Heb “O how you will be cut off.” This emotional interjection functions rhetorically as the prophet’s announcement of judgment on Edom. In Hebrew this statement actually appears between the first and second metaphors, that is, in the middle of this verse. As the point of the comparison, one would expect it to follow both of the two metaphors; however, Obadiah interrupts his own sentence to interject his emphatic exclamation that cannot wait until the end of the sentence. This emphatic sentence structure is eloquent in Hebrew but awkward in English. Since this emphatic assertion is the point of his comparison, it appears at the end of the sentence in this translation, where one normally expects to find the concluding point of a metaphorical comparison.


Heb “Esau.” The name Esau here is a synecdoche of part for whole referring to the Edomites. Cf. “Jacob” in v. 10 , where the meaning is “Israelites.”


Heb “How Esau will be searched!”; NAB “How they search Esau.” The Hebrew verb חָפַשׂ ( khafas , “to search out”) is used metonymically here for plundering the hidden valuables of a conquered people (e.g., 1 Kgs 20:6 ).


Heb “his” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); this is singular agreeing with “Esau” in the previous line.


Heb “searched out” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “pillaged”; TEV “looted”; NLT “found and taken.” This pictures the violent action of conquering warriors ransacking the city in order to loot and plunder its valuables.


Heb “All the men of your covenant”; KJV, ASV “the men of thy confederacy.” In Hebrew “they will send you unto the border” and “all the men of your covenant” appear in two separate poetic lines (cf. NAB “To the border they drive you – all your allies”). Since the second is a noun clause functioning as the subject of the first clause, the two are rendered as a single sentence in the translation.


Heb “send”; NASB “send you forth”; NAB “drive”; NIV “force.”


Heb “to the border” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).


Heb “the men of your peace.” This expression refers to a political/military alliance or covenant of friendship.


Heb “your bread,” which makes little sense in the context. The Hebrew word can be revocalized to read “those who eat bread with you,” i.e., “your friends.” Cf. KJV “they that eat thy bread”; NIV “those who eat your bread”; TEV “Those friends who ate with you.”


Heb “set a trap” (so NIV, NRSV). The meaning of the Hebrew word מָזוֹר ( mazor ; here translated “ambush”) is uncertain; it occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible. The word probably refers to something “spread out” for purposes of entrapment, such as a net. Other possibilities include “trap,” “fetter,” or “stumbling block.”


Heb “beneath” (so NAB).


Heb “there is no understanding in him.”


Heb “in that day” (so KJV, NIV); NAB, NASB, NRSV “on that day.”


Heb “Will I not destroy those who are wise from Edom?” The rhetorical question functions as an emphatic affirmation. For the sake of clarity this has been represented by the emphatic indicative in the translation.


Heb “understanding”; NIV “men of understanding.” This undoubtedly refers to members of the royal court who offered political and military advice to the Edomite kings. In the ancient Near East, such men of wisdom were often associated with divination and occultic practices (cf. Isa 3:3, 47:10, 13 ). The Edomites were also renown in the ancient Near East as a center of traditional sagacity and wisdom; perhaps that is referred to here (cf. Jer 49:7 ).


The Hebrew word used here ( לְמַעַן , lÿma ’ an ) usually expresses purpose. The sense in this context, however, is more likely that of result.


Heb “a man,” meaning “every single person” here; cf. KJV “every one.”


Heb “cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV, NLT “cut down”; CEV “wiped out.”


Heb “from.” The preposition is used here with a causal sense.


Heb “because of the slaughter and because of the violence.” These two expressions form a hendiadys meaning “because of the violent slaughter.” Traditional understanding connects the first phrase “because of the slaughter” with the end of v. 9 (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). It is preferable, however, to regard it as parallel to the reference to violence at the beginning of v. 11 . Both the parallel linguistic structure of the two phrases and the metrical structure of the verse favor connecting this phrase with the beginning of v. 10 (cf. NRSV, TEV).


Heb “the violence of your brother.” The genitive construction is to be understood as an objective genitive. The meaning is not that Jacob has perpetrated violence (= subjective genitive), but that violence has been committed against him (= objective genitive).


Heb “your brother Jacob” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NCV “your relatives, the Israelites.”


Heb “be cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).


Heb “in the day of your standing”; NAB “On the day when you stood by.”


Or perhaps, “wealth” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). The Hebrew word is somewhat ambiguous here. This word also appears in v. 13 , where it clearly refers to wealth.


The present translation follows the Qere which reads the plural (“gates”) rather than the singular.


For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


Heb “like one from them”; NASB “You too were as one of them.”


In vv. 12-14 there are eight prohibitions which summarize the nature of the Lord’s complaint against Edom. Each prohibition alludes to something that Edom did to Judah that should not have been done by one “brother” to another. It is because of these violations that the Lord has initiated judgment against Edom. In the Hebrew text these prohibitions are expressed by אַל (’ al , “not”) plus the jussive form of the verb, which is common in negative commands of immediate urgency. Such constructions would normally have the sense of prohibiting something either not yet begun (i.e., “do not start to …”) or something already in process at the time of speaking (i.e., “stop…”). Here, however, it seems more likely that the prohibitions refer to a situation in past rather than future time (i.e., “you should not have …”). If so, the verbs are being used in a rhetorical fashion, as though the prophet were vividly projecting himself back into the events that he is describing and urging the Edomites not to do what in fact they have already done.


The Hebrew expression “to look upon” often has the sense of “to feast the eyes upon” or “to gloat over” (cf. v. 13 ).


Heb “your brother” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); NCV “your brother Israel.”


Heb “in the day of your brother, in the day of his calamity.” This expression is probably a hendiadys meaning, “in the day of your brother’s calamity.” The Hebrew word נָכְרוֹ ( nokhro , “his calamity”)_is probably a word-play on נָכְרִים ( nokherim , “foreigners”) in v. 11 .


Heb “in the day of their destruction” (so KJV, NASB, NIV); NAB, NRSV “on the day of their ruin.”


Or “boasted with your mouth.” The Hebrew text includes the phrase “with your mouth,” which is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.


