◄ Jonah 3:3 ►
This time Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, in accordance with the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, requiring a three-day journey.
Study Bible
So Jonah arose
The phrase "So Jonah arose" signifies Jonah's immediate obedience to God's command. The Hebrew root for "arose" is קוּם (qum), which often implies not just physical rising but also a readiness to act. This marks a significant turning point in Jonah's narrative, contrasting his previous disobedience. It reflects a heart that has been transformed by God's mercy, emphasizing the importance of repentance and obedience in the believer's life.

and went to Nineveh
"Nineveh" was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, known for its great size and wickedness. The historical context of Nineveh as a powerful and feared city underscores the magnitude of Jonah's mission. The Hebrew word for "went" is הָלַךְ (halak), which conveys a sense of journeying with purpose. Jonah's willingness to go to Nineveh demonstrates his submission to God's will, despite his personal feelings towards the city.

according to the word of the LORD
This phrase highlights Jonah's actions being in direct response to God's command. The "word of the LORD" is a powerful concept throughout Scripture, representing divine authority and truth. The Hebrew term for "word" is דָּבָר (dabar), which can also mean matter or thing, indicating the weight and significance of God's instructions. Jonah's compliance with God's word serves as a model for believers to prioritize divine guidance over personal inclinations.

Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city
The description of Nineveh as an "exceedingly great city" emphasizes its vastness and importance. The Hebrew phrase גְּדוֹלָה לֵאלֹהִים (gedolah le'Elohim) can be translated as "great to God," suggesting that its significance is not just in size but also in its importance to God's plan. This highlights God's concern for all nations and peoples, regardless of their spiritual state, and His desire for their repentance and salvation.

a three-day journey in extent
The phrase "a three-day journey in extent" indicates the city's large size, requiring three days to traverse. This detail underscores the enormity of Jonah's task and the comprehensive nature of God's message. The number three often symbolizes completeness in the Bible, suggesting that Jonah's mission was thorough and divinely ordained. It serves as a reminder of the vastness of God's mercy and the scope of His redemptive plan for humanity.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jonah
A prophet of God who initially fled from God's command to go to Nineveh but later obeyed after being swallowed and released by a great fish.

2. Nineveh
The capital city of Assyria, known for its size and wickedness. It was a significant city in the ancient world, requiring a three-day journey to cross.

3. The LORD
The covenant name of God, Yahweh, who commands Jonah to go to Nineveh and deliver His message.

4. The Journey
Jonah's obedience to God's command marks a pivotal moment in his prophetic mission, highlighting the importance of following God's directives.
Teaching Points
Obedience to God's Call
Jonah's eventual obedience serves as a reminder of the importance of following God's commands, even when they are challenging or counter to our desires.

God's Sovereignty and Mercy
The account of Jonah highlights God's sovereignty in directing His prophets and His mercy in giving Nineveh a chance to repent.

The Impact of Obedience
Jonah's journey to Nineveh demonstrates how one person's obedience can lead to significant change and impact, emphasizing the importance of our actions in God's plan.

The Significance of Nineveh
Understanding Nineveh's historical and cultural context helps us appreciate the magnitude of Jonah's mission and the power of God's message.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does Jonah's change of heart in Jonah 3:3 teach us about repentance and second chances in our own lives?

2. How does the description of Nineveh as an "exceedingly great city" influence our understanding of the task God gave Jonah?

3. In what ways can Jonah's obedience to God's command inspire us to follow God's will, even when it seems daunting?

4. How does the account of Jonah and Nineveh connect with Jesus' teachings on repentance and forgiveness in the New Testament?

5. What lessons can we learn from Jonah's journey about the importance of aligning our actions with God's purposes, and how can we apply these lessons in our daily lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Jonah's Initial Disobedience
Jonah 1:1-3 describes Jonah's initial refusal to go to Nineveh, contrasting with his later obedience in Jonah 3:3.

God's Mercy
Jonah 4:2 reveals Jonah's understanding of God's merciful nature, which is a key theme in the book of Jonah.

Repentance and Obedience
Matthew 12:41 references the repentance of Nineveh, drawing a parallel to the call for repentance in the New Testament.
Sermons
ObedienceSunday School Teacher.Jonah 3:3
Obedient At LastRobert Tuck, B. A.Jonah 3:3
Peremptory Reiteration and Prompt ObedienceJ.E. Henry Jonah 3:1-3
Jonah in NinevahG.T. Coster Jonah 3:1-4
Jonah's Second CallW.G. Blaikie Jonah 3:1-4
People
Jonah
Places
Joppa, Nineveh
Topics
Across, Breadth, Exceeding, Exceedingly, Got, Important, Jonah, Journey, Nineveh, Nin'eveh, Obeyed, Required, Riseth, Town, Visit, Walk
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jonah 3:3

