Jonah 3:5

“And the men of Nineveh believed Elohim, and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.”
Jonah 3:5 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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Nineveh changes its ways and God changes his mindTurning back to God

With the Hebrew beneath

And the menוַ אַנְשֵׁיof NinevehנִינְוֵהbelievedיַּאֲמִינוּElohim,בֵּאלֹהִיםand they proclaimedוַיִּקְרְאוּa fastצוֹםand put onוַיִּלְבְּשׁוּsackcloth,שַׂקִּיםfrom the greatest of themמִגְּדוֹלָםtoוְעַדthe least of them.קְטַנָּם

Theme · Matthew 12:41

Go to Matthew 12:41

Jesus recalls that the men of Nineveh changed their minds at the proclamation of Jonah; Jonah 3:5 tells that they believed God and proclaimed a fast.

The same term appears in both passages.

נִינְוֵהninveH5210ΝινευῖταιNineuitaiG3536“Nineveh”

Jonah 3:5, word by word

And the menאַנְשֵׁיanshe

man

An adult male person; also each man of a people, a trade or a place.

Where else “anshe” appears

of Ninevehנִינְוֵהninve

Nineveh

See it on the map Where else “ninve” appears

believedיַּאֲמִינוּyaaminu

believe

To rely on someone and on what they say: Abram with YHWH.

Where else “yaaminu” appears

Elohimאלֹהִיםlohim

Elohim

The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.

Where else “lohim” appears

and they proclaimedיִּקְרְאוּyikru

proclaim

To announce aloud.

Where else “yikru” appears

a fastצוֹםtsom

fast

Fast: going without food for a time, as a sign of mourning, of sorrow for sin, or of pleading with God.

Where else “tsom” appears

and put onיִּלְבְּשׁוּyilbshu

put on

To cover the body with clothes: to put on what one is to wear.

Where else “yilbshu” appears

sackclothשַׂקִּיםsakim

sackcloth

Rough cloth worn in mourning.

Where else “sakim” appears

from the greatest of themגְּדוֹלָgedola

powerful

The powerful, "the great".

Where else “gedola” appears

the least of themקְטַנָּketana

small

What is small in size or counts for little.

Where else “ketana” appears

Places in this verse

Approximate location. A “?” means it is not known for sure where it was.

Nineveh
Today: Nineveh ruins, beside Mosul, Iraq
An Assyrian city on the Tigris River in northern Iraq today, across from present-day Mosul.
Jonah preached there, and the city turned from its evil way (Jonah 3:3-10). Nahum later announced its fall (Nah 1:1).
Jonah 1:2 Jonah 3:3 Nahum 1:1 Isaiah 37:37

The context

4And Jonah began to go into the city, a journey of one day, and he proclaimed and said, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overturned.”

5 · This verse (above)

6And the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he rose from his throne, took off his robe from himself, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes.

Read all of Jonah 3

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