Heb “in the day of adversity”; NASB “in the day of their distress.”


Heb “the gate.” The term “gate” here functions as a synecdoche for the city as a whole, which the Edomites plundered.


Heb “in the day of their distress.” The phrase is used three times in this verse; the Hebrew word translated “distress” ( אֵידָם , ’ edam ) is a wordplay on the name Edom. For stylistic reasons and to avoid monotony, in the present translation this phrase is rendered: “when they experienced distress,” “when they suffered distress,” and “when they endured distress.”


Heb “you, also you.”


Heb “in the day of his distress.” In this and the following phrase at the end of v. 13 the suffix is 3 rd person masculine singular. As collective singulars both occurrences have been translated as plurals (“they suffered distress…endured distress” rather than “he suffered distress…endured distress”).


In the MT the verb is feminine plural, but the antecedent is unclear. The Hebrew phrase תִּשְׁלַחְנָה ( tishlakhnah ) here should probably be emended to read תִּשְׁלַח יָד ( tishlakh yad ), although yad (“hand”) is not absolutely essential to this idiom.


See the note on the phrase “suffered distress” in the previous line.


The meaning of the Hebrew word פֶּרֶק ( pereq ; here translated “fork in the road”) is uncertain. The word is found in the Hebrew Bible only here and in Nah 3:1 , where it means “plunder.” In the present context it seems to refer to a strategic intersection or fork in a road where bands of Edomites apprehended Israelites who were fleeing from the attack on Jerusalem. Cf. NAB, NIV, NLT “crossroads”; NRSV “crossings.”


Heb “to cut off” (so KJV, NRSV); NASB, NIV “to cut down.”


Heb “his fugitives”; NAB, CEV “refugees.”


Heb “in the day of distress” (so KJV, ASV).


Heb “near” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “is coming soon.”


Heb “your deed will return on your own head.” Verses 15 and 16 provide an example of ironic reversal, whereby the tables are turned and poetic justice is served. This is a motif that is common in prophetic oracles against foreign nations.


The identification of the referent of “you” in v. 16 a is uncertain. There are three major options: (1) On the surface, it would appear to be Edom, which is addressed in v. 15 b and throughout the prophecy. However, when Edom is addressed, second person singular forms are normally used in the Hebrew. In v. 16 a the Hebrew verb “you drank” is a plural form שְׁתִיתֶם ( shÿtitem ), perhaps suggesting that Edom is no longer addressed, at least solely. Perhaps Edom and the nations, mentioned in v. 15 a, are both addressed in v. 16 a. However, since the nations are referred to in the third person in v. 16 b, it seems unlikely that they are addressed here. (2) Another option is to take the final mem ( ם ) on the Hebrew verb form ( שְׁתִיתֶם ) as an enclitic particle and revocalize the form as a singular verb ( שָׁתִיתָ , shatita ) addressed to Edom. In this case v. 16 a would allude to the time when Edom celebrated Jerusalem’s defeat on Mount Zion, God’s “holy hill.” Verse 16 b would then make the ironic point that just as Edom once drank in victory, so the nations (Edom included) would someday drink the cup of judgment. However, this interpretation is problematic for it necessitates taking the drinking metaphor in different ways (as signifying celebration and then judgment) within the same verse. (3) Another option is that the exiled people of Judah are addressed. Just as God’s people were forced to drink the intoxicating wine of divine judgment, so the nations, including those who humiliated Judah, would be forced to drink this same wine. However, the problem here is that God’s people are never addressed elsewhere in the prophecy, making this approach problematic as well.


Heb “will be a fugitive.” This is a collective singular. Cf. NCV “some will escape the judgment.”


Heb “house” (so most English versions); NCV, TEV “the people of Jacob.” The word “house” also occurs four times in v. 18 .


Heb “dispossess.” This root is repeated in the following line to emphasize poetic justice: The punishment will fit the crime.


The present translation follows the reading מוֹרִשֵׁיהֶם ( morishehem ; literally, “those dispossessing them”; cf. NAB, NRSV, CEV) rather than מוֹרָשֵׁיהֶם ( morashehem , “their possessions”) of the MT (cf. LXX, Syriac, and Vg, followed by KJV, ASV, NASB).


Heb “will be no survivor”; NAB “none shall survive.”


Heb “the Negev”; ASV “the South”; NCV, TEV “southern Judah.” The Hebrew text does not have the words “the people of,” but these words have been supplied in the translation for clarity. The place name “the Negev” functions as a synecdoche (container for contents) for the people living in the Negev. sn The Negev is a dry, hot, arid region in the southern portion of Judah.


The Hebrew text does not have the words “the people of,” but they are supplied in the translation since “the Shephelah” functions as a synecdoche referring to residents of this region. sn The Shephelah as a region refers to the Palestinian foothills that rise from the coastal plain. In much of Old Testament times they served as a divide between the people of Judah and the Philistines.


The phrase “will take possession” does not appear in this clause, but is implied from its previous use in this verse. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.


The words “the land of” are not present in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.


The phrase “will take possession” does not appear in this clause, but is implied from its previous use in this verse. It is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Or “army” (TEV); KJV, NAB, NASB “host”; NIV “company.” Some text critics suggest revocalizing MT הַחֵל ( hakhel , “the fortress”) to the place- name הָלָה ( halah , “Halah”; so NRSV), the location to which many of the Israelite exiles were sent in the 8th century ( 2 Kgs 7:6; 18:11 ; 1 Chr 5:26 ). The MT form is from הַיִל ( hayil , “strength”), which is used elsewhere to refer to an army ( Exod 14:17 ; 1 Sam 17:20 ; 2 Sam 8:9 ), military fortress ( 2 Sam 20:15; 22:33 ), leaders ( Exod 18:21 ) and even wealth or possessions ( Obad 1:11, 13 ).


The Hebrew text has no verb here. The words “will possess” have been supplied from the context.


For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


The present translation follows the reading מוּשָׁעִים ( musha ’ im , “those who have been delivered”; cf. NRSV, CEV) rather than מוֹשִׁעִים ( moshi ’ im ,“deliverers”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) of the MT (cf. LXX, Aquila, Theodotion, and Syriac).


