Lexical Summary qeriah: Tearing, rending Original Word: קְרִיאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance preaching From qara'; a proclamation -- preaching. see HEBREW qara' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom qara Definition proclamation NASB Translation proclamation (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs קְרִיאָה noun feminine proclamation; — Jonah 3:2. Topical Lexicon Core Meaning and Old Testament Context The term refers to an official proclamation, summons, or public reading of a divine message. Its solitary appearance focuses attention on a singular historical moment, highlighting how one authoritative declaration can change the destiny of an entire city. Prophetic Significance in Jonah 3:2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.” (Jonah 3:2) The word frames Jonah’s recommissioning after his deliverance from the fish. The command elevates the message above the messenger: Jonah is not granted creative license; he must relay precisely what the Lord entrusts to him. This underscores prophetic fidelity and sets a pattern for all subsequent heralds of God’s truth. Nineveh’s Response and Theological Implications The proclamation catalyzes wholesale repentance (Jonah 3:5-9). The city’s immediate response demonstrates: Relationship to Wider Biblical Theme of Proclamation Though this specific noun is rare, Scripture frequently employs related vocabulary for “cry,” “call,” or “preach.” Together they trace an unbroken thread: Thus the single Old Testament instance melds seamlessly into the broader biblical movement from local summons to universal proclamation. Christological Foreshadowing Jonah’s experience prefigures Christ’s death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40). The subsequent proclamation to Nineveh anticipates the post-resurrection charge given to the disciples. Both events reveal: Therefore, the term subtly anticipates the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Practical Ministry Applications 1. Fidelity in Preaching: Ministers must convey Scripture without dilution, just as Jonah was to “proclaim … the message that I give you.” Homiletical Insights A single, Spirit-charged proclamation can overturn entrenched evil. Sermons drawn from Jonah 3 should stress urgency (“yet forty days,” Jonah 3:4) and divine compassion (Jonah 4:2). Faithful heralds today echo Jonah when they announce both impending judgment and the hope of mercy. Intertestamental Reception Jewish tradition elevated Jonah as testimony that Gentiles could repent, thereby shaping first-century expectations about God’s inclusive grace (cf. Luke 4:25-27). This prepared the ground for Gentile mission in Acts. Canonical Unity and Eschatological Outlook Revelation 14:6 depicts an “eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth.” The lone Old Testament usage of the word thus anticipates the climactic, worldwide proclamation that will precede final judgment, uniting Jonah’s moment in Nineveh with God’s ultimate redemptive plan. Forms and Transliterations הַקְּרִיאָ֔ה הקריאה hakkeriAh haq·qə·rî·’āh haqqərî’āhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jonah 3:2 HEB: אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ אֶת־ הַקְּרִיאָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י NAS: and proclaim to it the proclamation which KJV: and preach unto it the preaching that I bid INT: and proclaim about the proclamation which I 1 Occurrence |
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