JONAH

jonah

CHAPTER 1

(862 B.C.)

God commissions jonah

1 Now the Word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying (it is thought that the Book of Jonah was written about 800 B.C., or possibly a little later. Jonah means “a dove,” while Amittai means “true.” “The Word of the LORD,” is a decisive statement, which claims and demonstrates the truthfulness of the entire Book. The same statement is used some seven times in the entirety of the Book, with the number “seven” exclaiming the totality and perfection of the statement [1:1; 2:10; 3:1,3; 4:4, 9-10].

“Unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,” specifies the Prophet and that he is to deliver the Message, and no one else),

2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before Me. (“Nineveh” was the capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire, which was the dominant force in the world of that day. The Message given to Jonah by the Holy Spirit, “Arise, go to Nineveh,” must have been a shock to the Prophet, to say the least! No Prophet had ever been sent, as such, to the Gentiles, and especially to those as cruel as the Ninevites.

As well, the command given by the Lord, “Cry against it,” certainly was not a word that would endear him to the people of that city. To warn men of their sins and to tell them of Judgment to come, whether near or far, is seldom met with approbation. It is normally met with hostility and censure; consequently, many Prophets were killed.)

Jonah refuses and flees from God

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. (“Tarshish” was located on the south coast of Spain; it was in the opposite direction to Nineveh. Jonah was sent to the far east, while he fled to the distant west. “From the Presence of the Lord,” is repeated twice by the Holy Spirit, which is not by accident, but by design.)

The lord sends a storm

4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. (“But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea,” is but the first of several phases of this nature, where the Lord took a direct hand in guiding the affairs of the Prophet.)

The mariners’ prayers

5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. (There is no conscience so insensible as that of a disobedient Believer. The sailors were praying, but Jonah was sleeping. He first went down to Joppa, then down into the ship, and then down into the sides of the ship.

The storm was powerful, and the sailors on-board tried to do everything possible to save their ship. But the problem wasn’t their goods; it was Jonah!)

jonah told to pray

6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon your God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. (Here the Prophet’s stupor is rebuked by the heathen’s faith. “Arise, call upon your God,” petitions Jonah to pray to Jehovah. “If so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not,” is interesting indeed! Even though these mariners worshipped many gods, they here use the word “God” with the article, “Ha Elohim” [“the God”], as if they have a dim notion of One Supreme Deity, which no doubt they did!)

Casting lots; jonah chosen

7 And they said everyone to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. (The “lot” they cast did not tell them the problem, but only of the person who could point out the problem. That person was “Jonah.”)

jonah’s confession

8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray you, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is your occupation? and from where do you come? what is your country? and of what people are you? (Considering how they probed Jonah, the questions asked by these heathen hit at the very heart of the Plan of God, not only for Israel, but for the entirety of the human family, and for all time!)

9 And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of Heaven, which has made the sea and the dry land. (The last phrase means, at least to the ears of these heathen, that Jehovah was not a local deity like the false gods whom they worshipped, but the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Maker and Ruler of sea and dry land. By his statement, they perfectly understood of Whom he was speaking; the next Verse proclaims their response.)

10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why have you done this? For the men knew that he fled from the Presence of the LORD, because he had told them. (“Then were the men exceedingly afraid,” proclaims their understanding of the Greatness of Jehovah and the terrible risk incurred by one who offends Him. The last phrase proclaims their amazement that one who worshipped the Almighty Creator should disobey His Command. To them, this seemed outrageous and even criminal, which it was!)

11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto you, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. (By now, they are very cognizant of the fact that their plight is not ordinary, that they are facing power far beyond anything they have ever known, and that this man Jonah is the pivot point. The last phrase tells us that the storm was growing more intense even by the moment.)

12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. (There is a note of resignation in this statement given by Jonah, portraying that he had come to the place of recognition regarding his disobedience, and that it would do no good to resist further. He was willing to suffer the fate that was due him because of his disobedience, which he thought was death!)

13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. (The first phrase proclaims the fact that even though they were sure about him being the cause, still, they were not certain as to what his God would do to them, inasmuch as throwing him overboard would mean his certain death. The storm was now raging, and they knew that Jehovah was the cause of such; whatever they did, they did not want to further offend the Lord.

“For the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them,” refers to the Lord bringing the waves against them to just an extent that it would stop their progress but not destroy their ship.)

14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech You, O LORD, we beseech You, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You. (This prayer is remarkable, considering that they neither knew nor served Jehovah!)

Jonah cast overboard

15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. (“So they took up Jonah,” means “with reverence.” “And cast him forth into the sea,” means they did so with great regret, thinking they were certainly sending him to his doom.