Heb “to judge.” In this context the term does not mean “to render judgment on,” but “to rule over” (cf. NAB “to rule”; NIV “to govern”).


Heb “then the kingdom will belong to the Lord .”


Heb “The word of the Lord .” The genitive noun in the construction דְּבַר־יְהוָה ( dÿvar-yÿhvah , “word of the Lord ”) could function as a possessive genitive (“the Lord ’s word”; see IBHS 145 §9.5.1g), but more likely it functions as a subjective genitive (“the Lord said”; see IBHS 143 §9.5.1a). The Aramaic translation of Jonah 1:1 (Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible are known as Targums) interprets the Hebrew as “There was a word of prophecy from the Lord ” (cf. Tg. Hos 1:1 ).


Heb “The word of the Lord was to Jonah…saying….” The infinitive לֵאמֹר ( le ’ mor , “saying”) introduces direct discourse and is untranslated in English.


Heb “Arise, go.” The two imperatives without an intervening vav ( קוּם לֵךְ , qum lekh ; “Arise, go!”), form a verbal hendiadys in which the first verb functions adverbially and the second retains its full verbal force: “Go immediately.” This construction emphasizes the urgency of the command. The translations “Go at once” (NRSV, NJPS) or simply “Go!” (NIV) are better than the traditional “Arise, go” (KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “Get up and go” (NLT). For similar constructions with קוּם , see Gen 19:14-15 ; Judg 4:14; 8:20-21 ; 1 Sam 9:3 .


Heb “the.” The article draws attention to a well-known fact and may function as a demonstrative pronoun: “that great city” (see IBHS 242 §13.5.1e).


Surri uru rabitu ) for the king my lord” (EA 147:61-63). Hebrew constructions in which a determined noun is modified by the determined adjective הָגְּדוֹלָה (“the great…”) often denote singular, unique greatness, e.g., הַנָּהָר הָגָּדֹל ( hannahar haggadol , “the great river”) = the Euphrates ( Deut 1:7 ); הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל ( hayyam haggadol , “the great sea”) = the Mediterranean ( Josh 1:4 ); הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל ( hakkohen haggadol , “the great priest”) = the chief priest ( Lev 21:10 ); and לָעִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה הַזֹּאת ( la ’ ir haggÿdolah hazzo ’ t , “[to] this great city”) = this capital city ( Jer 22:8 ). So הָעִיר הָגְּדוֹלָה may well connote “the capital city” here.


Heb “Nineveh, the great city.” The description “the great city” stands in apposition to “Nineveh.”


Heb “cry out against it.” The basic meaning of קָרָא ( qara ’) is “to call out; to cry out; to shout out,” but here it is a technical term referring to what a prophet has to say: “to announce” (e.g., 1 Kgs 13:32 ; Isa 40:2, 6 ; Jer 3:12 ; see HALOT 1129 s.v. קרא 8). When used with the preposition עַל (’ al , “against” [in a hostile sense]; 826 s.v. עַל 5.a), it refers to an oracle announcing or threatening judgment (e.g., 1 Kgs 13:2, 4, 32 ; BDB 895 s.v. עַל 3.a). This nuance is reflected in several English versions: “Announce my judgment against it” (NLT) and “proclaim judgment upon it” (JPS, NJPS). Other translations are less precise: “cry out against it” (KJV, NKJV, ASV, NASB, RSV, NRSV), “denounce it” (NEB, REB). Some are even misleading: “preach against it” (NAB, NIV) and “preach in it” (Douay). Tg . Jonah 1:2 nuances this interpretively as “prophesy against.”


Heb “it.” The pronoun functions as a synecdoche of container for contents, referring to the people of Nineveh.


Heb “has come up before me.” The term לְפָנָי ( lÿfanay , “before me”) often connotes “in the full cognitive knowledge of” or “in the full mental view” of someone (BDB 817 s.v. פָּנֶה II.4.a.(c); e.g., Gen 6:13 ; Isa 65:6 ; Jer 2:22 ; Lam 1:22 ). The use of the verb עָלָה (’ alah , “to ascend”) complements this idea; it is sometimes used to describe actions or situations on earth that have “come up” into heaven to God’s attention, so to speak (e.g., Exod 2:23 ; 1 Sam 5:12 ; 2 Kgs 19:28 ; Ps 74:23 ; Isa 37:29 ; Jer 14:2 ; see BDB 749 s.v. עָלָה 8). The point is that God was fully aware of the evil of the Ninevites.


Heb “he arose to flee.” The phrase וַיָּקָם לִבְרֹחַ ( vayyaqam livroakh , “he arose to flee”) is a wordplay on the Lord ’s command ( קוּם לֵךְ , qum lekh ; “Arise! Go!”) in v. 2 . By repeating the first verb קוּם the narrator sets up the reader to expect that Jonah was intending to obey God. But Jonah did not “arise to go” to Nineveh; he “arose to flee” to Tarshish. Jonah looks as though he was about to obey, but he does not. This unexpected turn of events creates strong irony. The narrator does not reveal Jonah’s motivation to the reader at this point. He delays this revelation for rhetorical effect until 4:2-3 .


Tar-si-si (R. Borger, Die Inschriften Asarhaddons [AfO], 86, §57 line 10) and Greek Ταρτησσος ( tarthssos ; HALOT 1797 s.v. C). Most English versions render תַּרְשִׁישׁ as “Tarshish” (KJV, NKJV, ASV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, NIV, NEB, NJB, JPS, NJPS), but TEV, CEV render it more generally as “to Spain.” NLT emphasizes the rhetorical point: “in the opposite direction,” though “Tarshish” is mentioned later in the verse.


Heb “Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish away from the Lord .”


