Notes on Jonah
From the Original 1599 Geneva Bible Notes

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Jon 1:1

1:1 Now the word of the LORD came {a} unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

The Argument - When Jonah had long prophesied in Israel and had little profited, God gave him specific charge to go and denounce his judgments against Nineveh, the chief city of the Assyrians, because he had appointed that those who were of the heathen, should convert by the mighty power of his word. And this was so that within three day's preaching, Israel might see how horribly they had provoked God's wrath, who for the space of so many years, had not converted to the Lord, for so many prophets and such diligent preaching. He prophesied under Jonah, and Jeroboam; 2Ki 14:25 .

(a) After he had preached a long time in Israel: and so Ezekiel, after he had prophesied in Judah for a time, had visions in Babylon; Eze 1:1 .

Jon 1:2

1:2 Arise, go to {b} Nineveh, that {c} great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

(b) For seeing the great obstipation of the Israelites, he sent his Prophet to the Gentiles, that they might provoke them to repentance, or at least make them inexcusable: for Nineveh was the chief city of the Assyrians.
(c) For as authors write, it contained in circuit about forty-eight miles, and had 1500 towers, and at this time there were 120,000 children in it; Jon 4:11 .

Jon 1:3

1:3 But Jonah rose up to {d} flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to {e} Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the {f} presence of the LORD.

(d) By which he declares his weakness, that would not promptly follow the Lord's calling, but gave place to his own reason, which persuaded him that he would not profit these people at all, seeing he had done such little good among his own people; Jon 4:2 .
(e) Which was the haven, and port to take shipping there, also called Joppa.
(f) From that vocation to which God had called him, and in which he would have assisted him.

Jon 1:5

1:5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that [were] in the ship into the sea, to lighten [it] of them. But Jonah was gone down {g} into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

(g) As one that would have cast off this care and concern by seeking rest and quietness.

Jon 1:6

1:6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy {h} God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

(h) As they had called on their idols, which declares that idolaters have no rest nor certainty, but in their troubles seek what they do not even know.

Jon 1:7

1:7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast {i} lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil [is] upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

(i) Which declares that the matter was very extreme and in doubt, which was God's way of getting them to test for the cause: and this may not be done except in matters of great importance.

Jon 1:14

1:14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, {k} We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

(k) This declares that the very wicked in their time of need flee to God for help, and also that they are touched with a certain fear of shedding man's blood, whereas they know no manifest sign of wickedness.

Jon 1:16

1:16 Then the men {l} feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

(l) They were touched with a certain repentance of their past life, and began to worship the true God by whom they saw themselves as wonderfully delivered. But this was done for fear, and not from a pure heart and affection, neither according to God's word.

Jon 1:17

1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the {m} belly of the fish three days and three nights.

(m) Thus the Lord would chastise his Prophet with a most terrible spectacle of death, and by this also strengthened and encouraged him of his favour and support in this duty which was commanded him.

Jon 2:1

2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God {a} out of the fish's belly,

(a) Being now swallowed up by death, and seeing no remedy to escape, his faith broke out to the Lord, knowing that out of this very hell he was able to deliver him.

Jon 2:2

2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly {b} of hell cried I, [and] thou heardest my voice.

(b) For he was now in the fishes belly as in a grave or place of darkness.

Jon 2:4

2:4 Then I said, I am {c} cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

(c) This declared what his prayer was, and how he laboured between hope and despair, considering the neglect of his vocation, and God's judgments for it: but yet in the end faith gained the victory.

Jon 2:6

2:6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars [was] about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my {d} life from corruption, O LORD my God.

(d) You have delivered me from the belly of the fish and all these dangers, as it were raising me from death to life.

Jon 2:8

2:8 They that observe lying {e} vanities forsake their own {f} mercy.

(e) Those that depend upon anything except on God alone.
(f) They refuse their own felicity, and that goodness which they would otherwise receive from God.

Jon 3:1

3:1 And the word of the LORD came unto {a} Jonah the second time, saying,

(a) This is a great declaration of God's mercy, that he receives him again, and sends him forth as his Prophet, who had before shown such great weakness.

Jon 3:3

3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding {b} great city of three days' journey.

(b) Read Geneva (c) "Jon 1:2"

Jon 3:4

3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's {c} journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

(c) He went forward one day in the city and preached, and so he continued until the city was converted.

Jon 3:5

3:5 So the people of Nineveh {d} believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

(d) For he declared that he was a Prophet sent to them from God, to make known his judgments against them.

Jon 3:7

3:7 And he caused [it] to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor {e} beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

(e) Not that the dumb beasts had sinned or could repent, but that by their example man might be astonished, considering that for his sin the anger of God hung over all creatures.

Jon 3:8

3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and {f} cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that [is] in their hands.

(f) He exhorted that the men should earnestly call to God for mercy.

Jon 3:9

3:9 {g} Who can tell [if] God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

(g) For partly from the threatening of the prophet, and partly from his own conscience, he doubted whether God would show them mercy.

Jon 3:10

3:10 And God saw their {h} works, that they turned from their evil way; and {i} God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did [it] not.

(h) That is, the fruits of their repentance, which proceeded from faith, which God had planted by the ministry of his Prophet.
(i) Read Geneva "Jer 18:8"

Jon 4:1

4:1 But it displeased {a} Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

(a) Because by this he would be taken as a false prophet, and so the name of God, which he preached, would be blasphemed.

Jon 4:2

4:2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, [was] not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto {b} Tarshish: for I knew that thou [art] a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

(b) Read Jon 1:3 .

Jon 4:3

4:3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life {c} from me; for [it is] better for me to die than to live.

(c) Thus he prayed from grief, fearing that God's name by this forgiveness might be blasphemed, as though he sent his Prophets forth to make known his judgments in vain.

Jon 4:4

4:4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be {d} angry?

(d) Will you judge when I do things for my glory, and when I do not?

Jon 4:5

4:5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, {e} till he might see what would become of the city.

(e) For he doubted as yet whether God would show them mercy or not, and therefore after forty days he departed out of the city, to see what God would do.

Jon 4:6

4:6 And the LORD God prepared a {f} gourd, and made [it] to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

(f) Which was a further means to cover him from the heat of the sun, as he remained in his booth.

Jon 4:9

4:9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be {g} angry, [even] unto death.

(g) This declares the great inconveniences into which God's servants fall when they give place to their own affections, and do not in all things willingly submit themselves to God.

Jon 4:11

4:11 And should {h} not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that {i} cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and [also] much cattle?

(h) Thus God mercifully reproves him who would pity himself and this gourd, and yet would keep God from showing his compassion to so many thousand people.
(i) Meaning that they were children and infants.

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