Immediately this was done, the sea ceased from her raging, showing it had been sent on Jonah’s account, and that they had not sinned or committed any type of wrongdoing by executing this sentence upon him.)

16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. (There is evidence here that they accepted Jehovah because of what they had seen. “Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly,” has reference to the Truth that they feared God even more than Jonah did, at least up to this point.

“And offered a Sacrifice unto the LORD,” probably means that they offered up an animal immediately, which the original Text implies. Quite possibly, there was a lamb or a small calf on board, which was used for this purpose.

“And made vows,” means that they promised themselves to continue to offer Sacrifices unto Jehovah. Thus, their actions portray their belief in God, the renouncing of idol worship, and their conversion to Judaism.)

17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (“Now the LORD had prepared a great fish,” does not mean that the fish was created then and there, but that the Lord ordered it to be at a certain place and at a certain time in order to swallow Jonah.

Frank Bullen, a famous writer of the early 1900’s, states in his books that he often saw in the stomach of whales whole fish, ten to twelve times the size of a man.

“And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights,” refers to at least 72 hours, because it spoke of three literal days and three literal nights.

The historical nature of this occurrence is even more so substantiated by Christ’s reference to it as a figure of His Own Burial and Resurrection.)

CHAPTER 2

(862 B.C.)

Jonah’s prayer, repentance, and deliverance

1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly (the three short words, “Then Jonah prayed,” pertain to the place to which the Holy Spirit had been attempting to bring the Prophet all along),

2 And said, I cried by reason of my affliction unto the LORD, and He heard me; out of the belly of Hell cried I, and You heard my voice. (In Verses 2 through 9, the Prophet quotes from eight Psalms — 120, 43, 31, 69, 18, 116, 3, 142.

“Out of the belly of Hell cried I, and You heard my voice,” does not mean that Jonah actually went to the burning side of Hell, or even to Paradise [which, in fact, is a part of Hell]. He is using a metaphor, or a symbolism, concerning the terrible ordeal which he experienced.

As well, from the Text, there is no evidence that he literally died and was resurrected, as some teach. It basically refers to destitution and a situation so terrible, from which only the Lord could deliver.

Consequently, and with great joy, he once again says, “And You heard my voice.”)

3 For You had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all Your Billows and Your Waves passed over me. (“For You had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas,” refers to the sailors, as the agents of Divine Will, carrying out this unsavory task.

“And the floods compassed me about: all Your Billows and Your Waves passed over me,” pertains to the time between when he was thrown into the sea and when he was swallowed up by the “great fish.” During this time, he thought he was going to drown!

No doubt, his praying commenced at that moment; however, the “belly of Hell” of Verse 2 is actually speaking of the belly of the “great fish.”)

4 Then I said, I am cast out of Your Sight; yet I will look again toward Your Holy Temple. (The first phrase refers to his despair when cast overboard. His words are similar to Ps. 31:22.

“Yet I will look again toward Your Holy Temple,” refers to him praying to the Lord and importuning Him for Mercy.)

5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. (There is evidence that the ship in which Jonah was sailing was not very far offshore when the storm broke, because the mariners attempted to row back to shore to put Jonah back on land [Vs. 13]. Consequently, the possibility exists that the waters were not so deep at this particular place, and that he could have gone to the bottom, or nearly so, when he was thrown overboard, resulting in “weeds being wrapped about his head.” “The waters compassed me about, even to the soul,” refers to Jonah nearly drowning.)

6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the Earth with her bars was about me forever: yet have You brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. (“I went down to the bottoms of the mountains, the Earth with her bars was about me forever,” expresses Jonah’s near-drowning experience. “Yet have You brought up my life from corruption,” has reference to him being saved from drowning and from the “corruption” of the past few days, referring to his running from God.

He gives the Lord all the Praise and Glory for this great act of Mercy, with the statement, “O LORD my God.” The phrase shows that Jonah is now back in fellowship with the Lord!)

7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto You, into Your Holy Temple. (The first phrase refers to desperation! The last phrase refers to that desperation causing him to cry unto the Lord!)

8 They who observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. (The fact that suffering and self-ruin result from self-will and the negation of God had now become a matter of personal experience to the Prophet, for he had forsaken God and united in travel with idolaters.

“Forsake their own mercy,” is interesting indeed! It means that God is ready, able, and willing to show “Mercy” to any and all who will dare to believe Him. To forsake that is to forsake everything!)

9 But I will sacrifice unto You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. (“Salvation is of the LORD,” presents the last lesson that proud man consents to learn; for it teaches him that he cannot contribute to his own Salvation — for what could Jonah do inside the great fish — and so, if man is to be saved, the Salvation must be wholly Divine.