Heb “away from the presence of the Lord .” The term מִלִּפְנֵי ( millifne , “away from the presence of”) is composed of the preposition לְפָנָי ( lÿfanay , “in front of, before the presence of”) and מִן ( min , “away from”). The term מִלִּפְנֵי is used with בָּרַח ( barakh , “to flee”) only here in biblical Hebrew so it is difficult to determine its exact meaning ( HALOT 942 s.v. פָּנֶה 4.h.ii; see E. Jenni, “‘Fliehen’ im akkadischen und im hebräischen Sprachgebrauch,” Or 47 [1978]: 357). The most likely options are: (1) Jonah simply fled from the Lord ’s presence manifested in the temple (for mention of the temple elsewhere in Jonah, see 2:5,8 ). This is reflected in Jerome’s rendering fugeret in Tharsis a facie Domini (“he fled to Tarshish away from the face/presence of the Lord ”). The term מִלִּפְנֵי is used in this sense with יָצָא ( yatsa ’, “to go out”) to depict someone or something physically leaving the manifested presence of the Lord ( Lev 9:24 ; Num 17:11, 24 ; cf. Gen 4:16 ). This is reflected in several English versions: “from the presence of the Lord ” (KJV, NKJV, RSV, NRSV, ASV, NASB) and “out of the reach of the Lord ” (REB). (2) Jonah was fleeing to a distant place outside the land of Israel (D. Stuart, Hosea-Jonah [WBC], 450). The term לְפָנָי is used in various constructions with מִן to describe locations outside the land of Israel where Yahweh was not worshiped ( 1 Sam 26:19-20 ; 2 Kgs 13:23; 17:20, 23 ; Jer 23:39 ). This would be the equivalent of a self-imposed exile. (3) The term מִלִּפְנֵי can mean “out of sight” ( Gen 23:4,8 ), so perhaps Jonah was trying to escape from the Lord ’s active awareness – out of the Lord ’s sight. The idea would either be an anthropomorphism (standing for a distance out of the sight of God) or it would reflect an inadequate theology of the limited omniscience and presence of God. This is reflected in some English versions: “ran away from the Lord” (NIV), “running away from Yahweh” (NJB), “to get away from the Lord” (NLT), “to escape from the Lord” (NEB) and “to escape” (CEV). (4) The term לְפָנָי can mean “in front of someone in power” ( Gen 43:33 ; HALOT 942 s.v. c.i) and “at the disposal of” a king ( Gen 13:9; 24:51; 34:10 ; 2 Chr 14:6 ; Jer 40:4 ; HALOT 942 s.v. 4 .f). The expression would be a metonymy: Jonah was trying to escape from his commission (effect) ordered by God (cause). This is reflected in several English versions: “to flee from the Lord ’s service” (JPS, NJPS). Jonah confesses in 4:2-3 that he fled to avoid carrying out his commission – lest God relent from judging Nineveh if its populace might repent. But it is also clear in chs. 1-2 that Jonah could not escape from the Lord himself. sn Three times in chap. (in vv. 3 and 10 ) Jonah’s voyage is described as an attempt to escape away from the Lord – from the Lord ’s presence (and therefore his active awareness; compare v. 2 ). On one level, Jonah was attempting to avoid a disagreeable task, but the narrator’s description personalizes Jonah’s rejection of the task. Jonah’s issue is with the Lord himself, not just his commission. The narrator’s description is also highly ironic, as the rest of the book shows. Jonah tries to sail to Tarshish, in the opposite direction from Nineveh, as if by doing that he could escape from the Lord , when the Lord is the one who knows all about Nineveh’s wickedness and is involved in all that happens to Jonah throughout the book. Compare Jonah’s explanation when talking with the Lord (see 4:2 ).


Heb “he went down.” The verb יָרַד ( yarad , “to go down”) can refer to a journey that is physically downhill. This suggests that Jonah had started out from Jerusalem, which is at a higher elevation. He probably received his commission in the temple (see 2:4, 7 for mention of the temple). sn The verb יָרַד ( yarad , “to go down”) is repeated four times in chs. 1-2 for rhetorical effect ( 1:3 a, 3b, 5; 2:7 ). Jonah’s “downward” journey from Jerusalem down to Joppa ( 1:3 a) down into the ship ( 1:3 b) down into the cargo hold ( 1:5 ) and ultimately down into the bottom of the sea, pictured as down to the very gates of the netherworld ( 2:7 ), does not end until he turns back to God who brings him “up” from the brink of death ( 2:6-7 ).


century b.c. ) and Yapu in Neo-Assyrian inscriptions (9th-8th centuries b.c. ). It was a port through which imported goods could flow into the Levant ( Josh 19:46 ; 2 Chr 2:15 [16]; Ezra 3:7 ). It was never annexed by Israel until the Maccabean period (ca. 148 b.c.; 1 Macc 10:76). Jonah chose a port where the people he would meet and the ships he could take were not likely to be Israelite. Once in Joppa he was already partly “away from the Lord ” as he conceived it.


Heb “going to” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “bound for”; NLT “leaving for.”


See note on the phrase “to Tarshish” at the beginning of the verse.


Heb “its fare.” The 3rd person feminine singular suffix on the noun probably functions as a genitive of worth or value: “the fare due it.” However, it is translated here simply as “the fare” for the sake of readability. On the other hand “bought a ticket” (CEV, NLT) is somewhat overtranslated, since the expression “paid the fare” is still understandable to most English readers.


Heb “he went down into it.” The verb יָרַד ( yarad , “to go down”) is repeated for rhetorical effect in v. 3 a, 3b, 5. See note on the word “traveled” in v. 3 a.


“Them” refers to the other passengers and sailors in the ship.


Heb “away from the presence of the Lord .” See note on the phrase “from the commission of the Lord ” in v. 3 a.


The disjunctive construction of vav + nonverb followed by a nonpreterite marks a strong contrast in the narrative action ( וַיהוָה הֵטִיל , vayhvah hetil ; “But the Lord hurled…”).


The Hiphil of טוּל ( tul , “to hurl”) is used here and several times in this episode for rhetorical emphasis (see vv. 5 and 15 ).


Heb “great.” Typically English versions vary the adjective here and before “tempest” to avoid redundancy: e.g., KJV, ASV, NRSV “great...mighty”; NAB “violent…furious”; NIV “great…violent”; NLT “powerful…violent.”


Heb “great.”


