Jonah 3:1-6 – Nineveh and Jonah – Part 1
We’re in the eighth century BC here. By this stage, Nineveh was a major city in Assyria in what was the golden age of Mesopotamian history. However, it was also a period of internal strife in the empire, as provincial rulers would battle with the federal government and the King over issues and the boundaries of self-determination. Sometimes this strife would erupt in violence, and the surrounding nations would often be subjected to significant brutality from Assyria.
I know we have looked at it before but, just as a reminder as we think again of the daunting task before Jonah, Nineveh, is a huge bustling city in terms of its size. You could take the ‘three days journey in breadth’ to mean three literal days walk across or around the city’s circumference. Archeology, though, points to the fact that Nineveh and its surrounding satellite towns covered an area three miles in the distance. Interestingly, the phrase ‘great city’ in chapter three, verse two, is the same one in Genesis 10:11-12, which speaks of Nimrod and his building of Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah and Resen, all cities around Nineveh.
Before moving on from the size of Nineveh, the words “an exceedingly great city” literally mean ‘a great city to God’. Many commentators focus on its size, cultural significance, etc., and of course, that is true, but God doesn’t tell us that it was a great city to Him without there being some reason for doing so. You could take that phrase to mean that this great city is standing before God as He is about to judge it, or that it is great because of what He is about to do in it.
Questions
- What sort of a city was Nineveh?
- What size was the city?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the salvation of those in our great cities.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.