> Chapter 4 > 3:1 And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying: Interlinear Gloss Not to be said to the prophet, "why have you not done what you were ordered to do?." But the punishment of the shipwreck and his devouring are enough for him to understand the Lord, the liberator, whom he hadn't known to be ordering. Marginal Gloss And the word: The command is given, he hears it, he refuses, then he is forced to want, and the second time he carries out the will of the Father: all of this is connected to Christ and to the "form of a slave" (Phil 2:7). 3:2 Arise, and go to Nineveh, the great city: and preach in it the preaching that I bid you. Interlinear Glosses Nineveh- that is, the world. preach- clearly. that I bid you- I speak not of myself, but of the Son. 3:3 And Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord: now Nineveh was a great city of three days' journey. Interlinear Glosses Jonah- Christ. arose- from death. Promptly obeying. went- through the Apostles. Commanded. Marginal Glosses And Jonah arose: Allegorically. Properly speaking Christ is said to rise from the grave, when He sends the Apostles to preach and to baptize men in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So there are the three days of journey! This, however, is to be called the sacrament of human salvation, by way of one day, that is, by his confession of one God, Jonah is fulfilled, that is, Christ is preached among the Apostles, who said: "I am with you til the end of of the age (Mt 28:20)." now Nineveh was: Nineveh was so large that it could hardly be circled in three day's journey. But he remembers the command he has been given and the shipwreck and makes the normal journey of three days quickly in one day. However, there are some people who believe that he simply preached his message in a third of the city, and the rest of his spoken word quickly reached the others. He does not say, "for three days and three nights" or "a day and a night", but absolutely "three days", and "a day", to show that in the mystery of the Trinity and of the confession of one God there is no darkness. 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city one day's journey: and he cried and said: Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed. Interlinear Glosses cried- Christ, standing in the temple, cried out, "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink (Jn 7:37)." For every word of Christ is called a cry because He speaks of important things. Marginal Glosses forty days: Yet "three days" and Nineveh shall be destroyed according to the Septuagint; whether forty days, or whether it be by three days, the same thing is signified about Christ, because He spent that number of days with His disciples after the resurrection, and then ascended into Heaven, but by the three days, because He rose on the third day. (St. Augustine City of God Bk XLV. 44) It is not a prophecy emanating from the foreknowledge of God, where all things remain exactly as they are, but it is a threat aimed at correction, announcing a just revenge in accordance with the present sins of the Ninevites. The number forty is suitable for sinners in their penance and prayer, and works and tears, and petitions and perseverance. This is the number that both Moses and Elijah, and Christ Himself had fasted. This led us to prepare a number for our own souls to eat the body of Christ. Beautiful order. God commands the prophet, the prophet preaches to the city, first to those who believe, they proclaimed a fast, regardless of age everyone wears sackcloth. The men do not announce the putting on of sackcloth, but only preach fasting. All the same, with reason, those to whom penitence has been proscribed wear sackcloth and fast on an empty stomach, and mourning, and pray to the mighty God. *St. Augustine. Jonah, in the Hebrew text, cried out "forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed." The Septuagint has translated it as "three days etc." (City of God Book XLV .44) *Theodoret. But Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion said “forty,” and both the Syrian and the Hebrew agree with these. But this number forty is the most likely. For at one time, Jonah wandered through the entire city in three days. At another time the Ninevites, offering to God that painful repentance, had the benefit of the salvation from him. And at still another time, Jonah, sitting in front of the gates, awaited the outcome of his prophecy. Therefore, it seems to me that the forty days is more reliable. It is likely that the Seventy had put down the number which agrees with the others, but, that the ones who first wrote it down erred concerning this number, thus the rendering existed in this way in all the copies. 3:5 And the men of Nineveh believed in God: and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least. Interlinear Gloss men- Those who come from "a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of Christ (Eph 4:13)." believed- the foreskin believed, but circumcision remained without faith. fast- Sackcloth and fasting are the weapons of penitence. the least- Because no one is without sin, not even an infant of one day. Marginal Glosses Those who had offended God through their luxury and pomp, or by condemning all that they had themselves previously offended with. First of all, fasting is offered to God in secret, and then sackcloth, which is offered outwardly to men. Nineveh fell, which was impious, and Nineveh just arose, which was not. Its walls and houses standing, it was ruined in their wicked manners: and though the prophet was saddened that the event did not meet the threats and terrors his prophecy of Nineveh, it nevertheless came as it was predicted in the divine foreknowledge. 3:6 And the word came to the king of Nineveh: and he rose up out of his throne, and cast away his robe from him, and was clothed in sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Interlinear Glosses of his throne- He humbled himself, laying down the height of power and eloquence. was clothed- penance for past evils. ashes- not of unclean opinions, but of words. Marginal Gloss And the word came: After the world's weak and ignoble had been chosen, the word of Christ finally reached the philosophers and the powerful, who seemed to rule the world. First Peter the fisherman enters, then Cyprian, first being idolatrous, and finally believes he became champion of the truth, after hearing the words of Jonah, he calls Carthage to repentance, and publicly proclaims Christ. Behold, the King of Nineveh arose from his throne, exchanged his purple for sackcloth, his perfumes for mud, and cleanness for uncleanness. It is very difficult for the powerful in this world to go from eloquence to lowliness and to be converted to Christ. 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published in Nineveh, from the mouth of the king and of his princes, saying: Let neither men nor beasts, oxen, nor sheep taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water. Interlinear Glosses men- reasonable. beasts- the foolish. "Men and beasts You will preserve, O Lord (Ps 35:7)." oxen- the wise. sheep- the simple. Marginal Gloss *Theodoret. The king commanded not only the men and women to observe a fast, but also the various types of animals not to have benefit from any nourishment, so that when oppressed by hunger, some lowing and others bleating, each one making use of its individual voice, then the humans would offer more fervent tears and open up the springs of God’s mercy. And he caused it: Hence the Septuagint, by the order of the king and his nobles, it was announced throughout Nineveh. And has been proclaimed by the king at Nineveh and from all his ancestors. 3:8-9 And let men and beasts be covered with sackcloth, and cry to the Lord with all their strength, and let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the iniquity that is in their hands. 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn, and forgive: and will turn away from his fierce anger, and we shall not perish? Interlinear Glosses sackcloth- Mourning cloth, the worry and sadness that are metaphorically by sackcloth. let them turn- to the Lord. from his evil way- which of themselves. their hands- not only in thought but also in their deeds. will turn- conversion. and- thus God will forgive. fierce- which He would almost have begun to unleash His wrath. perish- I will convert. Marginal Gloss Who can tell: Under ambiguity, he says, "they present as a question, in order that doubting their salvation, they may more forcefully do penance, and may better rouse God to mercy." 3:10 And God saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way: and God had mercy with regard to the evil which he had said that he would do to them, and he did it not. Interlinear Gloss the evil- affliction. Marginal Glosses And God saw: Just as for the Ninivites, every day God threatens destruction to the whole world, in order that they may do penance. If they convert, then the Lord will change His sentence, and it will be changed by the conversion of the people. But God did not hear those words that Israel often promised: "so declare unto us, and we will do it (Jer 42:40)," but he sees the works. And because He prefers a sinner's repentance rather than his death (Ez 33:11) He willingly changes His sentence because He has seen a change in the works. Or rather God has continued in His plan, since He originally wanted to have pity. No one in fact who desires to punish, threatens what he will actually do. |