The nonconsecutive construction of vav + nonverb followed by nonpreterite is used to emphasize this result clause ( וְהָאֳנִיָּה חִשְּׁבָה לְהִשָׁבֵר , vÿha ’ oniyyah khishvah lÿhishaver ; “that the ship threatened to break up”).


Heb “the ship seriously considered breaking apart.” The use of חָשַׁב ( khashav , “think”) in the Piel (“to think about; to seriously consider”) personifies the ship to emphasize the ferocity of the storm. The lexicons render the clause idiomatically: “the ship was about to be broken up” (BDB 363 s.v. חָשַׁב 2; HALOT 360 s.v. חשׁב ).


Heb “they cried out, each one.” The shift from the plural verb וַיִּזְעֲקוּ ( vayyiz ’ aqu , “they cried out to”) to the singular subject אִישׁ (’ ish , “each one”) is a rhetorical device used to emphasize that each one of the sailors individually cried out. In contrast, Jonah slept.


Or “gods” (CEV, NLT). The plural noun אֱלֹהִים (’ elohim ) might be functioning either as a plural of number (“gods”) or a plural of majesty (“god”) – the form would allow for either. As members of a polytheistic culture, each sailor might appeal to several gods. However, individuals could also look to a particular god for help in trouble. Tg . Jonah 1:5 interpretively renders the line, “Each man prayed to his idols, but they saw that they were useless.”


Heb “hurled.” The Hiphil of טוּל ( tul , “to hurl”) is again used, repeated from v. 4 .


The plural word rendered “cargo” ( כֵּלִים , kelim ) is variously translated “articles, vessels, objects, baggage, instruments” (see 1 Sam 17:22 ; 1 Kgs 10:21 ; 1 Chr 15:16 ; Isa 18:2 ; Jer 22:7 ). As a general term, it fits here to describe the sailors throwing overboard whatever they could. The English word “cargo” should be taken generally to include the ship’s payload and whatever else could be dispensed with.


Heb “into the sea.”


Heb “to lighten it from them.”


Heb “but Jonah.” The disjunctive construction of vav + nonverb followed by nonpreterite ( וְיוֹנָה יָרַד , vÿyonah yarad ; “but Jonah had gone down…”) introduces a parenthetical description of Jonah’s earlier actions before the onset of the storm.


Following a vav -disjunctive introducing parenthetical material, the suffixed-conjugation verb יָרַד ( yarad ) functions as a past perfect here: “he had gone down” (see IBHS 490-91 §30.5.2). This describes Jonah’s previous actions before the onset of the storm.


Or “stern.” There is some question whether the term יַרְכָה ( yarkhah ) refers to the ship’s hold below deck (R. S. Hess, NIDOTTE 3:282) or to the stern in the back of the ship ( HALOT 439 s.v. * יְרֵכָה 2.b). This is the only use of this term in reference to a ship in biblical Hebrew. When used elsewhere, this term has a two-fold range of meanings: (1) “rear,” such as rear of a building ( Exod 26:22, 27; 36:27, 32 ; Ezek 46:19 ), back room of a house ( 1 Kgs 6:16 ; Ps 128:3 ; Amos 6:10 ), flank of a person’s body (figurative for rear border; Gen 49:13 ); and (2) “far part” that is remote, such as the back of a cave ( 1 Sam 24:4 ), the bottom of a cistern ( Isa 14:15 ), the lower recesses of Sheol ( Ezek 32:23 ), the remotest part of a mountain range ( Judg 19:1, 18 ; 2 Kgs 19:23 ; Isa 37:24 ), the highest summit of a mountain ( Ps 48:3 ), and the north – viewed as the remotest part of the earth ( Isa 14:13 ; Ezek 38:6, 15; 39:2 ). So the term could refer to the “back” (stern) or “remote part” (lower cargo hold) of the ship. The related Akkadian expression arkat eleppi , “stern of a ship” ( HALOT 439 s.v. 2 .b) seems to suggest that יַרְכָה means “stern” ( HALOT 439 s.v. 2 .b). However, the preceding יָרַד אֶל ( yarad ’ el , “he went down into”) suggests a location below deck. Also the genitive noun סְפִינָה ( sÿfinah ) refers to a “ship” with a deck (BDB 706 s.v. סְפִינָה ; HALOT 764 s.v. סְפִינָה ; R. S. Hess, NIDOTTE 3:282).


Or “of the ship.” The noun סְפִינָה ( sÿfinah ) refers to a “ship” with a deck ( HALOT 764 s.v. סְפִינָה ). The term is a hapax legomenon in Hebrew and is probably an Aramaic loanword. The term is used frequently in the related Semitic languages to refer to ships with multiple decks. Here the term probably functions as a synecdoche of whole for the part, referring to the “lower deck” rather than to the ship as a whole (R. S. Hess, NIDOTTE 3:282). An outdated approach related the noun to the verb סָפַן ( safan , “to cover”) and suggested that סְפִינָה describes a ship covered with sheathing (BDB 706 s.v. סְפִינָה ).


Heb “What to you sleeping!” The Niphal participle נִרְדָּם ( nirdam ) from רָדַם ( radam , “to sleep”) functions here not as a vocative use of the noun (so KJV, NKJV, ASV: “O sleeper,” RSV: “you sleeper”) but as a verbal use to depict uninterrupted sleep up to this point. The expression מַה־לְּךָ ( mah-lÿkha , “what to you?”) can express surprise (BDB 552 s.v. מָה 1.a; e.g., Job 9:12; 22:12 ; Eccl 8:4 ; Isa 45:9,10 ) or indignation and contempt (BDB 552 s.v. מָה 1.c; e.g., 1 Kgs 19:9, 13 ). Accordingly, the captain is either surprised that Jonah is able to sleep so soundly through the storm (NIV “How can you sleep?”; JPS, NJPS “How can you be sleeping so soundly?”; NEB, REB “What, sound asleep?”) or indignant that Jonah would sleep in a life-threatening situation when he should be praying (CEV “How can you sleep at a time like this?”; NAB “What are you doing [+ sound NRSV] asleep?”; NJB: “What do you mean by sleeping?”).


