We have said enough and too much about the greatness of Jonah's task in the first chapter.
V. 3. But Nineveh was a great city of God.
For what we read in our Latin Bible: itinere trium dierum, according to the Hebrew it is more correctly read like this: to pass through (transitu) in three days. For what they say, that the city had a quite extraordinary size, has not my approval, namely that one could hardly have passed through from one end to the other in three days. Jerome says that it was so large in circumference etc. Lyra has meant, it was an area which was surrounded by walls. I think that this city was hardly as big as Cologne or Erfurt. And the reason why I assume this is the passage in the last chapter, which moves me [Cap. 4, 11.]: "In which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people" etc. That is certainly a small number of people for a city of such size as they want. Hence the opinion: to pass through in three days, that is, which
someone could easily wander at leisure in all the streets etc. Then in the Latin Bible also a great error has been committed in that the name of God is omitted, and it should be read thus: "it was a great city of God" (or before God). This name ["God"] all Hebrew copies have with great unanimity, and Jerome did not omit it in his Latin translation. And all the commentators pass by this very bravely. But it is certain that it is not called a city of God because it is built by God, for Assyria built it, which is evident from the tenth chapter of the first book of Moses, v. 11. Moreover, it is not called a city of God because it was ordered by the laws of God. Therefore, I consider that this is the opinion, as if to say that God took care of them, God took care of this city so that it would not perish, and that is why He sent prophets to them, so that they would turn from their evil ways and be saved. And this is what I have spoken of abundantly in the beginning of this prophet, that God is not only God to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles.
V. 4 And Jonah began to go in a day's journey into the city.
That is, he completed the third part of his sermon. - Instead of clamavit, it should more correctly read: he preached.
There are forty days left, and Nineveh will perish.
In exceedingly short words he describes the main point and goal of his sermon, but no doubt explained it in a great many words. As he preached, he used his passages of Scripture with which he testified that the wrath of God was present; he explained to them his mission from God, he reproached them for their sin and explained to them the cause of God's wrath etc.
V. 5. 1) Then the people of Nineveh believed in God and preached that they should fast.
This passage is held against us by the enemies of faith, who think that they have completely won the victory against us, since the blind people read this [v. 10], that God looked at the works of the Ninevites, and, according to them, bring a testimony against the righteousness of faith. We do not want to be like them, with our eyes open, but look at the words of the Holy Spirit and consider them more carefully, namely, that it is not by chance that it is prefaced: "Then the people of Nineveh believed in God." This is the guide and rule by which everything must be judged that is added of works. For if faith is sincere in heart, it does not need any teacher of good works; it knows of itself what is proper to do. Thus the prophet Jonah proclaims only the pure word, for that is what he was sent to do, and prescribes nothing at all about works. But since the Ninivites believe the word, they do these works of their own free will under the guidance and impulse of faith, with which they testify to the inner faith by heart. Faith alone makes a man absolutely righteous, as is stated in the third, fourth and fifth chapters of the Letter to the Romans.
1) In the Weimar edition, this verse number appears only before the next keyword.
is written. After man has been justified by faith, the fruits of righteousness necessarily follow, since a good tree cannot but bear good fruit, a bad tree bad fruit, as Christ says [Matth. 7, 17]. We see quite the same here in all things, for he says thus, "Then the people believed" etc. Therefore, works did not produce faith, but faith produced works. Therefore, this passage does not serve against us, but for us.
And put on bags.
This is a Hebrew way of speaking, as the Hebrews also say, Eat bread and drink water, where we say, "He has eaten and drunk." So here "to put on sackcloth" means to put off the delicious and splendid garments and to put on lowly ones. This is quite clear from many passages of Scripture. Is. 20, 2. it says: "Remove the sackcloth from your loins", likewise Cap. 50, 3.: "I clothe the heavens with darkness, and make its covering as sackcloth", that is, I make the heavens sad, foggy and dull. And in this prophet also we see this Hebrew mode of speech, for he says afterwards [v. 8.], "And shall wrap sackcloth about them both men and beasts." A sack is a whimsical garment for animals.
V. 6 And when this came before the king of Nineveh.
Here we see what I said above about the power and effectiveness of the word preached by Jonah. Although the king had not heard Jonah preach, he preached himself after he had been informed of Jonah's sermon and converted the third part of the city through his sermon, 2) and stood up from his royal throne, took off his purple, and wrapped a sackcloth around himself, that is, a lowly garment, namely a mourning garment, by which he testified to his inner grief together with the other citizens.
2) According to the Zwickau manuscript, it should read something like this: and converts the whole city by his preaching, after Jonah had converted the third part of the city etc.
And sat down in the ashes.
This is also a Hebrew way of speaking, that is, his lowly sitting also corresponded to his lowly clothing; he sat in some lowly place where it was otherwise not proper for the king to sit.
V. 7 And he cried out and said to Nineveh, by the commandment of the king and his mighty men, thus:
Instead of ex ore regis et principum ejus, it should more correctly read: "By command of the king and his mighty ones."
It shall cost neither man nor beast, neither ox nor sheep.
God does not look at the works of animals, nor are they pleasing to Him; but in such a way, since it is done by faith, it cannot but please God supremely. Thus, faith causes everything to be exceedingly pleasing to God. For what is done by faith is right and pleasing to God, but everything that is not done by faith is sin, Romans 14:23. So also the fasting of the animals pleased him, but it would have pleased him no less if the king had fed the animals.
V. 8: And they shall cover themselves with sacks, both man and beast.
That is, they should testify to their sadness and repentance; in order to display their sorrow because of sin, they should not dress splendidly. Thus, what a broken heart does by faith, no matter how ridiculous it may seem, is exceedingly pleasing to God.
And let every man turn from his wicked way.
This is true repentance, and this is true faith, to which then works also correspond, so that we do not turn from faith back to ungodliness, thinking that we believe.
V. 9. Who knows, God wants to turn back.
Here one asks why they doubt, since the certain faith is present. For if they had not hoped for grace and mercy from God, they would not have shown and manifested this hope through those works. And this is what I also said above: Faith is in battle with despair. For in temptation, when God seems to be against us and to be angry, faith feels the struggle with despair and yet is not defeated.
V. 10. But God saw their works.
The previous passage, as I have said, interprets this. They believed the word of God, and since they refrained from ungodliness, they testified to their inward faith with outward works, and for the sake of faith, which is the source and fountain of works, God regarded the works of the godly. Otherwise, everything that is not based on faith is sin. If the heart is impure and unbelieving, God does not like the works, no matter how glorious they may be in outward appearance, which the Holy Spirit explains most clearly in the Scriptures about Abel and Cain, Gen. 4, 4. ff.