SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:3
Y se levantó Jonás, y fue a Nínive, conforme a la palabra del SEÑOR. Y era Nínive ciudad grande a Dios, de tres días de camino.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Jonah 3:3
Verse 3. Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days' journey.] See on chap. i. 2. Strabo says, lib. xvi., polu meizwn hn thv babulwnov, "it was much larger than Babylon:" and Ninus, the builder, not only proposed to make it the largest city of the world, but the largest that could be built by man. See Diodour. Sic. Bib. l. ii. And as we find, from the lowest computation, that it was at least fifty-four or sixty English miles in circumference, it would take the prophet three days to walk round upon the walls, and announce from them the terrible message, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be destroyed!
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 3. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord , etc.] He was no longer disobedient to the heavenly vision; being taught by the rod, he acts according to the word; he is now made willing to go on the Lord’s errand, and do his business, under the influence of his power and grace; he stands not consulting with the flesh, but immediately arises and sets forward on his journey, as directed and commanded, being rid of that timorous spirit, and those fears, he was before possessed of; his afflictions had been greatly sanctified to him, to restore his straying soul, and cause him to keep and observe the word of the Lord; and his going to Nineveh, and preaching to a Heathen people, after his deliverance out of the fish’s belly, was a type of the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles by the apostles, according to the commission of Christ renewed unto them, after his resurrection from the dead, ( Acts 26:23); and after many failings of theirs; now Nineveh was an exceeding great city : or “a city great to God” f60 ; not dear to him, for it was full of wickedness; not great in his esteem, with whom the whole earth is as nothing; but known by him to be what it was; and the name of God is often used of things, to express the superlative nature and greatness of them, as trees of God, mountains of God, the flame of God, etc. ( Psalm 36:7 80:10 Song of Solomon 8:6); it was a greater city than Babylon, of which (see Gill on “Jon 1:2”); of three days’ journey ; in compass, being sixty miles, as Diodorus Siculus relates; and allowing twenty miles for a day’s journey on foot, as this was, and which is as much as a man can ordinarily do to hold it, was just three days journey; and so Herodotus reckons a day’s journey at an hundred fifty furlongs, which make about nineteen miles; but, according to the Jewish writers, a middling day’s journey is ten “parsas” f63 , and every “parsa” makes four miles, so that with them it is forty miles: or else it was three days’ journey in the length of it, as Kimchi thinks, from end to end. This is observed to show the greatness of the city, which was the greatest in the whole world, as well as to lead on to the following account.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - God employs Jonah again in his service. His making use of us is a evidence of his being at peace with us. Jonah was not disobedient, a he had been. He neither endeavoured to avoid hearing the command, no declined to obey it. See here the nature of repentance; it is the change of our mind and way, and a return to our work and duty. Also the benefit of affliction; it brings those back to their place who ha deserted it. See the power of Divine grace, for affliction of itsel would rather drive men from God, than draw them to him. God's servant must go where he sends them, come when he calls them, and do what he bids them; we must do whatever the word of the Lord commands. Jona faithfully and boldly delivered his errand. Whether Jonah said more, to show the anger of God against them, or whether he only repeated thes words again and again, is not certain, but this was the purport of his message. Forty days is a long time for a righteous God to dela judgments, yet it is but a little time for an unrighteous people to repent and reform in. And should it not awaken us to get ready for death, to consider that we cannot be so sure that we shall live fort days, as Nineveh then was that it should stand forty days? We should be alarmed if we were sure not to live a month, yet we are careless thoug we are not sure to live a day.
Original Hebrew
ויקם 6965 יונה 3124 וילך 1980 אל 413 נינוה 5210 כדבר 1697 יהוה 3068 ונינוה 5210 היתה 1961 עיר 5892 גדולה 1419 לאלהים 430 מהלך 4109 שׁלשׁת 7969 ימים׃ 3117