Heb “cry out” or “call upon.” The verb קָרָא ( qara ’, “to call out, to cry out”) + the preposition אֶל (’ el , “to”) often depicts a loud, audible cry of prayer to God for help in the midst of trouble: “to call on, to shout to” ( HALOT 1129 s.v. קרא 9.b; BDB 895 s.v. קָרָא 2.a; e.g., Judg 15:18 ; 1 Sam 12:17, 18 ; 2 Sam 22:7 ; Hos 7:7 ; Pss 3:4 [5 HT]; 4:3 [4 HT]). Jonker notes: “The basic meaning of qr’ is to draw attention to oneself by the audible use of one’s voice in order to establish contact with someone else. The reaction of the called person is normally expressed by the verbs…‘answer’ and…‘hear’” (L. Jonker, NIDOTTE 3:971). sn The imperatives “arise!” and “cry out!” are repeated from v. 2 for ironic effect. The captain’s words would have rung in Jonah’s ears as a stinging reminder that the Lord had uttered them once before. Jonah was hearing them again because he had disobeyed them before.


Heb “the god.” The article on הָאֱלֹהִים ( ha ’ elohim ) denotes previous reference to אֱלֹהֶיךָ (’ elohekha , “your god”; see IBHS 242-43 §13.5.1d). The captain refers here to the “god” just mentioned, that is, whatever god Jonah might pray to (“your god”).


Or “give thought to us.” The verb is found only here in the OT. Related nouns are in Job 12:5 and Ps 146:5 . The captain hopes for some favorable attention from a god who might act on behalf of his endangered crewmen.


Heb “And they said, a man to his companion.” The plural verb is individualized by “a man.”


Heb “On whose account this calamity is upon us.”


Heb “the lot fell on Jonah.” From their questions posed to Jonah, it does not appear that the sailors immediately realize that Jonah was the one responsible for the storm. Instead, they seem to think that he is the one chosen by their gods to reveal to them the one responsible for their plight. It is only after he admits in vv. 9-10 that he was fleeing from the God whom he served that they realize that Jonah was in fact the cause of their trouble.


Heb “On whose account is this calamity upon us?”


Heb “And from what people are you?” sn Whose fault…What’s…Where…What’s… The questions delivered in rapid succession in this verse indicate the sailors’ urgency to learn quickly the reason for the unusual storm.


Or “fear.” The verb יָרֵא ( yare ’) has a broad range of meanings, including “to fear, to worship, to revere, to respect” (BDB 431 s.v.). When God is the object, it normally means “to fear” (leading to obedience; BDB 431 s.v. 1 ) or “to worship” (= to stand in awe of; BDB 431 s.v. 2 ). Because the fear of God leads to wisdom and obedience, that is probably not the sense here. Instead Jonah professes to be a loyal Yahwist – in contrast to the pagan Phoenician sailors who worshiped false gods, he worshiped the one true God. Unfortunately his worship of the Lord lacked the necessary moral prerequisite.


Heb “The Lord , the God of heaven, I fear.” The Hebrew word order is unusual. Normally the verb appears first, but here the direct object “the Lord , the God of heaven” precedes the verb. Jonah emphasizes the object of his worship. In contrast to the Phoenician sailors who worship pagan polytheistic gods, Jonah took pride in his theological orthodoxy. Ironically, his “fear” of the Lord in this case was limited to this profession of theological orthodoxy because his actions betrayed his refusal to truly “fear” God by obeying him. sn The word fear appears in v. 5 , here in v. 9 , and later in vv. 10 and 16 . Except for this use in v. 9 , every other use describes the sailors’ response (emotional fear prompting physical actions) to the storm or to the Lord . By contrast, Jonah claims to fear God but his attitude and actions do not reflect this. It is clear that Jonah does not “fear” in the same way that they do.


Heb “the God of the heavens.” The noun שָׁמַיִם ( shamayim , “heavens”) always appears in the dual form. Although the dual form sometimes refers to things that exist in pairs, the dual is often used to refer to geographical locations, e.g., יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ( yÿrushalayim , “Jerusalem”), אֶפְרַיִם (’ efrayim , “Ephraim”), and מִצְרַיִם ( mitsrayim , “Egypt,” but see IBHS 118 §7.3d). The dual form of שָׁמַיִם does not refer to two different kinds of heavens or to two levels of heaven; it simply refers to “heaven” as a location – the dwelling place of God. Jonah’s point is that he worships the High God of heaven – the one enthroned over all creation.


Heb “Then the men feared…” The vav -consecutive describes the consequence of Jonah’s statement. The phrase “Hearing this” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.


Heb “The men feared a great fear.” The cognate accusative construction using the verb יָרֵא ( yare ’, “to fear”) and the noun יִרְאָה ( yir ’ ah , “fear”) from the same root ( ירא , yr ’) emphasizes the sailors’ escalating fright: “they became very afraid” (see IBHS 167 §10.2.1g).


Heb “fleeing.”


Heb “because he had told them.” The verb הִגִּיד ( higgid , “he had told”) functions as a past perfect, referring to a previous event.


Heb “the sea was walking and storming.” The two participles הוֹלֵךְ וְסֹעֵר ( holekh vÿso ’ er , “walking and storming”) form an idiom that means “the storm was growing worse and worse.” When the participle הוֹלֵךְ precedes another participle with vav , it often denotes the idea of “growing, increasing” (BDB 233 s.v. הָלַךְ 4.d; e.g., Exod 19:19 ; 1 Sam 2:26 ; 2 Sam 3:1; 15:12 ; 2 Chr 17:12 ; Esth 9:4 ; Prov 4:18 ; Eccl 1:6 ). For example, “the power of David grew stronger and stronger ( הֹלֵךְ וְחָזֵק , holek vÿkhazeq ; “was walking and becoming strong”), while the dynasty of Saul grew weaker and weaker ( הֹלְכִים וְדַלִּים , holÿkhim vÿdallim ; “was walking and becoming weak”)” ( 2 Sam 3:1 ; see IBHS 625-26 §37.6d).


The vav -consecutive prefixed to the imperfect/prefixed conjugation verb וְיִשְׁתֹּק ( vÿyishtoq , “to quiet”) denotes purpose/result (see IBHS 638-40 §38.3), translated here by the English infinitive.


