Jonah 1 2

Jonah 1:2 kjv

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

Jonah 1:2 nkjv

"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me."

Jonah 1:2 niv

"Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

Jonah 1:2 esv

"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me."

Jonah 1:2 nlt

"Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are."

Jonah 1 verses

Jonah 1 2 Meaning

Jonah 1:2 conveys a direct, urgent, and authoritative command from the LORD to the prophet Jonah. It instructs him to embark on a specific mission: to travel to Nineveh, a renowned and large gentile city, and pronounce a message against it. The explicit reason for this divine directive is the egregious wickedness of Nineveh, which has escalated to such a degree that it has reached and been fully perceived by God, demanding divine attention and a judicial response.

Jonah 1 2 Context

The Book of Jonah immediately presents itself as a divine narrative rather than solely historical chronicle, focusing on the character of God and His relationship with all humanity. Chapter 1:2 marks the dramatic inauguration of God's call to the prophet Jonah, setting the stage for the book's central conflict. This verse reveals the LORD’s initiative to intervene in the affairs of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. At this period in Israel's history (likely 8th century BC), Assyria was a formidable and often brutal empire, known for its military conquests and severe treatment of vanquished peoples, including Israel. Nineveh was an enemy nation, making God's command for an Israelite prophet to evangelize them particularly shocking and culturally offensive to Jonah and his Jewish audience. The book’s short initial sentences swiftly introduce the main actors and the divine imperative that sparks Jonah’s notorious rebellion.

Jonah 1 2 Word analysis

• "Arise" (קוּם - qum):
  • Hebrew imperative verb, signaling immediate, decisive action.
  • It's a call to readiness and movement, often implying a change of posture or an end to inaction.
  • Signifies the urgency and non-negotiable nature of the divine command.
• "go" (לֵךְ - lekh):
  • Another Hebrew imperative, emphasizing physical travel and direction.
  • Paired with "Arise," it conveys a rapid transition from being called to actively being on one's way.
  • Underlines the missionary aspect of Jonah’s task—he must go to them.
• "to Nineveh" (אֶל־נִינְוֵה - 'el-ni'nve):
  • Direct object of God’s intention, a specific, real geographical location.
  • Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, a fierce enemy of Israel.
  • Targeting Nineveh specifically highlights God’s sovereignty over foreign nations and His concern for their moral state.
• "that great city" (הָעִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה - ha'ir haggedolah):
  • "Great" (gadowl) refers to size (Jon 3:3 confirms it took three days to pass through, suggesting immense circumference) and perhaps its strategic importance, wealth, or power.
  • It may also imply "great" in wickedness, given the context.
  • This description emphasizes the daunting scale of the mission, contrasting with the prophet’s singular self.
• "and cry out against it" (וּקְרָא עָלֶיהָ - uq'ra' 'aleyha):
  • "Cry out" (qara') is a strong verb for public proclamation, akin to preaching or heralding. It can denote a summons or a solemn declaration.
  • "Against it" ('aleyha) signifies that the proclamation is one of accusation, condemnation, or judgment. It’s not a message for it (e.g., blessing), but against its actions, indicating an impending confrontation.
  • This phrasing sets the tone of confrontation rather than a simple message of goodwill.
• "for their wickedness" (כִּי־עָלְתָה רָעָתָם - ki-'al'tah ra'atam):
  • "For" (ki) indicates the divine rationale, the specific cause of God's command.
  • "Wickedness" (ra'ah) encompasses moral evil, malice, and destruction. It implies not just isolated acts, but a pervasive, systemic depravity.
  • The possessive suffix "their" emphasizes it is their particular culpability.
• "has come up before Me" (לְפָנַי - lefanai):
  • Anthropomorphic language, portraying God as a cosmic judge or king before whom grievances are laid.
  • "Come up" indicates that their sin is not hidden; it has ascended, reaching God’s presence and attention, demanding a response.
  • It signifies God's complete awareness, judicial reckoning, and that a decisive action from Him is imminent. It resonates with a courtroom scenario where charges are presented before a judge.

Jonah 1 2 Bonus section

The seemingly simple command in Jonah 1:2 carries profound implications beyond its direct meaning. It implicitly challenges the common Israelite understanding of their unique covenant relationship with God. While prophets usually delivered messages to Israel or other specific nations known to Israel within a limited sphere, the command to Nineveh was to a distant, brutal imperial power. This signifies that God's authority and moral governance extend globally, touching even those who are not His covenant people, revealing a universal divine jurisdiction that encompasses all nations and their accountability to Him. This commission also sets the stage for demonstrating God’s profound compassion and willingness to extend grace even to the most undeserving enemies, provided there is genuine repentance, which later chapters of Jonah wonderfully portray.

Jonah 1 2 Commentary

Jonah 1:2 initiates one of the most remarkable and illustrative stories in the Old Testament, fundamentally highlighting God's universal sovereignty and His active engagement with all humanity, not just Israel. The divine command "Arise, go to Nineveh... and cry out against it" is unequivocal, revealing God’s determination to address rampant sin wherever it is found. The phrase "that great city" accentuates the magnitude of Nineveh, which was notorious for its cruelty, serving as a powerful symbol of gentile unrighteousness and enmity toward God's people. The precise reason for the mission—"for their wickedness has come up before Me"—underscores God's omniscience, perfect justice, and ultimate intolerance of profound moral corruption. This statement paints a picture of accumulated evil rising as a stench or a judicial complaint directly to God's throne, signifying that Nineveh's actions have reached a critical point where divine intervention is not merely possible but necessitated. The very clarity of this command is essential for understanding Jonah's subsequent flight, not as mere disobedience, but potentially as a deeper theological resistance to God's expansive mercy towards the non-Jewish world, a mercy ultimately demonstrated by Nineveh's repentance later in the book.