“But I will sacrifice unto You with the voice of thanksgiving,” refers to the “Peace Offering,” which Jonah hoped to offer when possible [Lev. 7:11-12].)

10 And the LORD spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. (“And the LORD spoke unto the fish,” once again portrays the Lord in total control over all His Creation. The “fish” quickly obeyed the Lord, while Jonah did not come to this position so easily.)

CHAPTER 3

(862 B.C.)

Jonah’s second commission; his obedience

1 And the Word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying (Chapter 1 is the story of Jonah’s call and rebellion, while Chapter 2 portrays his Repentance and Salvation from what looked like certain death. Chapter 3 proclaims Jonah’s preaching in Nineveh and the Repentance of that city.

“The second time,” seems to imply that Jonah earnestly sought the Lord regarding his continued commission; fearful he would do something the Lord did not desire, he waited until there was a definite re-commission. Such does not show a reticence on his part, but rather a compelling desire to please God),

2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid you. (The commission given here is basically the same as that given in Verse 2 of Chapter 1. There the Holy Spirit said, “Cry against it,” where here He says, “Preach unto it.”

“And preach unto it the preaching that I bid you,” refers to the Lord being the Author of all that Jonah was to say.)

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. (“Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey,” concerns the size of the city and not the distance of Jonah’s travel. The city was about 64 miles around, which would take a man about three days’ walking to get around the city.)

4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. (The first phrase probably means that Jonah came into the city about 12 miles distance. “And he cried,” proclaims him standing possibly in some marketplace or at a busy intersection, lifting up his voice, loudly shouting the Message the Lord had given him. His Message was as follows: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”

As recorded in Mat. 16:1-4 and Lk. 11:30, Jonah was a “sign” to the Ninevites; that is, he was a personal illustration of the Wrath and Grace of God.)

Nineveh repented; granted mercy

5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. (We have here one of the few times in history where people, even heathen, actually believed the Prophet sent by the Lord. As such, they repented, “from the greatest of them even to the least of them,” i.e., from the king down to lowest servant.)

6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. (“For word came unto the king of Nineveh,” proclaims the fact that the tokens of penitence mentioned in Verse 5 were not exhibited in obedience to any royal command; rather, as the impression made by the Prophet spread among the people, and as they adopted these modes of showing their sorrow, the news of this movement reached the king, and he put himself at the head of it.

The reigning Monarch was probably either Shalmaneser III or one of the two who succeeded him, Asshur-Danil or Asshur-Nirari.

“And he arose from his throne,” proclaims a heartfelt disposition which abdicated his lofty position as the leading Monarch of the world in favor of Jehovah. In other words, he was saying, “Lord, You are King, and not I.”

“And he laid his robe from him,” also signifies a total commitment to the Commands of the Lord.

7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water (to be sure, the “decree of the king and his nobles” in no way caused the Repentance, but was rather a result of what was already happening. Repentance cannot be legislated, and Salvation cannot be legislated. Such action always must be a “result of” rather than a “cause of”):

8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. (True Repentance always involves separation from evil. “And cry mightily unto God,” refers to all people, from the least to the greatest, admitting their sin before God and that they deserve destruction, but were pleading for mercy.

“Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way,” is, as we have said, the very ingredient of Repentance. The idea is to turn from the “evil way” to “God’s Way.” God does not save “in sin,” but instead “from sin.” Therefore, the idea that the Blood of Jesus Christ is the only difference between the saved and the unsaved is facetious indeed!

“And from the violence that is in their hands,” refers to the “acts of violence” that their hands had committed. This was, in fact, the special sin of the Assyrians — always grasping after empires, oppressing other nations, and doing so with great violence. They were an extremely cruel people!)

9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not? (His terminology, in the form of a question, “Who can tell if God will . . .?” proclaims an understanding of God that is of far greater dimension than most. Even though the Scripture is silent, still, it seems that Jonah may have had a personal audience with the king, for Verse 6 says, “For word came unto the king of Nineveh.” It is unlikely that he would have had merely by hearsay a firm grasp of Spiritual matters, which it seems he did have.

“That we perish not,” concerns the Monarch truly believing the Word of the Lord, which is not the case with most presently!)

10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not. (Fear and a sense of guilt cause a man to repent; love and a sense of pity, God; for He reserves liberty of action to Himself. With God, Repentance means a change of purpose or action and never wrongdoing on His Part. With man, Repentance also means a change of purpose or action, but always refers to wrongdoing on his part.

The phrase, “And God saw their works,” does not refer to Salvation being of works, but that their faith had works, which was Repentance [James 2:26].)

CHAPTER 4

(862 B.C.)

Jonah’s displeasure, anger, and complaint

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. (Man’s moral consciousness demands punishment for evil, and a fleshly orthodoxy requires suppression of mercy and compassion. Jonah was religiously indignant that the crimes and cruelties of Nineveh should be lightly regarded by God in this fashion and forgiven, just as a moral man is shocked at the idea that God will forgive, cleanse, and pardon in a moment’s time, even the vilest of sin, upon proper confession and admission to Him [I Jn. 1:9].)

2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray You, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that You are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and You repent of the evil. (In this Verse, Jonah quotes Ex. 34:6 and Num. 14:18. He no doubt reasoned that a total destruction of Nineveh, manifestly Divine, would advantage his own nation Spiritually and politically. It would remove her oppressor and, at the same time, convince his countrymen of the wickedness and folly of idolatry.

As well, God’s Plan was to teach Israel by the example of Nineveh how inexcusable was their own impenitence and how inevitable their ruin.

There is every evidence from his question, “Was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country?”, that the Lord had already told him that Nineveh would repent, if the Message was properly delivered. Jonah did not desire this, so, at first, he refused to go.

His statement, “Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish,” tells us that he did not desire Nineveh to be spared. Such an attitude is unthinkable, but yet such attitude continues to plague the modern Church.)

3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech You, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. (First of all, Jonah probably thought that his fellow countrymen would not be happy at all with the turn of events regarding Nineveh; and of that, he was probably right. However, what others think is of little consequence; it’s what God knows that counts!)

God’s lesson to jonah

4 Then said the LORD, Do you well to be angry? (Irrespective of Jonah’s attitude, the Lord’s handling of the Prophet, as always, was with gentleness. The Lord bids him to consider whether his anger is reasonable?)

5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. (The phrase, “So Jonah went out of the city,” respects the view that he thought there still may be a possibility that God would destroy Nineveh. We see him leaving this Move of God because he took no joy in seeing the conversion of these people.)

6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. (“And the LORD God prepared a gourd,” proclaims the same action as the “Lord preparing the great fish,” and later “preparing the worm,” and the “east wind.” So, Jonah pouts, while the Lord positions.)

7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. (Religious emotions, which are personal and not of the Holy Spirit can be easily affected by the provision or loss of material comforts, because such actually are not Faith. So now, the Lord will prepare a worm to smite the gourd. The Lord is teaching the Prophet that He can give and He can take away!)

8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. (He could have been in Nineveh rejoicing with the people at the Mercy of God, but instead he is sitting out in the desert wishing to die! Self-will is Satanic; therefore, the Holy Spirit will go to all lengths to rid us of this malady. Someone has well said: The Lord died on Calvary not only to save us from sin, but also to save us from self.)

9 And God said to Jonah, Do you well to be angry for the gourd? and he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. (It is very striking when one begins to notice the variety of names used of the Lord in these Passages [Vss. 6-9]. The production of the gourd is attributed to “Jehovah-Elohim” [Vs. 6], which is a composite name, which serves to mark the transition from “Jehovah” in Verse 4 to “Elohim” in Verses 7 and 8.

“Jehovah” Who replies to the Prophet’s complaint [Vs. 4] prepares the plant as “Elohim,” the Creator, and the worm as “Ha Elohim,” the Personal God.

Likewise, “Elohim,” the Ruler of nature, sends the east wind to correct the Prophet’s impatience. In Verse 10, “Jehovah” sums up the history and teaches the lesson to be learned from it.

Despite the Prophet’s attitude, the Lord continued to be patient with him! What a wonderful Lord we serve!)

10 Then said the LORD, You have had pity on the gourd, for the which you have not laboured, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night (“For the which you have not labored, neither made it grow,” refers to the Prophet having no investment whatsoever in the plant, but yet being grieved at its loss, because it represented a loss to him personally):

11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand (120,000) persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? (Many have misunderstood this Scripture, thinking that Nineveh contained only 120,000 people. However, the phrase, “Who cannot discern,” is speaking only of infants. Therefore, the population of the city must have been somewhere around 500,000 or more!

The Book ends abruptly, but its object has been accomplished. Jonah is silenced; he can make no reply; he can only confess that he is entirely wrong, and that God is Righteous — hence, the reason for the Book.

Jonah learned the lesson that God would have all men to be saved, and that anything which would stand in the way of this all-important task is extremely displeasing to Him and alien to His Design.

How long Nineveh remained true to the Lord, we aren’t told.)