Heb “quiet for you”; NAB “that it may quiet down for you.”


Heb “but they were not able.” The phrase “to do so” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “the sea was walking and storming.” See the note on the same idiom in v. 11 .


Heb “Do not put against us innocent blood,” that is, “Do not assign innocent blood to our account.” It seems that the sailors were afraid that they would die if they kept Jonah in the ship and also that they might be punished with death if they threw him overboard.


Pss 115:3 and 135:6 likewise use these verbs ( חָפֵץ and עָשָׂה , khafets and ’ asah ; “to delight” and “to do, make”) in speaking of the Lord as characteristically doing what he wishes to do.


The editors of BHS suggest that the direct object אֶת־יְהוָה (’ et-yÿhvah , “the Lord ”) might be a scribal addition, and that the original text simply read, “The men became greatly afraid…” However, there is no shred of external evidence to support this conjectural emendation. Admittedly, the apparent “conversion” of these Phoenician sailors to Yahwism is a surprising development. But two literary features support the Hebrew text as it stands. First, it is not altogether clear whether or not the sailors actually converted to faith in the Lord . They might have simply incorporated him into their polytheistic religion. Second, the narrator has taken pains to portray the pagan sailors as a literary foil to Jonah by contrasting Jonah’s hypocritical profession to fear the Lord (v. 9 ) with the sailors’ actions that reveal an authentic fear of God (v. 10, 14, 16 ).


Heb “they feared the Lord with a great fear.” The root ירא ( yr ’, “fear”) is repeated in the verb and accusative noun, forming a cognate accusative construction which is used for emphasis (see IBHS 167 §10.2.1g). The idea is that they greatly feared the Lord or were terrified of him.


Heb “they vowed vows.” The root נדר ( ndr , “vow”) is repeated in the verb and accusative noun, forming an emphatic effected accusative construction in which the verbal action produces the object specified by the accusative (see IBHS 166-67 §10.2.1f). Their act of vowing produced the vows. This construction is used to emphasize their earnestness and zeal in making vows to worship the God who had just spared their lives from certain death.


Heb “they sacrificed sacrifices.” The root זבח ( zbkh , “sacrifice”) is repeated in the verb and accusative noun, forming an emphatic effected accusative construction in which the verbal action produces the object (see IBHS 166-67 §10.2.1f). Their act of sacrificing would produce the sacrifices. It is likely that the two sets of effected accusative constructions here (“they vowed vows and sacrificed sacrifices”) form a hendiadys; the two phrases connote one idea: “they earnestly vowed to sacrifice lavishly.” It is unlikely that they offered animal sacrifices at this exact moment on the boat – they had already thrown their cargo overboard, presumably leaving no animals to sacrifice. Instead, they probably vowed that they would sacrifice to the Lord when – and if – they reached dry ground. Tg . Jonah 1:16 also takes this as a vow to sacrifice but for a different reason. According to Jewish tradition, the heathen are not allowed to make sacrifice to the God of Israel outside Jerusalem, so the Targum modified the text by making it a promise to sacrifice: “they promised to offer a sacrifice before the Lord and they made vows” (see B. Levine, The Aramaic Version of Jonah , 70; K. Cathcart and R. Gordon, The Targum of the Minor Prophets [ArBib], 14:106, n. 29).


Heb “The men feared the Lord [with] a great fear, they sacrificed sacrifices, and they vowed vows” (cf. v. 10 ). By pairing verbs with related nouns as direct objects, the account draws attention to the sailors’ response and its thoroughness.


Or “appointed” (NASB); NLT “had arranged for.” The Piel verb מִנָּה ( minnah ) means “to send, to appoint” ( Ps 61:8 ; Jonah 2:1; 4:6-8 ; Dan 1:5, 10-11 ; HALOT 599 s.v. מנה 2; BDB 584 s.v. מָנָה ). Joyce Baldwin notes, “Here, with YHWH as the subject, the verb stresses God’s sovereign rule over events for the accomplishment of his purpose (as in 4:6-8 , where the verb recurs in each verse). The ‘great fish’ is in exactly the right place at the right time by God’s command, in order to swallow Jonah and enclose him safely” (Joyce Baldwin, “Jonah,” The Minor Prophets , 2:566).


Heb “great.”


Tg . Jonah 2:2 renders this interpretively: “and he heard my prayer.” sn The first verse of the prayer summarizes the whole – “I was in trouble; I called to the Lord for help; he rescued me; I will give him thanks” – before elaborating on the nature and extent of the trouble (vv. 3-7 a), mentioning the cry for help and the subsequent rescue (6b-7), and promising to give thanks (8-9). These elements, as well as much vocabulary and imagery found in Jonah’s prayer, appear also in other Hebrew psalms. With Jonah 2:1 compare, for example, Pss 18:6; 22:24; 81:7; 116:1-4; 120:1; 130:1-2 ; Lam 3:55-56 . These references and others indicate that Jonah was familiar with prayers used in worship at the temple in Jerusalem; he knew “all the right words.” Consider also with Jonah as a whole.


Heb “voice” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “my cry.” The term קוֹל ( qol , “voice”) functions as a metonymy for the content of what is uttered: cry for help in prayer.


Or “You had thrown me.” Verse 3 begins the detailed description of Jonah’s plight, which resulted from being thrown into the sea.


Heb “the deep” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “into the ocean depths.”


Heb “heart” (so many English versions); CEV “to the (+ very TEV) bottom of the sea.”


The BHS editors suggest deleting either מְצוּלָה ( mÿtsulah , “into the deep”) or בִּלְבַב יַמִּים ( bilvav yammim , “into the heart of the sea”). They propose that one or the other is a scribal gloss on the remaining term. However, the use of an appositional phrase within a poetic colon is not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. The MT is therefore best retained.


Or “the stream”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “the flood.” The Hebrew word נָהָר ( nahar ) is used in parallel with יַם ( yam , “sea”) in Ps 24:2 (both are plural) to describe the oceans of the world and in Ps 66:6 to speak of the sea crossed by Israel in the exodus from Egypt.