     5619   measures, distance and area
     8454   obedience, to God

Jonah 3:1-3

     4926   delay, human

Jonah 3:1-4

     1431   prophecy, OT methods

Jonah 3:1-9

     7712   convincing

Jonah 3:1-10

     1055   God, grace and mercy
     5426   news
     7757   preaching, effects
     8479   self-examination, examples

Jonah 3:2-3

     5256   city

Jonah 3:3-10

     5345   influence

Library
Threefold Repentance
'And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 2. Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 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. 4. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall he overthrown. 5. So the people of Ninoveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Who Can Tell?
With this by way of preface, I shall now somewhat turn aside from the narrative, to address myself to those who are trembling on account of sin and who are in the same position as the men of Nineveh, and like them anxiously desiring mercy. I shall notice briefly this morning three things. First, the miserable plight in which the men of Nineveh found themselves; secondly, the scanty reasons which they had for hope; and then, thirdly, I shall observe that we have stronger reasons to compel us to pray, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Of the Public Fast.
A public fast is when, by the authority of the magistrate (Jonah iii. 7; 2 Chron. xx. 3; Ezra viii. 21), either the whole church within his dominion, or some special congregation, whom it concerneth, assemble themselves together, to perform the fore-mentioned duties of humiliation; either for the removing of some public calamity threatened or already inflicted upon them, as the sword, invasion, famine, pestilence, or other fearful sickness (1 Sam. vii. 5, 6; Joel ii. 15; 2 Chron. xx.; Jonah iii. …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Whether it is Lawful for Religious to Wear Coarser Clothes than Others?
Objection 1: It would seem unlawful for religious to wear coarser clothes than others. For according to the Apostle (1 Thess. 5:22) we ought to "refrain from all appearance of evil." Now coarseness of clothes has an appearance of evil; for our Lord said (Mat. 7:15): "Beware of false prophets who come to you in the clothing of sheep": and a gloss on Apoc. 6:8, "Behold a pale horse," says: "The devil finding that he cannot succeed, neither by outward afflictions nor by manifest heresies, sends in advance …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Things Known or Declared Prophetically Can be False?
Objection 1: It would seem that things known or declared prophetically can be false. For prophecy is about future contingencies, as stated above (A[3] ). Now future contingencies may possibly not happen; else they would happen of necessity. Therefore the matter of prophecy can be false. Objection 2: Further, Isaias prophesied to Ezechias saying (Is. 38:1): "Take order with thy house, for thou shalt surely die, and shalt not live," and yet fifteen years were added to his life (4 Kings 20:6). Again …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether all are Bound to Keep the Fasts of the Church?
Objection 1: It would seem that all are bound to keep the fasts of the Church. For the commandments of the Church are binding even as the commandments of God, according to Lk. 10:16, "He that heareth you heareth Me." Now all are bound to keep the commandments of God. Therefore in like manner all are bound to keep the fasts appointed by the Church. Objection 2: Further, children especially are seemingly not exempt from fasting, on account of their age: for it is written (Joel 2:15): "Sanctify a fast," …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Concerning the Sacrament of Penance
In this third part I shall speak of the sacrament of penance. By the tracts and disputations which I have published on this subject I have given offence to very many, and have amply expressed my own opinions. I must now briefly repeat these statements, in order to unveil the tyranny which attacks us on this point as unsparingly as in the sacrament of the bread. In these two sacraments gain and lucre find a place, and therefore the avarice of the shepherds has raged to an incredible extent against …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
Discourse 7 "Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: And thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6:16-18. 1. It has been the endeavour of Satan, from the beginning of the world, …
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Doctrines of Salvation A. Repentance. B. Faith. C. Regeneration. D. Justification. E. Adoption. F. Sanctification. G. Prayer.
THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION. A. REPENTANCE. I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE. II. THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 1. AS TOUCHING THE INTELLECT. 2. AFFECTING THE EMOTIONS. 3. WILL. a) Confess Sin. b) Forsake Sin. c) Turn to God. III. HOW REPENTANCE IS PRODUCED. 1. DIVINE SIDE. 2. HUMAN SIDE. 3. QUESTION OF MEANS. IV. RESULTS OF REPENTANCE. 1. GODWARD. 2. MANWARD. A. REPENTANCE. I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE. The prominence given to the doctrine of Repentance in the Scriptures can hardly be overestimated. …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible

Of a Private Fast.
That we may rightly perform a private fast, four things are to be observed:--First, The author; Secondly, The time and occasion; Thirdly, The manner; Fourthly, The ends of private fasting. 1. Of the Author. The first that ordained fasting was God himself in paradise; and it was the first law that God made, in commanding Adam to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit. God would not pronounce nor write his law without fasting (Lev. xxiii), and in his law commands all his people to fast. So does our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Unchangeableness of God
The next attribute is God's unchangeableness. I am Jehovah, I change not.' Mal 3:3. I. God is unchangeable in his nature. II. In his decree. I. Unchangeable in his nature. 1. There is no eclipse of his brightness. 2. No period put to his being. [1] No eclipse of his brightness. His essence shines with a fixed lustre. With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.' James 1:17. Thou art the same.' Psa 102:27. All created things are full of vicissitudes. Princes and emperors are subject to …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Jonah
The book of Jonah is, in some ways, the greatest in the Old Testament: there is no other which so bravely claims the whole world for the love of God, or presents its noble lessons with so winning or subtle an art. Jonah, a Hebrew prophet, is divinely commanded to preach to Nineveh, the capital of the great Assyrian empire of his day. To escape the unwelcome task of preaching to a heathen people, he takes ship for the distant west, only to be overtaken by a storm, and thrown into the sea, when, by …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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