jonah Goes to Nineveh
1Then the word of the LORD came to Jonaha a second time: 2“Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming,b “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.c
6When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.d 7This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.e 8But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone callf urgently on God. Let them give upg their evil waysh and their violence.i 9Who knows?j God may yet relentk and with compassion turnl from his fierce angerm so that we will not perish.”
10When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relentedn and did not bring on them the destructiono he had threatened.p
Jonah 4
Jonah’s Anger at the LORD’s Compassion
1But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.a 2He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knewb that you are a graciousc and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love,d a God who relentse from sending calamity.f 3Now, LORD, take away my life,g for it is better for me to dieh than to live.”i
4But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”j
5Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6Then the LORD God providedk a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.l 8When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die,m and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”n
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11And should I not have concerno for the great city of Nineveh,p in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
1 In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:17, and 2:1-10 is numbered 2:2-11.
2 2:5 Or waters were at my throat
1 4:6 The precise identification of this plant is uncertain; also in verses 7,9 and 10.
1:1 word of the LORD. See 3:1; Hos 1:1 and note. Jonah. See Introduction: Title; Authorship and Date. In his account of Jonah’s mission to Nineveh written for Israel’s instruction, the author probably presents Jonah as a cameo representation of Israel, the people called out from the nations by God to be the channel of his redemptive purposes for the peoples of the world. In this narrative, the people of Israel are to see themselves as in a mirror: their unique position of privilege as the people to whom God had revealed himself in a special way, their particular vocation as God’s chosen kingdom people, their stubborn resistance to fulfilling that vocation and the reason Israel must die as a nation (the judgment the prophets were announcing) and be raised up again, refined and renewed (the more distant future the prophets were envisioning). Cf. note on Jdg 13:1—16:31.
1:2–3 Go . . . But Jonah ran away. Contrast Isaiah: “Here am I. Send me!” (Isa 6:8).
1:3 ran away. Jonah gives his reason in 4:2. The futility of trying to run away from the Lord is acknowledged in Ps 139:7–12 (see note there). Tarshish. Perhaps the city of Tartessus in southern Spain, a Phoenician mining colony near Gibraltar. By heading in the opposite direction from Nineveh (see map) to what seemed like the end of the world, Jonah intended to escape his divinely appointed task. Joppa. See note on Ac 9:36.
1:4–16 This account of the storm at sea is a graphic depiction, in miniature, of the pagan world of many nations threatened by the judgments of God, with Israel in their midst. Ironically, it is the sailors who call out to their gods while Jonah does not call out to his. See note on 1:1; cf. note on Ac 27:13–44.
1:5 his own god. Apparently the sailors, who may have come from various ports, worshiped several different pagan gods (see note on Ge 28:15).
1:6 The captain went to him. The pagan captain’s concern for everyone on board contrasts with the believing prophet’s refusal to carry God’s warning to Nineveh.
1:7 let us cast lots. The casting of lots was a custom widely practiced in the ancient Near East. The precise method is unclear, though it appears that, for the most part, sticks or marked pebbles were drawn from a receptacle into which they had been “cast” (see notes on Ex 28:30; Ne 11:1; Pr 16:33; Eze 21:21; Ac 1:26). lot fell on Jonah. By the lot of judgment the Lord exposed the guilty one (see Jos 7:14–26 and note on 7:14; 1Sa 14:37–44 and note on 14:37).
1:9 Hebrew. See note on Ge 14:13. I worship . . . the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. See note on Ezr 1:2. The sailors would have understood Jonah’s words as being descriptive of the highest deity. Their present experiences confirmed this truth, since, in the religions of the ancient Near East generally, the supreme god was master of the seas (see note on Jos 3:10). This is Jonah’s first confessional statement, and, like those that follow (2:9c; 4:2), it is thoroughly orthodox. Though these are orthodox statements, Jonah refuses to fulfill his divine mission to Nineveh.
1:10 What have you done? This rhetorical question is really an accusation.
1:12 throw me into the sea. Jonah’s readiness to die to save the terrified sailors contrasts with his later callous departure from Nineveh to watch from a safe distance while the city perishes—at least he still hoped it would perish (see 4:5 and note). See photos here and here.
1:13 did their best to row. The Hebrew uses the word meaning “to dig” (with oars) to indicate strenuous effort. The ship could be driven by sails, oars, or both. The reluctance of the sailors to throw Jonah into the sea stands in sharp contrast to Jonah’s reluctance to warn Nineveh of impending judgment.
1:14 cried out to the LORD. Earlier the sailors had cried out to their own gods (see v. 5 and note), but now in their desperation they plead for help from Jonah’s God, the Sovereign of the Sea.
1:16 greatly feared the LORD. There is no evidence that the sailors renounced all other gods (contrast Naaman; see 2Ki 5:15 and note). Ancient pagans were ready to recognize the existence and power of many gods. At the least, however, the sailors acknowledged that the God of Israel was in control of the present events, that he was the one who both stirred up and calmed the storm and that at this moment he was the one to be recognized and worshiped.
1:17 the LORD provided. This characteristic phrase occurs also in 4:6–8. huge fish. The Hebrew here (and the Greek of Mt 12:40) is a general term for a large fish, not necessarily a whale. This great fish is carefully distinguished from the sinister “serpent” of the sea (Am 9:3)—otherwise called “Leviathan” (Isa 27:1), the “monster of the deep” (Job 7:12; see Ps 74:13; Eze 32:2). three days and three nights. The phrase used here may, as in Mt 12:40, refer to a period of time including one full day and parts of two others (see notes on Mt 12:40; 1Co 15:4). In any case, the NT clearly uses Jonah’s experience as a type (foreshadowing) of the burial and resurrection of Jesus, who was entombed for “three days and three nights” (Mt 12:40; see Mt 16:4; Lk 11:29–30 and note on 11:30).
