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 2 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Divine Commission/Call
Gen 12:1The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country..."God's call to Abraham, initiating a mission.
Ex 3:10"Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people... out..."God sends Moses to a powerful, pagan ruler.
Isa 6:8-9Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send...? Go, and say to this people..."Prophetic commissioning by God.
Jer 1:7But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth,' for to all to whom I send you..."God commissions Jeremiah despite reluctance.
Ezek 2:3He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel..."God sends prophets to rebellious nations.
Mt 28:19"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..."The Great Commission to reach all nations.
Mk 16:15And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel..."Call to global proclamation of truth.
God's Awareness & Judgment of Sin
Gen 6:5The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth...God's perception of pervasive human sin.
Gen 18:20-21Then the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see..."Sin "crying out" to God, prompting investigation/judgment.
Lev 18:27-28For all these abominations were done by the people who were before you... lest the land vomit you out...The land defiled by sin; land's inability to "bear" wickedness.
Psa 14:2-3The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God...God observes humanity's moral state.
Psa 94:3How long, O LORD, will the wicked, how long will the wicked exult?Divine patience with wickedness questioned.
Jer 16:17"For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me..."God's omniscience regarding human deeds.
Amos 8:7The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: "Surely I will never forget any of their deeds."God remembers and holds accountability for sin.
Rev 18:5For her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.Accumulation of sin reaching God, inviting judgment.
Prophecy & Judgment Against Nations
Isa 13:1The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.Prophetic burdens against foreign powers.
Nahum 3:1Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder...Another specific prophecy of judgment against Nineveh itself.
Jer 25:15-16Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it."God's wrath extended to many nations.
Zeph 2:13And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria...Prophecy of Assyria's destruction, often linked to Nineveh's fall.
Hab 2:8Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you...Universal principle of judgment for wickedness.
Call to Repentance/Mercy (Implied by outcome)
Ezek 33:11"Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live..."God's desire for repentance over judgment.
Acts 17:30"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent..."God commands all to repent, showing a way of escape.

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.