Jonah 3:5–10
Nineveh changes its ways and God changes his mind
Study it word by word5And 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.
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.
7And he had it proclaimed and said in Nineveh, by decree of the king and his great men, saying, “Human being and livestock, herd and flock, are not to taste anything; they are not to graze, and water they are not to drink.
8And let them be covered with sackcloth, human being and livestock, and let them cry out to Elohim mightily; and let them turn, each from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands.
9Who knows? Elohim may turn and relent, and turn back from the burning of his anger, and we will not perish.”
10And Elohim saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and Elohim relented concerning the evil that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
In its context
3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of YHWH. Now Nineveh was a great city for Elohim, a journey of three days.
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.”
…
Its words in the original
- יַּאֲמִינוּyaaminu· believe, be firm
Be firm, trustworthy; in another form, "believe": lean on someone and trust what he says. It is also said of one who brings up a child. "Amen" comes from this root.
- אַנְשֵׁיanshe· man, husband, each
Man, male; with a possessive, husband. Also "each one", "anyone". It is "ish", distinct from "adam" (human being); it is used for the man in contrast with the woman ("ishah").
- נִינְוֵהninve· Nineveh
Nineveh, a great city on the Tigris, later the capital of Assyria.
- אלֹהִיםlohim· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- יִּקְרְאוּyikru· call, proclaim
Call: speak out to someone, summon, invite, give a name, proclaim; also read aloud. "Call on the name of YHWH" is to pray to him and worship him.
- צוֹםtsom· fast
Fast: going without food for a time, as a sign of mourning, of sorrow for sin, or of pleading with God.
- יִּלְבְּשׁוּyilbshu· put on, clothe
Put on clothing, wear; clothe someone.
- שַׂקִּיםsakim· sackcloth, sack
Coarse cloth of goats' hair, worn in times of mourning or repentance; also a sack.
- גְּדוֹלָgedola· great
Great in size, number, age or importance; also "the elder" of two; "high priest" is "great priest".
- קְטַנָּketana· small, younger
Small; the younger or lesser of two, in size, age or importance.
- יִּגַּעyiga· touch
Touch; also reach, or strike.
- דָּבָרdavar· word, matter, thing
Word; what is said. Also "matter" or "thing": what is spoken about, an affair, an event.
- מֶלֶךmelech· king
King: the ruler of a city, a people or a kingdom.
- יָּקָםyakam· rise, stand, establish
Rise, stand up; also stand firm, establish or fulfill something. "Rise against" is to attack.
- כִּסְאkis· throne
Throne: the king's seat, sign of his authority.
- יַּעֲבֵרyaaver· pass, cross over
Pass by, pass through, cross over; also go beyond, transgress (a command). In the causative form, make pass, bring across, take away.
- אַדַּרְתּadart· cloak; glory
Wide cloak, mantle; also splendor, majesty.
- יְכַסyechas· cover
Cover, hide; also cover over (sin), conceal.
- יֵּשֶׁבyeshev· sit, dwell
Sit, sit down; from there stay in a place, live, dwell. In the causative form, settle someone, make to dwell. Also sit as judge or as king.
- אֵפֶרefer· ashes
Ashes. "Dust and ashes" is a way of saying one is of very little account.
- יַּזְעֵקyazek· cry out
Cry out, shout for help; also call together.
- יֹּאמֶרyomer· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- טַּעַםtaam· taste; judgment
Taste. In other passages, good judgment, discretion.
- אָדָםadam· human being, man, Adam
The Hebrew word "adam". It has three uses: (1) humanity in general, men and women alike: "human beings" (Genesis 1:27); (2) a particular man; in Genesis 2-4, the first man, "the man"; (3) the personal name of that first man, "Adam". In Hebrew "adam" sounds like "adamah", the ground he was formed from (Genesis 2:7).
- בְּהֵמָהbehema· livestock, beast
Four-footed animal, above all livestock and domestic animals; sometimes all animals in contrast with human beings.
- בָּקָרbakar· cattle, herd
Cattle: cows, oxen, bulls; a herd.
- צֹּאןtson· flock
Flock of sheep and goats, small livestock; figuratively, a people led like a flock.
- יִטְעֲמוּyitamu· taste
To taste food; figuratively, to perceive.
- מְאוּמָהmeuma· anything
Something, anything; with "not", nothing.
- יִרְעוּyiru· shepherd, feed
Shepherd: tend and feed a flock; of animals, graze. Figuratively, lead a people. As a noun, "shepherd".
- מַיִםmayim· water
Water. In Hebrew it is always plural ("waters").
- יִשְׁתּוּyishtu· drink
Drink.
- חָזְקָהchazka· force, harshness
Force, harshness. Almost always in a bad sense: to treat someone "with force," that is, with violence and harshness. In Jonah 3:8, to cry out "mightily."
- יָשֻׁבוּyashuvu· return, turn back
Turn back, return. Also turn away; in the causative form, bring back, give back, answer. Figuratively, turn back to God (change course). Often adverbial: "again".
- דַּרְכּdark· way
Way, road, journey. Figuratively, the way one lives or acts.
- רָעָהraa· evil, bad, harm
Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.
- חָמָסchamas· violence
Violence; unjust harm done to others.
- כַפֵּיchape· palm, sole
The palm of the hand or the sole of the foot; also a pan or small bowl.
- יוֹדֵעַyodea· know
Know. Not only having a fact: it is knowing by experience and closely; also recognize, care for, make known. So Hebrew also uses it for the intimate union of a man and his wife ("he knew his wife").
- נִחַםnicham· relent, be sorry, comfort
A verb of deep feeling, with two uses: "comfort" someone, and "be sorry" for something or "relent". Said of God, it expresses his grief at evil or that he does not carry out a punishment he had announced; not that he had made a mistake (compare Numbers 23:19).
- חֲרוֹןcharon· burning anger
Burning of anger.
- אַפּap· anger, nose
Nose, nostrils. Since breathing grows hard in anger, the same word also means "anger"; sometimes "face".
- נֹאבֵדnoved· perish, be lost
Perish, be ruined, be lost; wander off. In the causative, destroy.
- יַּרְאyar· see
See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".
- מַעֲשֵׂיmaase· work, deed
Work, labor; what someone does or makes; a deed.
- דִּבֶּרdiber· speak
Speak, talk, say; also promise or command.
- עֲשׂוֹתasot· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.