Read & Study the Bible Online - Bible Portal
Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jonah 3:5-10

Here is I. A wonder of divine grace in the repentance and reformation of Nineveh, upon the warning given them of their destruction approaching. Verily I say unto you, we have not found so great an instance of it, no, not in Israel; and it will rise up in judgment against the men of the gospel?generation, and condemn them; for the Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonas, but behold, a greater than Jonas is here, Matt. 12:41. Nay, it did condemn the impenitence and obstinacy of Israel at... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 3:7

And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh ,.... By a herald or heralds, sent into the several parts of the city: by the decree of the king and his nobles ; with whom he consulted, and whose advice he took; and who were equally concerned at this news, and very probably were present when word was brought to the king concerning it: saying, let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything ; a very strict and general fast this: abstinence from all food was... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 3:8

But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth ,.... As the king was, and the people also were; and this order enjoined the same to the beasts, horses, and camels, whose rich trappings were to be taken off, and sackcloth put upon them, for the greater solemnity, of the mourning; as at this day, at the funerals of great persons, not only the horses which draw the hearse and mourning, coaches are covered with black velvet, to make the solemnity more awful: but others are led, clothed in like... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jonah 3:8

Let man and beast be covered - This was done that every object which they beheld might deepen the impression already made, and cause them to mourn after a godly sort. Virgil tells us that the mourning for the death of Julius Caesar was so general, that the cattle neither ate nor drank: - Non ulli pastos illis egere diebus Frigida, Daphni, boves ad flumina: nulla neque amnem Libavit quadrupes, nec graminis attigit herbam read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jonah 3:7

Verse 7 But it seems strange, and even ridiculous, that the king should bid animals, as well as men, to make a confession of repentance; for penitence is a change in man, when he returns to God after having been alienated from him: this cannot comport with the character of brute animals. Then the king of Nineveh acted foolishly and contrary to all reason in connecting animals with men when he spoke of repentance. But, in answer to this, we must bear in mind what I have before said — that... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jonah 3:8

Verse 8 Jonah afterwards adds, And they cried mightily (49) to God This must be confined to men; for it could not have been applied to brute animals. Men then, as well as the beasts, abstained from meat and drink, and they cried to God. This crying could not have proceeded except from fear and a religious feeling: hence, as I have said, this cannot be applied indiscriminately to the beasts as well as to men. (50) But it deserves to be noticed, that the king of Nineveh commanded the people to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jonah 3:1-10

Part III . JONAH 'S PREACHING IN NINEVEH ; THE REPENTANCE OF THE NINEVITES . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jonah 3:4-10

A heathen city in sackcloth. Let us try to realize the scene. An Eastern city sleeps in the rosy morning light. Its moated ramparts tower a hundred feet in air, and, dotted with fifteen hundred lofty towers, sweep around it a length of over sixty miles. Already the gates are open for the early traffic, and conspicuous among the crowd a stranger enters. The stains of travel are on his dress, and he looks with curious awe at the figures of winged colossal bulls that keep silent symbolic... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jonah 3:5-9

§ 3. The Ninevites hearken to the cry of Jonah, believe in God, and repent. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jonah 3:5-9

The repentance of Nineveh. "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," etc. Here is Jonah in Nineveh alone against the world. Oh, the moral grandeur of the sight!—resting on God alone—"according to his faith it was to him"—marvellous success of his preaching, through Divine power working in him and through him. Observe the contrast to Noah and to Lot. He is like John the Baptist—a torch, setting... read more

Group of Brands