Jonah 1:2
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Jonah son of Amittai prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel (2 Kings 14:25), around 780-760 BC. God commanded him to preach repentance to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria—the brutal empire that would later destroy Israel (722 BC). Assyrian kings were notorious for extreme cruelty, boasting in their inscriptions about impalement, flaying, and mass deportations. For an Israelite prophet, preaching salvation to Assyria was like asking a Holocaust survivor to evangelize Nazi Germany. Jonah's flight to Tarshish (opposite direction) reveals both ethnic prejudice and theological confusion about God's mercy extending to pagan nations. When Nineveh repented and God relented, Jonah became angry, preferring their destruction. The book concludes with God's gentle rebuke, revealing His compassion for all people.
The book of Jonah stands as a rebuke to narrow nationalism and an anticipation of the gospel's universal scope. Jesus referenced Jonah's three days in the fish as a sign of His death and resurrection, while condemning His generation for not repenting like Nineveh did (Matthew 12:39-41). The early church struggled with the same prejudice Jonah displayed when Gentiles began believing in Christ.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Jonah 1:2 deepen your understanding of God's character, particularly His holiness, justice, and mercy?
- What specific attitudes, thought patterns, or behaviors does this verse call you to examine and change in light of the gospel?
- How does this passage point forward to Christ and His redemptive work, and how should that shape your worship and obedience?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
God's command is direct and shocking: "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me." The Hebrew qum lekh el-Nineveh ha'ir haggedolah uqera aleyha ki-aletah ra'atam lephanay (קוּם לֵךְ אֶל־נִינְוֵה הָעִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה וּקְרָא עָלֶיהָ כִּי־עָלְתָה רָעָתָם לְפָנָי) sends an Israelite prophet to Israel's enemy—equivalent to sending a Holocaust survivor to preach in Berlin in 1945.
"Nineveh, that great city" (Nineveh ha'ir haggedolah) emphasizes size and significance. Nineveh was Assyria's capital, center of the brutal empire that would later destroy Israel's northern kingdom (722 BC). The phrase "great city" appears five times in Jonah, stressing its importance to God despite being pagan. The repetition anticipates 4:11's revelation that God cares about Nineveh's 120,000 inhabitants who "cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand."
"Cry against it" (qera aleyha) uses qara (קָרָא), meaning to call out, proclaim, or preach. The preposition al (against) indicates the message is judgment. Yet Jonah's actual message (3:4) is brief: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." No offer of repentance, no explanation—just announcement of doom. God's mercy becomes evident when Nineveh repents anyway and God relents (3:10).
"Their wickedness is come up before me" (aletah ra'atam lephanay) uses alah (עָלָה, "come up, ascend"), suggesting their evil has reached heaven's threshold, demanding divine attention. This echoes Genesis 18:20-21 where Sodom's sin "is very grievous" and comes before God. The phrase demonstrates God's omniscience—He sees wickedness everywhere, not just in Israel. God holds all nations accountable to His moral law (Amos 1-2, Romans 1:18-32). Nineveh's specific crimes likely included extreme military brutality—Assyrian inscriptions boast of impalement, flaying, mass deportations, and calculated terrorism.