Jonah 3

Jona being sent a second time he preacheth unto the Ninevites their subversion verse 1 &c. which they believing and bumbling themselves before the Lord both king and pole with the fasting and praying and amending of their lives whereupon God spareth them 10

1. And the word of the LORD came the second time to Jona having made himself unworthy of this high calling by his flight and disobedience would not have presumed to undertake it ] saying :

2. Get thee up go to the great city of Nineve and preach against her the preaching which I spake unto thee [that is spake of before and charged thee with renewing it now]

3. Then Jona arose and went to Nineve according to the word of the Lord [being obedient now which before he was not and therefore so grievous and chastised] Nineve now was a great city of God [or before God that is before an extraordinary great city see the like use of the word Lord God added to another in the Hebrew tongue implying the rare and extraordinary condition of a thing Genesis 13 on verse 10 some do compare here with the phrase Isaih 22 .5 Acts 7:20 and 2 Corinthians 10:4 this was an argument that God regardeth no greatness or gloriousness which none hath but from and by him when and any abuse the same to wickedness]of three days journey [Hebrew a journey of three of the extraordinary greatness of this city many heathen authors also make mention]

4. And Jona began to enter the city a days journey and he preached and said yet forty days then Nineve shall be subverted [that is after so much time when that shall be past then shall God destroy and ruine the city under conditions not withstanding in God secrets councel if they repent not as the event shewed and this very preaching of Jona together with the limitation o so much time covertly implied and Gods word throughout testifieth and this may be taken as a summary or the contents of Jonas sermon the word rendred subverted here may also be read destroyed or ruined or cut off rooted out as the scripture useth it throughout especially of Sodom and Gomorra.]

5. And [in the five following verses is described the faith and the repentance of the Ninevites whereof see the word of Christ Matthew 12:41 Luke 11:32]the people of Nineve believed in God [compare Exodus 14:31. 2 Chronicles 20.20with the annotate and thy proclaimed fast [see Joel 1:14 with the annotate]and arrayed themselves with sacks see Genesis 37 on verse 34 Joel 1:8 .13c.] from their greatest unto their least .

6. For this word [or this thing viz the preaching of Jona]reached unto the king [that is past through was reported to or come before the king]and he stood up from his throne and put of his glorious upper-garment [or robe, vest, royal rabbit, upper-coat ,c. the same Hebrew word is used of the cloak of Elia the prophet 2Kings 2.8 and of Babylonian mantle which Achan had stolen Joshua 7:21 signifying otherwise glory see Ezekiel 17:8 Zach 11.3 and compare Genesis 25:25 and Psalms 8:2 and Mich 2.8]and he covered himself with a sack and sat down in the ashes [or upon the ashes see Job 2:8.]

7. And he caused proclamation to be made [other he called the people together]and they spake at Nineve , [Heb he said that is command charge was given as elsewhere see Neh13.9,19 and compare above chapter 2 on verse 11 or he viz the king said that is caused to be said and published what he and his great ones commanded as followeth]by command [Heb properly taste that is judgment, pleasure, and consequently command see of the Hebrew word Proverbs 12 on verse 20 so this word is also frequently used in Ezra and in Daniel]of the king and his great ones [that is counselors ,princes, the chief and principally man of the city see 2 Kings 10:6 and 25.9 Jeremiah 5:5 with the annotate]saying :let neither man nor beast ,ox nor sheep ,taste ought ,and left them not feed ,nor drink water [not as if the beast had a rational soul understanding of repentance but because they were variously abused by men and are subject to a great deal of suffering by the sins of men it was held expedient by this sad spectacle of the poor creatures to excite the inhabitants to more tenderness and compassion towards them for the future compare the annotate on Joel 2.16with the annotate]

8. But man and beasts shall be covered with sacks and shall cry strongly to God and they shall turn themselves [this praying and turning to God must be understood of men although the beast also in scripture are said after their manner to cry unto God see Job 39:3 Psalms 147:9 Joel 1:20 with the annotate]everyone from his evil way [from his bad life and conversation see Genesis 6 on verse 12] and from the violence that is in their hands [that is which they wrought and practiced and whereof they have made themselves guilty Heb palmes as Psalms 74.]

9. Who knoweth? [Compare Joel 2:14 with the annotate]God may turn himself and repent: [see Genesis 6:6 and Joel 2:13 with the annotate] and he may turn himself from the heat of his wrath that we perish not .

10. And God saw their works [whereby thy testified their sincerity of their saith and repentance] that they converted themselves from their evil way and God repented the evil [of punishment] which he had spoken [that is threatened by Jona as above on verse 4 was noted]to do unto tem and he did it not [that is spared them for that time but afterwards when they relapsed into the same sins again (especially those against the people of God ) this royal city together with the Assyrian Monarchy was quite destroyed see Ezekiel 31 Nah 1.1c.Zeph 2.13c.]