"Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me." Get up!This command signifies urgency and divine initiative. It is a call to action, indicating that Jonah must leave his current state and prepare for a mission. Similar calls to action are seen in the lives of other prophets, such as Elijah and Jeremiah, where God commands immediate obedience. Go to the great city of Nineveh
Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, known for its size, power, and influence. It was located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, in what is now modern-day Iraq. Archaeological discoveries have confirmed its grandeur and significance. The city's greatness is not only in its size but also in its historical and cultural impact. Assyria was a dominant force and often an enemy of Israel, making Jonah's mission particularly challenging. and preach against it
Jonah is instructed to deliver a message of impending judgment. This reflects the role of prophets as God's messengers, often tasked with delivering difficult truths. The call to preach against Nineveh highlights God's concern for justice and righteousness. Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah also delivered messages of judgment to nations, emphasizing God's sovereignty over all peoples. because its wickedness has come up before Me.
The phrase indicates that Nineveh's sins are significant and have reached a point where divine intervention is necessary. This mirrors the biblical theme of God being aware of human actions and responding to persistent sin. Similar language is used in Genesis regarding Sodom and Gomorrah, where the outcry against the cities' wickedness reached God. This phrase underscores God's holiness and the seriousness with which He views sin. Persons / Places / Events 1. JonahA prophet of God, son of Amittai, called to deliver God's message to Nineveh. His initial reluctance and subsequent journey form the central account of the Book of Jonah. 2. NinevehA major city in the Assyrian Empire, known for its size and wickedness. It was a significant center of power and culture, often seen as a symbol of human pride and sinfulness. 3. God's CommandThe directive given to Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. This command highlights God's concern for all nations and His desire for repentance. Teaching Points God's Universal ConcernGod's command to Jonah to go to Nineveh demonstrates His concern for all people, not just Israel. This challenges us to broaden our perspective and care for those outside our immediate community. The Call to ObedienceJonah's initial reluctance serves as a reminder of the importance of obedience to God's call, even when it leads us to uncomfortable or challenging situations. Repentance and MercyThe account of Nineveh's eventual repentance (later in the book) underscores the power of repentance and God's readiness to show mercy. It encourages us to seek God's forgiveness and extend His message of grace to others. The Consequences of SinNineveh's wickedness had reached a point where God could no longer ignore it. This serves as a warning about the seriousness of sin and the need for timely repentance. God's SovereigntyGod's command to Jonah and His dealings with Nineveh highlight His sovereignty over nations and history, reminding us to trust in His ultimate plan and purpose. Bible Study Questions 1. What does Jonah's initial reaction to God's command reveal about human nature and our response to God's call? 2. How does the account of Nineveh challenge our understanding of God's mercy and justice? 3. In what ways can we identify "Ninevehs" in our own lives—places or people we are reluctant to engage with—and how can we overcome this reluctance? 4. How does the theme of repentance in Jonah 1:2 connect with the broader biblical account of redemption? 5. Reflect on a time when you felt called to do something difficult. How did you respond, and what can you learn from Jonah's account to apply in future situations? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 18-19The account of Sodom and Gomorrah, where God also responds to the outcry against a city's wickedness, showing His justice and mercy. Matthew 12:41Jesus references Jonah's preaching to Nineveh, highlighting the city's repentance and contrasting it with the unrepentant generation of His time. Nahum 1-3The prophecy against Nineveh, which later faced destruction due to its return to wickedness, illustrating the consequences of failing to maintain repentance. | Every Man His Call | Joseph Parker, D. D. | Jonah 1:2 | | God Speaking to Man in Mercy | Homilist | Jonah 1:2 | | Jonah Sent to Nineveh | Boston Homilies | Jonah 1:2 | | Jonah's Commission | Samuof Clift Burn. | Jonah 1:2 | | Jonah's Commission | Thomas Jones, of Creaton. | Jonah 1:2 | | The Comparative Corruption of Great Cities | James Simpson. | Jonah 1:2 | | The Reasons for Jonah's Mission to Nineveh | A. Raleigh, D. D. | Jonah 1:2 | | Jonah God's Messenger | G.T. Coster | Jonah 1:1, 2 | | The Call of Jonah | A. Rowland | Jonah 1:1, 2 | | A Despicable Deserter | J.E. Henry | Jonah 1:1-3 | | God Speaking to Man in Mercy, and Man Fleeing from God in Disobedience | D. Thomas | Jonah 1:1-3 | | Jonah | H. J. Foster. | Jonah 1:1-3 | | Jonah Regarded as a Type | James Simpson. | Jonah 1:1-3 | | Jonah, the Runaway Prophet | J. O. Keen, D. D. | Jonah 1:1-3 | | Jonah's Call and Flight | W.G. Blaikie | Jonah 1:1-3 | | The Behests of God | Joseph Parker, D. D. | Jonah 1:1-3 | | The Character of Jonah | R. A. Redford, M. A. | Jonah 1:1-3 |
People Amittai, Jonah, TarshishPlaces Joppa, Mount Esau, Nineveh, TarshishTopics Arise, Cry, Evil-doing, Nineveh, Nin'eveh, Preach, Proclaim, Rise, Town, Voice, WickednessDictionary of Bible Themes Jonah 1:2 7949 mission, of Israel
8496 witnessing, importance Jonah 1:1-2 6620 calling
8426 evangelism, motivation
8846 ungodliness Jonah 1:1-3 1055 God, grace and mercy
4926 delay, human
5714 men
7758 preachers, call
8410 decision-making, examples Jonah 1:1-6 8616 prayerlessness Jonah 1:1-10 5178 running Library Guilty Silence and Its Reward
Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great, city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before Me. 3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 4. But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureChristian Graces.
FAITH. FAITH! Peter saith, faith, in the very trial of it, is much more precious than gold that perisheth. If so, what is the worth or value that is in the grace itself? Faith is so great an artist in arguing and reasoning with the soul, that it will bring over the hardest heart that it hath to deal with. It will bring to my remembrance at once, both my vileness against God, and his goodness towards me; it will show me, that though I deserve not to breathe in the air, yet God will have me an heir …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan Whether Divination by Drawing Lots is Unlawful?
Objection 1: It would seem that divination by drawing lots is not unlawful, because a gloss of Augustine on Ps. 30:16, "My lots are in Thy hands," says: "It is not wrong to cast lots, for it is a means of ascertaining the divine will when a man is in doubt." Objection 2: There is, seemingly, nothing unlawful in the observances which the Scriptures relate as being practiced by holy men. Now both in the Old and in the New Testament we find holy men practicing the casting of lots. For it is related …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Careless Sinner Awakened.
1, 2. It is too supposable a case that this Treatise may come into such hands.--3, 4. Since many, not grossly vicious, fail under that character.--5, 6. A more particular illustration of this case, with an appeal to the reader, whether it be not his own.--7 to 9. Expostulation with such.--10 to 12. More particularly--From acknowledged principles relating to the Nature of Got, his universal presence, agency, and perfection.--13. From a view of personal obligations to him.--14. From the danger Of this …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of the natural man is neither Sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's will-its servitude-is essential to a just estimate of his depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human nature is something which …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation, …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting 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 Links Jonah 1:2 NIVJonah 1:2 NLTJonah 1:2 ESVJonah 1:2 NASBJonah 1:2 KJV
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