It was one of the oldest cities in antiquity. Genesis 11:28, 11:31 has “Ur of the Chaldees” In that case it would not make sense to place the Job story before the Flood. and call them to repentance, the prophet runs away. After the first call (1:1-2), Jonah “rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh” (1:3). Yet, there is a reason for this discrepancy. Kitchen, a famous Egyptologist wrote in the first chapter of his book, The Bible in Its World, of a great enemy archaeology cannot defeat. As sermons go, it is hardly persuasive. God would not have insisted that Jonah go to Nineveh if God hadn’t wanted to spare the Ninevites the destruction that he was considering. Other than his book and those opening lines, we do not know that much about the man. They would be reluctant to make a public display of their repentance, lest they appear weak. Image source. Rather, they repented because Jonah had preached. However, the opening words of the book, “Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the son of Amittai” (1:1; see also 3:1), make it clear that the Lord intends to use Jonah in a prophetic role. (eighth century B.C.). Note the similarity between those verses and the first two verses of our lectionary reading (3:1-2). However, the central irony of this book is that Jonah, who has been given a second chance, does not want God to give the Ninevites a second chance. After they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed for the soldiers to see again. 23a (Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1999), Allen, Leslie C., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976), Baldwin, Joyce, in McComiskey, Thomas Edward (ed. Rather than go to the city of Nineveh to preach what would surely be a most unpopular message, Jonah had hopped aboard a boat to Tarshish, trying to escape an unwelcome task. Philippians 2:1-30 ESV / 187 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Jonah knew that God was merciful, gracious and compassionate and would spare the city of its coming judgment if they repented. Jonah eventually was convinced to go, and he went and preached to the people of Nineveh. The city's earlier Akkadian Kings, Manishtushu and Shamshi-Adad I, rebuilt earlier temples dedicated to the god of Nineveh, Ishtar. But Jonah’s displeasure will give God the opportunity to teach him (and us) a lesson (4:6-11). Did he expand on that theme at all? I know he is serious about taking advantage of the second chance that God has given him—but as we will learn in chapter 4, Jonah is not at all serious about saving the Ninevites. Some people should rot in hell. It is difficult to imagine that he preached his short sermon with any conviction—that he put any force into it—that he made eye contact and attempted to persuade. Nevertheless, the people of Nineveh responded readily to Jonah’s preaching, but the scribes and Pharisees rejected the much greater ministry of Jesus. The lesson is that God’s grace is wider than we might imagine—even wider than we might desire. This is every preacher’s dream come true! That would make the expanded circumference about 327,000 feet or six miles (100 km) (Allen; see also Page). Jonah was a prophet of God and in his book and the first chapter we read that the command of God came to Jonah to go preach to the city of Nineveh. Fasting and sackcloth are ways of demonstrating grief or penitence—in this case penitence. The amazing thing is that the king hears and repents along with the general populace. The Prophet Jonah before the Walls of Nineveh, c. 1655; Rembrandt (1606–1669)  - source. He disobeyed God, and found himself on the verge of disaster. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. so that we might not perish?”. Maybe God will spare them. The people of Nineveh were also wicked (Jonah 1:2) and violent (Jonah 3:8) and yet they were spared because they repented of their evil ways and called on God for forgiveness (Jonah 3:10). Fortunately, the story is familiar. ” And after he said this he breathed his last. There is no water route from Israel to Assyria, so Jonah would have to travel overland—a journey that would take about one month. Jonah certainly can’t claim any credit as a great preacher. Achtemeier, Elizabeth, in Van Harn, Roger (ed. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. Nineveh's fame is owed to three factors. Maybe God will turn from his fierce anger. Ancient city of Nineveh. In other words, Jonah’s reluctant sermonette could hardly hold a candle to the teachings of Jesus—or the miracles that Jesus worked. VII (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2001), Tucker, Gene M. in Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, B (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1993), All Rights Reserved | © 1997-2020 Richard Niell Donovan. Clearly, Jonah remembered what had happened the first time the Word of God came to him. The men and women of Sodom had known and been physically rescued by … How Did Ancient Romans Grow Their Gardens? David Tee - AncientPages.com - Nineveh, the mere mention of the word may bring thoughts of evil, fear to the minds of those who read about that great city. So far, archaeology has uncovered about 1700 acres of this once great city and has shown that the city's circumference was about 7.7 miles long. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. Enigma Of Nehushtan – The Biblical Copper Snake, Biblical City Of Gezer: Important Ancient City Mentioned In The Amarna Letters, Gog And Magog Prophecy In The Book Of Revelation. However, Nineveh did not become a large, prominent city until much later, so many scholars believe that this book was written in the fifth century B.C. They were one of the groups to sack Nineveh after the death of Ashurbanipal, and the Chaldeans were around for quite a while before that. But God cares even about those people. Nineveh was located in Assyria on the Tigris River—approximately 500 miles (800 km) northeast of Israel. 