SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:8
y que se cubran de cilicio los hombres y los animales, y clamen a Dios fuertemente; y cada uno se convierta de su mal camino, y de la rapiña que está en sus manos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Jonah 3:8
Verse 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. Ecl. v. 24. "The swains forgot their sheep, nor near the brink Of running waters brought their herds to drink.
The thirsty cattle of themselves abstain'd, From water, and their grassy fare disdain'd." DRYDEN.
And that they sometimes changed: or reversed the harness and ornaments of cattle, as indicative of mourning, we have a proof in Virgil's description of the funeral procession in honour of Pallas, slain by Turnus, AEn. xi. ver. 89.
Post bellator equus, positis insignibus, AEthon It lacrymans, guttisque humectat grandibus ora.
"Stripp'd of his trappings, and his head declined, AEthon, his generous warrior-horse, behind, Moves with a solemn, slow, majestic pace; And the big tears come rolling down his face.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 8. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth , etc.] 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 manner: and cry mightily unto God ; which clause stands so closely connected with the former, as if it respected beasts as well as men, who sometimes are said to cry for food in times of drought and distress, ( Joel 1:20); and who here might purposely be kept from food and drink, that they might cry, and so the more affect the minds of the Ninevites, in their humiliation and abasement; but men are principally meant, at least who were to cry unto God intensely and earnestly, with great ardour, fervency, and importunity; not only aloud, and with a strong voice, but with their whole heart, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it; heartily, sincerely, and devoutly, for the averting divine wrath, and the pardon of their sins, and the sparing of their city: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way ; as well knowing that fasting and prayer would be of no avail, without leaving everyone their sinful courses, and reforming their life and manners: and from the violence that [is] in their hands : their rapine and oppression, their thefts and robberies, and preying upon the substance of others; which seem to be the reigning vices of this city, in doing which many murders were committed also; (see Na 3:1); the Jewish writers interpret this of making restitution for rapine and violence, which is a genuine fruit of repentance; (see Luke 19:8). The Septuagint version understands this, not as a direction from the king to the men of Nineveh what they should do, but as a narrative of what they did; and no doubt but they did these things, put on sackcloth, fast, pray, and turn from their evil ways; yet they are the instructions of the king unto them and the orders he gave them.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-10 - There was a wonder of Divine grace in the repentance and reformation of Nineveh. It condemns the men of the gospel generation, Mt 12:41. A very small degree of light may convince men that humbling themselves befor God, confessing their sins with prayer, and turning from sin, are mean of escaping wrath and obtaining mercy. The people followed the exampl of the king. It became a national act, and it was necessary it shoul be so, when it was to prevent a national ruin. Let even the brut creatures' cries and moans for want of food remind their owners to cr to God. In prayer we must cry mightily, with fixedness of thought firmness of faith, and devout affections. It concerns us in prayer to stir up all that is within us. It is not enough to fast for sin, but we must fast from sin; and, in order to the success of our prayers, we must no more regard iniquity in our hearts, Ps 66:18. The work of fast-day is not done with the day. The Ninevites hoped that God woul turn from his fierce anger; and that thus their ruin would be prevented. They could not be so confident of finding mercy upon their repentance, as we may be, who have the death and merits of Christ, to which we may trust for pardon upon repentance. They dared not presume but they did not despair. Hope of mercy is the great encouragement to repentance and reformation. Let us boldly cast ourselves down at the footstool of free grace, and God will look upon us with compassion. God sees who turn from their evil ways, and who do not. Thus he spare Nineveh. We read of no sacrifices offered to God to make atonement for sin; but a broken and a contrite heart, such as the Ninevites then had he will not despise __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ויתכסו 3680 שׂקים 8242 האדם 120 והבהמה 929 ויקראו 7121 אל 413 אלהים 430 בחזקה 2394 וישׁבו 7725 אישׁ 376 מדרכו 1870 הרעה 7451 ומן 4480 החמס 2555 אשׁר 834 בכפיהם׃ 3709
