Jonah 3 5

Jonah 3:5 kjv

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.

Jonah 3:5 nkjv

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.

Jonah 3:5 niv

The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

Jonah 3:5 esv

And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

Jonah 3:5 nlt

The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.

Jonah 3 verses

Jonah 3 5 Meaning (h2)

Jonah 3:5 describes the immediate and profound response of the people of Nineveh to Jonah's warning. Upon hearing the prophecy of impending destruction, the entire populace believed God, not just Jonah's message, but the divine source behind it. Their faith was demonstrated through outward acts of repentance: they publicly proclaimed a fast and dressed themselves in sackcloth. This act of humility and earnest entreaty encompassed everyone, from the most influential leaders to the least significant individuals within the city. This verse marks a pivotal turning point in the narrative, highlighting God's boundless mercy and the power of His spoken word, even to a notoriously wicked, pagan nation.

Jonah 3 5 Cross References (h2)

Jonah 3 5 Context (h2)

Jonah 3:5 follows Jonah's reluctant obedience to God's renewed command to go to Nineveh after his deliverance from the great fish. Jonah had finally delivered a stark, brief prophecy: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" (Jonah 3:4). This simple message, delivered by an unwilling prophet to a brutal pagan capital, is the direct antecedent to the people's astonishing response in verse 5. Historically, Nineveh was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, renowned for its immense power, cruelty, and polytheistic idolatry. For such a hardened city to respond with universal and immediate belief and repentance to the God of Israel is highly significant, challenging the common Israelite perception that God's favor and attention were exclusively for them. The preceding chapters (Jonah 1-2) established God's absolute sovereignty over creation, elements, and nations, setting the stage for Nineveh's seemingly miraculous conversion.

Jonah 3 5 Word analysis (h2)

• So: Signals a direct consequence or result. It shows that the profound response of the Ninevites was a direct outcome of Jonah's proclaimed message.

• the people of Nineveh:

  • Hebrew: אַנְשֵׁי נִינְוֵה ( 'anshe Nineveh ). Anshei means "men of" or "people of."
  • Significance: Specifies the recipients of the message—not just a select few or the king, but the populace as a whole, highlighting the pervasive impact. Nineveh, as the capital of Assyria, was a global power known for its aggression and wickedness. Their response is unexpected given their cultural context.

• believed God:

  • Hebrew: וַיַּאֲמִינוּ בֵּאלֹהִים ( vaya'aminu be'Elohim ). Vaya'aminu from the root אָמַן ( aman ), meaning "to be firm, faithful, to trust." Be'Elohim means "in God" or "in Elohim."
  • Significance: Their belief was not just in Jonah's word as a prediction, but in the ultimate divine source of the prophecy. This is profound, as Nineveh had its own pantheon of gods. This faith was more than intellectual assent; it was trust and reliance. It denotes a spiritual shift.

• proclaimed a fast:

  • Hebrew: וַיִּקְרְאוּ צוֹם ( vayyiqre'u tsom ). Vayyiqre'u (from קָרָא, qara', "to call out, proclaim"), tsom (fast).
  • Significance: Fasting was a common ancient Near Eastern practice to express intense supplication, grief, or national crisis. This was a public, communal act of self-denial and earnest seeking of divine favor, often accompanied by prayer, symbolizing their urgency and repentance.

• and put on sackcloth:

  • Hebrew: וַיִּלְבְּשׁוּ שַׂקִּים ( vayyilbeshu saqqim ). Vayyilbeshu (from לָבַשׁ, lavash, "to put on, wear"), saqqim (sackcloth).
  • Significance: Sackcloth, a rough, dark material (often goat hair), was a universally recognized symbol of mourning, humility, repentance, and distress in the ancient world. It indicated a profound sorrow over their sins and a desperate appeal for mercy, a tangible outward expression of inner contrition.

• from the greatest of them to the least of them:

  • Hebrew: מִגְּדוֹלָם וְעַד קְטַנָּם ( miggədolam ve'ad qatanam ). "From their great one to their small one."
  • Significance: This emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the repentance. It was a societal phenomenon, indicating a complete unity in their response, spanning all social strata, age groups, and positions of authority, implying that even children may have participated (as indicated by the king's decree later). This makes the Ninevites' repentance distinct and remarkable.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "So the people of Nineveh believed God": This opening phrase highlights the extraordinary nature of the event. For a hostile, polytheistic nation to believe God (referring to the God of Israel/YHWH, or at least the divine source Jonah proclaimed), marks a significant spiritual turning point driven by God's powerful word.
  • "proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth": These two actions represent a coordinated, national expression of repentance. They are tangible, public demonstrations of internal contrition and desperate appeals for divine mercy, aligning with standard practices of humiliation and supplication in the ancient world when facing impending doom.
  • "from the greatest of them to the least of them": This phrase stresses the universality and thoroughness of the response. It underscores that the conviction extended to all segments of society, demonstrating that God's message bypassed social hierarchies and deeply impacted every individual, a truly collective awakening.

Jonah 3 5 Commentary (h2)

Jonah 3:5 is a profoundly impactful verse, showcasing a sudden and widespread spiritual revival in response to a divine warning. The Ninevites' "belief in God" signifies a profound acknowledgment of His sovereignty, moving beyond their own pagan deities. This belief immediately translates into communal action: a universal proclamation of a fast and donning of sackcloth. These acts were not merely cultural rituals but heartfelt expressions of profound humility and remorse, essential for averting God's judgment. The astonishing totality of their response, from "greatest to least," highlights the overwhelming power of God's word when met with an open heart. This demonstrates God's grace extends far beyond Israel, offering a path to repentance and mercy for all nations who turn to Him. It implicitly critiques Israel's own historical unfaithfulness despite having continuous prophetic warnings.

Jonah 3 5 Bonus section (h2)

• Shortest Message, Biggest Impact: Jonah's message ("Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!") is arguably the shortest prophetic message recorded in the Bible, yet it yielded the most dramatic national repentance. This highlights that the power lay not in Jonah's eloquence or persuasion, but in the divine origin of the word itself.
• Cultural Context of Repentance: While specific to the God of Israel, the forms of repentance (fasting, sackcloth) were widely recognized forms of national lament and supplication across the ancient Near East. The Ninevites leveraged their existing cultural framework to express remorse towards what they perceived as the powerful, true God.
• Divine Timing: Some scholars suggest that a severe plague, famine, or astronomical event (like a solar eclipse) around that period might have made the Ninevites unusually susceptible to a divine warning of impending doom, predisposing them to believe Jonah's otherwise audacious message from a foreign deity.
• Jesus' Endorsement: The Lord Jesus Christ Himself pointed to Nineveh's repentance in His own teaching (Lk 11:32; Mt 12:41), holding it up as a condemning example against the unbelief of His generation, who had heard a greater message and seen greater works. This underscores the genuineness and profound nature of the Ninevite response.