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Jonah had to go to Nineveh—and he had to deliver his little sermon—but he didn’t have to like it. “Yahweh prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (1:17). He removes his royal robe, dresses in sackcloth, and sits in ashes—another sign of penitence. – Chaldeans are definitely a Babylonian tribe. In this short sermon, there is no call to repentance. So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in … The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 10God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. If he were so determined, why wait forty days? 19b (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1995), Simundson, Daniel J., Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005), Stuart, Douglas, Word Biblical Commentary: Hosea-Jonah, Vol. . When the revival took place, Jonah did not celebrate like most modern preachers do today. * The city repented and was spared. It is impossible to determine the exact size of Nineveh. Fasting involves abstinence from food (and sometimes drink) for a period of time. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. New Heart English Bible It happened that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and struck one hundred … The great flood lasted forty days and forty nights (Genesis 7:4). However, people in mourning would wear sackcloth as a sign of their grief—and people feeling the weight of guilt would wear it as a sign of repentance or a desire for atonement. It can be used idiomatically, like our use of the word “dozens.”. When God first calls Jonah to go to Nineveh . 3 When the centurion 2 heard about Jesus, c he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. “So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Yahweh” (v. 3a). This is his only appearance in the Bible except for a few references in the New Testament. Praise God! His heart is not in it. Jonah preached his little sermonette, and the whole city repented—”from their greatest even to their least.” Amazing! The great story that was called Nineveh ended in the 7th century BC after over 3,000 years of existence. Maybe there is more to learn about what happens to non-Christians after death than we might have thought. Third, it was famous for its huge library and two temples dedicated to Ishtar. It was in the belly of the fish that it finally occurred to Jonah that he was being given a second chance, and that is the reason for his hymn of thanksgiving in chapter 2. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across. Maybe God will relent. As noted above, verse 3:1 is essentially the same as verse 1:1. 5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. and from the violence that is in his hands. This time the warning was not successful. He fell into a great depression and we can only speculate that he was like so many of Nineveh's enemies. Why give these people any warning? 5The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least. A more modern term for sackcloth is “hair shirt,” although the custom of wearing rough clothing as a sign of grief or repentance is no longer observed in very many circles. This is one of those scripture passages where the preacher must know the underlying story to make sense of the lectionary readings. SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible(WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. Except for one brief period where Nineveh repented in the time of Jonah, it did not serve God but served their own desires. Though we do not know exactly who was the king at Nineveh when this happened, it is interesting to note that this period was one of decline in Assyrian aggressiveness. A first century commentator, Diodorus Siculus, said that two of its walls were each 150 stades in length and the other two were each 90 stades—a circumference of 480 stades or 55 miles. Moses remained on Mount Sinai for forty days while receiving the law (Exodus 24:18). Except for one brief period where Nineveh repented in the time of Jonah, it did not serve God but served their own desires. Such a result can be attributed only to the work of the Holy Spirit—evidence of the grace of God. Kitchen pointed out that erosion is one of the main enemies of archaeology and archaeologists. The text doesn’t say, but anyone who was serious would preach along the way. He does turn from his fierce anger. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across. Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant. He goes to Nineveh, “according to the word of the Lord.”. “and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least“ (v. 5). The ultimate destiny of these people isn’t already determined. This means that up to 98% of the size of Nineveh is lost to time, erosion, war, and destruction. Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way, From its humble beginning in prehistory to its demise in 612 BC, the city was located on the Tigris River, just next to the modern city of Mosul. He does decide to spare these Ninevites. This contradicts the common belief that people are judged when they die and sent to heaven or hell. This prompted God to send another prophet, warning them of a coming judgment. The Bible tells us that Nimrod was the original founder of the city and it was in existence at the time when God divided the world's languages and separated the people scattering them across the earth. Why? First, it was a city of war and its warlike reputation was well earned through its numerous conquests and cruel treatment of those conquered. Jonah was the mouthpiece, but these people somehow understood that Jonah was simply repeating the message that God had given him. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” He gives them every opportunity to repent. Sackcloth is a rough material made from the hair of goats or camels. The story of Jonah is well known. Everyone, from the King on down to the lowest member of Nineveh society repented and turned away from their evil ways. But is Jonah serious? However, another source says that, when Sennacherib began his transformation of the city, its circumference measured 9,300 cubits—and he added 12,515 cubits. Nineveh, the mere mention of the word may bring thoughts of evil, fear to the minds of those who read about that great city. “The word of Yahweh came to Jonah the second time, saying” (v. 1). However, between 1:1 and 3:1, much has happened to Jonah, and he has learned a great deal. The most famous king of Nineveh, Sennacherib, built himself a 70 room palace that was the rival to none. They don’t take long to read, and contain an important part of the story. 