2:1 prayed. For this use of “prayed” elsewhere, see 1Sa 2:1 and note.
2:2–9 A psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance from drowning in the Mediterranean Sea. Jonah recalls his prayer for help as he was sinking into the depths. His gratitude is heightened by his knowledge that he deserved death but that God had shown him extraordinary mercy. The language of this song indicates that Jonah was familiar with the praise literature of the Psalms.
2:3 You hurled me . . . your waves. Jonah recognizes that the sailors (1:15) were agents of God’s judgment.
2:4 yet I will look again toward your holy temple. See v. 7; the same note of hopeful expectation found in the prayers of the Psalms (e.g., Ps 5:7; 27:4–6; cf. 1Ki 8:38–39).
2:9 sacrifice . . . vowed. Cf. the “sacrifice” and “vows” of the sailors (1:16). What I have vowed. In the book of Psalms prayers were commonly accompanied by vows, usually involving thank offerings (see, e.g., Ps 50:14 and note; 56:12; 61:8; 65:1; 66:13–15; 116:12–19). make good. See Ps 76:11; Ecc 5:1–7. Salvation comes from the LORD. The climax of Jonah’s thanksgiving prayer and his second confessional statement (see note on 1:9). It stands aptly at the literary midpoint since it is the theological foundation of the whole book.
3:1 word of the LORD. See 1:1 and note.
3:3 obeyed. But reluctantly, still wanting the Ninevites to be destroyed (see 4:1–5 and notes). very large city. See 4:11, which says the city had more than 120,000 inhabitants. Archaeological excavations indicate that the later imperial city of Nineveh was about eight miles around. The fact, however, that “it took three days to go through it” may suggest a larger area, such as the four-city complex of Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen mentioned in Ge 10:11–12. Greater Nineveh covered an area of some 60 miles in circumference. On the other hand, “three days” may have been a conventional way of describing a medium-length distance (see Ge 30:36; Ex 3:18 and note; Jos 9:16–17). Alternatively, “three days” may not refer to the time required to travel the distance but rather to the amount of time it would take for Jonah to complete his task.
3:4 Forty more days. A grace period.
3:5–6 fast . . . sackcloth . . . dust. Customary signs of humbling oneself in repentance (see 1Ki 21:27; Ne 9:1 and note).
3:6 king of Nineveh. King of Assyria (see note on 1:2).
3:8 animals. Inclusion of the domestic animals (see 4:11) was unusual and expressed the urgency with which the Ninevites sought mercy.
3:9 relent. Also in v. 10. God often responds in mercy to human repentance by canceling threatened punishment (v. 10). See note on Jer 18:7–10.
4:1 seemed very wrong . . . he became angry. Jonah was angry that God would have compassion on an enemy of Israel. He thought that God’s goodness should be shown only to Israelites, not to Gentiles.
4:2 prayed to the LORD. Now in anger, not in distress (see 2:1–2 and note on 2:2). That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. See 1:3 and note. gracious . . . love. Drawn from God’s self-revelation in Ex 34:6–7 (see note there), this is the third and last of Jonah’s confessional statements (see notes on 1:9; 2:9). slow to anger. In contrast to God, Jonah became angry quickly (vv. 1,9).
4:3 take away my life. See 1Ki 19:4 and note (Elijah). To Jonah, God’s mercy to the Ninevites meant an end to Israel’s favored standing with him. Jonah shortly before had rejoiced in his deliverance from death (2:2–9), but now that Nineveh lives, he prefers to die.
4:5 shelter. Apparently this shelter did not provide enough shade since the next verse indicates that God provided a “leafy plant” (v. 6) to give more shade. waited to see. Jonah still hoped that Nineveh would be destroyed.
4:6 the LORD God provided. This characteristic phrase occurs also in vv. 7–8; 1:17. leafy plant. See NIV text note. It may have been a castor oil plant, a shrub growing over 12 feet high with large, shady leaves. God graciously increased the comfort of his stubbornly defiant prophet.
4:8 better for me to die. See note on v. 3.
4:9 Is it right for you to be angry . . . ? This is the second time God asks Jonah this question (also v. 4). Jonah is angry about God’s mercy on Nineveh and is deeply concerned about the fate of the plant—a potent contrast to God’s deep concern for the people of Nineveh, who are much more important than the plant (v. 11).
4:10 sprang up overnight and died overnight. Indicative of fleeting value.
4:11 should I not have concern . . . ? According to God’s own character as compassionate (v. 2), the answer is yes. God had the first word (1:1–2), and he now has the last. The commission he gave Jonah displayed his mercy and compassion to the Ninevites, and his last word to Jonah emphatically proclaimed that concern for every creature, both people and animals. Not only does the Lord “preserve both people and animals” (Ps 36:6; see Ne 9:6; Ps 145:16), but he also takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but [desires] rather that they turn from their ways and live” (Eze 33:11; see Eze 16:6; 18:23; 33:11 and notes; cf. 2Pe 3:9 and note). Jonah and his fellow Israelites traditionally rejoiced in God’s special mercies to Israel but wished only his wrath on their enemies. God here rebukes such hardness and proclaims his own gracious benevolence. great city. See 1:2 and note. The book begins and ends by referring to Nineveh, the unlikely and unexpected scene of a remarkable display of divine compassion. cannot tell their right hand from their left. Like small children (see Dt 1:39 and note), the Ninevites needed God’s fatherly compassion. also many animals. God’s compassion extended even to their domestic animals (cf. 3:8 and chart [item 16]).