Jonah 3:4 - Exposition

§ 2. Jonah, undeterred by the danger of the enterprise, executes his mission at one, and announces the approaching destruction of the city. Began to enter into the city a day's journey. Jonah commenced his day's journey in the city, and, as he found a suitable place, uttered his warning cry, not necessarily continuing in one straight course, but going to the most frequented spots. At the time of Jonah's preaching the royal residence was probably at Chalah: i.e. Nimrud, the most southern of the cities. Coming from Palestine, he would reach this part first, so that his strange message would soon come to the king's ears (verse 6). Yet forty days. "Forty" in Scripture is the number of probation (see Genesis 7:4 , Genesis 7:12 ; Exodus 24:18 ; 1 Kings 19:8 ; Matthew 4:2 ). The LXX . has, ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι , "yet three days" owing probably to some clerical error, as writing γ instead of μ . St. Augustine ('De Civit.,' 18.44) endeavours to explain the discrepaney mystically as referring to Christ under different circumstances, as being the same who remained forty days on earth after his resurrection, and who rose again on the third day. Shall be overthrown. This is the word used for the destruction of Sodom ( Genesis 19:25 , Genesis 19:27 ; Amos 4:11 ). The prophet appears to have gone on through the city, repeating this one awful announcement, as we read of fanatics denouncing woe on Jerusalem before its final destruction (Josephus, 'Bell. Jud.,' 6.5. 3). The threat was conditional virtually, though expressed in uncompromising terms. In the Hebrew the participle is used, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh overthrown," as though he saw at the end of the specified time the great city lying in ruins. One sees from Isaiah 36:11 , Isaiah 36:13 , that Jonah could readily be understood by the Assyrians.