2 Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." He realizes that his life hangs in the balance. We shouldn’t be surprised at this outcome. Now, having been given a second chance, he does what God calls him to do. In this verse, God tells Jonah where to go (Nineveh) and what to do (“preach to it the message that I give you.”). let them not feed, nor drink water; It isn’t easy to persuade high-ranking officials to repent, because their position and power tends to make them arrogant. This discovery puts it at odds with the biblical description found in the book of Jonah. Which raises a … The book of Jonah is listed among the Minor Prophets, but Jonah is nowhere in this book called a prophet. We learned that as Samuel grew, “the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground,” … Continue reading "Commentary on Deuteronomy 18:15-20" This was the same description given to Jonah about the mighty city-state of Nineveh that they had mighty warriors. But even this good act did not stop Nineveh's final destruction 15 years later. and turn away from his fierce anger, And in 3:5 it says, "The people of Nineveh believed God." 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009), Limburg, James, Interpretation Commentary: Hosea-Micah (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1988), Ogilvie, Lloyd, The Preacher’s Commentary: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Vol. God identifies Nineveh as a great city. The prayer ends with Jonah’s pledge to offer a sacrifice to Yahweh and to perform the vows that Jonah has vowed. 6The news reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. The irony is that Jonah’s story parallels that of the Ninevites. Jonah 4:11 tells us that over 120,000 people lived within the walls of Nineveh. His preaching was a success and probably greater than the two Great Awakenings that took place in American history. It wasn't too long after the revival and Jonah's preaching that the people of the great city turned back to their evil ways. Throughout its over 3,000 year history, Nineveh was not known to be kind and gentle. This also contradicts the common belief. Forty days is a grace period—an opportunity to repent—an opportunity for these people to change their behavior—a chance for them to save themselves. We have no way of knowing. The first time God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah went the other way instead—seeking to flee from the presence of the Lord (1:3). The city was nicknamed an evil city probably because, as archaeologist Gordon Franz says in his article Nahum, Nineveh and Those Nasty Assyrians, they plundered the wealth and the people of the cities they conquered. Mr. This story has been front-loaded with grace from the first verse. It is the kind of cloth that a person would use for heavy-duty sacks (hence its name) or tents, but its coarse texture is uncomfortable when worn against the skin, making it unsuitable for clothing. The prophet Jonah preaching to the city of Nineveh. 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Perhaps, like their officer (verse 12), they … “Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried out, and said, ‘In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown'” (v. 4). From the 4th chapter of Jonah we get the minimum amount of people who lived in the city. The city was destroyed by the Babylonians and Medes in 612 BC. That should make us stop and think. This gives you the idea of why the Ninevites adopted warlike practices. They often dragged people off with hooks through their noses. “The people of Nineveh believed God” (v. 5a). The sailors cast lots to discover the culprit, and the lot fell to Jonah. Now look what's happened in the first three chapters. For instance, we talk about Jonah and the whale, but there is no whale in this story—just a large fish (1:17; 2:10). Jonah goes and preaches judgment. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here… Ezekiel 3:6,7 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. He had been looking forward to the fireworks, and is seriously disappointed to learn that there will be none. For the last two Sundays, the Hebrew lectionary texts have featured prophets, first Samuel, then Jonah — young persons and reluctant messengers. In verse 9, he explains his purpose. The phrase forty days isn’t necessarily intended to be taken as an exact measure. But this king goes the whole route. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Bible, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. The king’s great hope is realized. Unfortunately, our memories do not always serve us well. He does change his mind. Jonah offers no ray of hope. 4 Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried out, and said, “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!” 5 The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on … Did Jonah preach along the way or wait until the end of the day? But Jonah isn’t insightful enough to compare his own disobedience and salvation to that of the Ninevites. Where he was not prepared to obey God in the first chapter, he is now willing to do so. “God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. “Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across” (v. 3b). 22 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2002), Page, Frank S., in Smith, Billy K. and Page, Frank S., The New American Commentary: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Vol. This verse is essentially the same as 1:2. God does relent. and let them cry mightily to God. According to verse 3, it is a three-day walk to cross the city from one side to the other, so Jonah’s one-day walk would fall short of the city center. ), The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: Me-R, Vol. She was the goddess of war and love. As noted above, Nineveh was approximately 500 miles (800 km) northeast of Israel. The people of Nineveh and Assyria were feared for their ruthlessness and cruel attitude. Reluctantly, the sailors did so, and the storm abated (1:15). His reason was mentioned in the last chapter. Credit: aina.org. Note that the people of Nineveh believed God—not Jonah. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it. ), The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday’s Text. Bible verses about Narcissism. But those references do not provide any more details about his life or family. “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown” (v. 4b). Erosion destroys more ancient sites at a very fast pace than almost any other natural disaster. You can find out in the last part of the book: Jonah knew God would end up forgiving the people – if they repented – and Jonah felt foolish having gone through all that.
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