Meaning of Jonah 1:2

Bible Verse: Jonah 1:2 - "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me."

Summary and Interpretation

In this verse, we find God commanding Jonah to go to Nineveh, a significant and populous city known for its wickedness. The divine call to action illustrates God's awareness of the moral state of cities and nations, prompting a message of repentance.

Public domain commentaries provide various insights into this verse:

• Matthew Henry:

  Henry emphasizes the urgency and clarity of God’s command. Jonah is directed to "arise," indicating that he must take immediate action. Nineveh is described as a "great city" not merely in size but significatively in its impact on the surrounding nations and as a center of wickedness that calls for divine intervention.

• Albert Barnes:

  Barnes highlights the extraordinary nature of God’s request for Jonah to go to a Gentile nation. The term "wickedness" points to the moral decay in Nineveh, underscoring the importance of prophetic pronouncement as a means of calling sinners to repentance. God’s awareness of the city's sins marks a critical moment in the narrative of prophetic missions.

• Adam Clarke:

  Clarke discusses the significance of Jonah's mission as a reflection of God’s mercy. By calling Jonah to preach to such a wicked city, it suggests a theme of hope and redemption, as bad as Nineveh’s sins were, God still offered them a chance to repent.

Cross-References for Jonah 1:2

This verse connects to several other scriptures, further illustrating its themes:

• Matthew 12:41: "The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, a greater than Jonas is here."
• 2 Kings 14:25: "He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher."
• Isaiah 55:7: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
• Luke 11:30: "For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation."
• Jonah 3:2: "Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee."
• Micah 3:8: "But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin."
• Ezekiel 33:11: "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"

Thematic Connections

Jonah 1:2 forms a crucial part of the larger narrative in Scripture about God’s love and mercy towards all nations:

• Call to Repentance: As evident in both the Old and New Testaments, God consistently calls His people to repentance, ensuring that His message of salvation is available.
• Divine Judgment: Jonah's historical context provides insight into God’s judgment against sin and the need for prophetic voices amidst moral decay.
• Universal Salvation: The mission to Nineveh signifies God's intention to reach beyond Israel, extending His grace to non-Israelite nations, as seen in themes throughout the prophetic books.

Conclusion

Jonah 1:2 encapsulates a pivotal moment in prophetic literature, illustrating both the deep moral failures of the city of Nineveh and God’s relentless pursuit of redemption for all humanity. God’s command to Jonah invokes themes of urgency, repentance, and the divine call to proclaim His word across nations, asserting that no one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy.