Jonah 3: A City Turns to God
God's word comes again; Jonah finally preaches, and from the king to the cattle Nineveh repents, so God relents.
Jonah 3 (WEB)
1 Yahweh’s word came to Jonah the second time, saying,
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I give you.”
3 So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to Yahweh’s word. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across.
4 Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried out, and said, “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!”
5 The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least.
6 The news reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 He made a proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, “Let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;
8 but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and animal, and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands.
9 Who knows whether God will not turn and relent, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that we might not perish?”
10 God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.
Jonah 3 (KJV)
1 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5 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.
6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Jonah 3 (ASV)
1 And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days’ journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5 And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
6 And the tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;
8 but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands.
9 Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Summary
The word of Yahweh comes to Jonah a second time with the same command: arise, go to Nineveh, and preach the message God gives. This time Jonah obeys. Nineveh is an exceedingly great city, three days' journey across, and Jonah goes a day's walk into it crying a single stark sentence: “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown.” Astonishingly, the people of Nineveh believe God. They proclaim a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. Word reaches the king, who rises from his throne, removes his robe, covers himself with sackcloth, and sits in ashes. He decrees that everyone, even the animals, should fast and be covered in sackcloth, and that each person should turn from their evil way and the violence in their hands, hoping that God may relent and turn from his fierce anger so they will not perish. And God sees their works, that they turned from their evil way, and he relents of the disaster he had threatened, and does not bring it.
Main Characters
- Jonah — The prophet who, given God's word a second time, finally obeys and walks into Nineveh proclaiming its coming overthrow.
- Yahweh (the LORD) / God — The God who graciously renews his call to Jonah and who, seeing Nineveh's repentance, relents from the judgment he had announced.
- The people of Nineveh — The inhabitants of the great city who believe God's warning, proclaim a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least.
- The king of Nineveh — The ruler who steps down from his throne, dresses in sackcloth, sits in ashes, and decrees citywide repentance from evil and violence.
Key Verse
Jonah 3:10 (WEB)
God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.
Lessons Learned
- God is gracious to give second chances—to a wayward prophet and to a wicked city alike.
- A faithful word, even briefly spoken, carries the power of God to change hearts.
- True repentance is more than feeling sorry; it turns from evil ways and the violence in our hands.
- God genuinely responds to repentance, relenting from judgment for those who turn to him.
- God renews his call. “Yahweh’s word came to Jonah the second time” (Jonah 3:1, WEB). Grace gives the failed prophet another opportunity to obey.
- God's word is powerful. One sentence of warning leads a whole city to believe God and repent (Jonah 3:4-5, WEB). The fruit is from the Lord, not the eloquence of the preacher.
- Repentance reaches the throne and the streets. From the king who leaves his throne to the least citizen, all turn “from his evil way” and “the violence that is in his hands” (Jonah 3:6-8, WEB). Genuine repentance changes behavior.
- God relents toward the penitent. “God relented of the disaster… and he didn’t do it” (Jonah 3:10, WEB). He delights to show mercy when people turn to him.
- How is God's renewed call to Jonah a picture of grace?
- Jonah's sermon is only one sentence. What does Nineveh's response teach us about where the power in preaching comes from?
- How does the king's response model genuine repentance for his people?
- What is the difference between merely fasting and truly turning “from his evil way” (3:8)?
- Where do you need to move from feeling sorry to actually turning from sin, and who might be encouraged by your obedience?
- After Jonah's flight and rescue, “the word of Yahweh came… the second time” with the same commission (3:1-2). God does not discard his disobedient servant but graciously restores and re-sends him—an encouragement to all who have failed.
- Jonah merely announces, “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown” (3:4), yet the city believes God and repents. The transformation comes not from persuasive rhetoric but from God working through his word, freeing us from pressure to perform and calling us simply to be faithful.
- The king rises from his throne, removes his robe, sits in ashes, and calls the whole city—people and animals—to fast and turn from evil and violence (3:6-9). His humility leads from the top down and shows repentance touching the highest authority.
- Fasting and sackcloth are outward signs; God responds to the inward reality, that “they turned from their evil way” (3:10). True repentance abandons sin and its harm to others, not merely its consequences. Encourage the group to seek the substance, not the show.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to identify one area where sorrow has not yet become change, and one concrete step of turning. Note how Nineveh's example shows that repentance can ripple outward to others.