Amos 1

Chap. I. Ver. 1—17. Jonah is sent to Nineveh, but flies to Nineveh, that great city—The capital of Assyria. See up one of the largest cities then existing with all its inhabitants, to plague or earthquake; they are struggling to save the life of a single individual, and that individual the very man whose sin and folly had brought them into danger.—How or what they sacrificed, we are not told; but it is evident they were ready to sacrifice any thing to pacify the angry deity, while the Prophet fished undaunted and insensible, till he sunk to the roots of the mountains, and the bottom of the ocean. But how long did he remain there? The text says ‘‘three days and three nights;’’ but the same expression is applied to our Lord’s continuance in the grave, which we know, was only one whole day and a small part of two others.

(See (Matthew 12:40).) Chap. i. Ver. 1—10. Jonah’s prayer and thanksgiving.—This ode is not to be considered as composed (much less written) in the belly of the whale; but it expresses the feelings of his mind in that distressing situation, as well as his gratitude afterwards, when he was again safe on dry land.—It has been remarked, that it contains no confession of his guilt, in disobedience, repented, and made vows, (as well as the mariners,) which vows we have no reason to doubt but he performed. The ode before us also, containing only eight verses, can be supposed to contain but a small part of his reflections or devotions, since it appears that he retained the full possession of his senses during the whole time of his confinement.

Some have supposed that this miraculous deliverance of Jonah might have great effect in promoting the repentance of Nineveh; but we have no proof that they ever heard of it, and the natural taciturnity of Jonah leads us to think the contrary. It is more natural, as well as more scriptural, to attribute their repentance wholly to a divine influence on their