Heb “surrounded” (so NRSV); NAB “enveloped.”


Heb “your breakers and your waves.” This phrase is a nominal hendiadys; the first noun functions as an attributive adjective modifying the second noun: “your breaking waves.”


Heb “your… your…” The 2nd person masculine singular suffixes on מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ וְגַלֶּיךָ ( mishbarekha vÿgallekha , “your breakers and your waves”) function as genitives of source. Just as God had hurled a violent wind upon the sea ( 1:4 ) and had sovereignly sent the large fish to swallow him ( 1:17 [ 2:1 HT]), Jonah viewed God as sovereignly responsible for afflicting him with sea waves that were crashing upon his head, threatening to drown him. Tg . Jonah 2:3 alters the 2nd person masculine singular suffixes to 3rd person masculine singular suffixes to make them refer to the sea and not to God, for the sake of smoothness: “all the gales of the sea and its billows.”


Heb “crossed”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV “passed.”


Heb “And I said.” The verb אָמַר (’ amar , “to say”) is sometimes used to depict inner speech and thoughts of a character ( HALOT 66 s.v. אמר 4; BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר 2; e.g., Gen 17:17 ; Ruth 4:4 ; 1 Sam 20:26 ; Esth 6:6 ). While many English versions render this “I said” (KJV, NKJV, NAB, ASV, NASB, NIV, NLT), several nuance it “I thought” (JPS, NJPS, NEB, REB, NJB, TEV, CEV).


Or “I have been expelled from your attention”; Heb “from in front of your eyes.” See also Ps 31:22 ; Lam 3:54-56 .


Or “Yet I will look again to your holy temple” or “Surely I will look again to your holy temple.” The MT and the vast majority of ancient textual witnesses vocalize consonantal אך (’ kh ) as the adverb אַךְ (’ akh ) which functions as an emphatic asseverative “surely” (BDB 36 s.v. אַךְ 1) or an adversative “yet, nevertheless” (BDB 36 s.v. אַךְ 2; so Tg . Jonah 2:4 : “However, I shall look again upon your holy temple”). These options understand the line as an expression of hopeful piety. As a positive statement, Jonah expresses hope that he will live to return to worship in Jerusalem. It may be a way of saying, “I will pray for help, even though I have been banished” (see v. 8 ; cf. Dan 6:10 ). The sole dissenter is the Greek recension of Theodotion which reads the interrogative πῶς ( pws , “how?”) which reflects an alternate vocalization tradition of אֵךְ (’ ekh ) – a defectively written form of אֵיךְ (’ ekh , “how?”; BDB 32 s.v. אֵיךְ 1). This would be translated, “How shall I again look at your holy temple?” (cf. NRSV). Jonah laments that he will not be able to worship at the temple in Jerusalem again – this is a metonymical statement (effect for cause) that he feels certain that he is about to die. It continues the expression of Jonah’s distress and separation from the Lord , begun in v. 2 and continued without relief in vv. 3-7 a. The external evidence favors the MT; however, internal evidence seems to favor the alternate vocalization tradition reflected in Theodotion for four reasons. First, the form of the psalm is a declarative praise in which Jonah begins with a summary praise (v. 2 ), continues by recounting his past plight (vv. 3-6 a) and the Lord ’s intervention (vv. 6 b-7), and concludes with a lesson (v. 8 ) and vow to praise (v. 9 ). So the statement with אֵךְ in v. 4 falls within the plight – not within a declaration of confidence. Second, while the poetic parallelism of v. 4 could be antithetical (“I have been banished from your sight, yet I will again look to your holy temple”), synonymous parallelism fits the context of the lament better (“I have been banished from your sight; Will I ever again see your holy temple?”). Third, אֵךְ is the more difficult vocalization because it is a defectively written form of אֵיךְ (“how?”) and therefore easily confused with אַךְ (“surely” or “yet, nevertheless”). Fourth, nothing in the first half of the psalm reflects any inkling of confidence on the part of Jonah that he would be delivered from imminent death. In fact, Jonah states in v. 7 that he did not turn to God in prayer until some time later when he was on the very brink of death. sn Both options for the start of the line (“how?” and “yet” or “surely”) fit the ironic portrayal of Jonah in the prayer (see also vv.8-9). Jonah, who had been trying to escape the Lord ’s attention, here appears remarkably fond of worshiping him. Is there perhaps also a hint of motivation for the Lord to rescue this eager worshiper? Confession of disobedience, on the other hand, is absent. Compare Ps 31:22 , where the first half (describing the plight) is very similar to the first half of Jonah 2:3 , and the second half starts with “nevertheless” ( אָכֵן , ’ akhen ) and is a positive contrast, a report that God heard, using four words that appear in Jonah 2:2 (cf. Job 32:7-8 ; Ps 82:6-7 ; Isa 49:4 ; Zeph 3:7 ).


Heb “Will I ever see your holy temple again?” The rhetorical question expresses denial: Jonah despaired of ever seeing the temple again.


Heb “as far as the throat.” The noun נֶפֶשׁ ( nefesh ) refers sometimes to the throat or neck ( Pss 69:1 [2]; 105:18; 124:4, 5 ; Isa 5:14 ; HALOT 712 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 2). The water was up to Jonah’s neck (and beyond), so that his life was in great danger (cf. Ps 69:1 ).


Or “the deep; the abyss” ( תְּהוֹם , tÿhom ). The simple “ocean” is perhaps too prosaic, since this Hebrew word has primeval connections ( Gen 1:2; 7:11; 8:2 ; Prov 8:27-28 ) and speaks of the sea at its vastest ( Job 38:16-18 ; Ps 36:6; 104:5-9 ).


The consonantal form סוף ( svf ) is vocalized by the MT as סוּף ( suf , “reed”) but the LXX’s ἐσχάτη ( escath , “end”) reflects a vocalization of סוֹף ( sof , “end”). The reading in Tg . Jonah 2:5 interpreted this as a reference to the Reed Sea (also known as the Red Sea). In fact, the Jewish Midrash known as Pirqe Rabbi Eliezer 10 states that God showed Jonah the way by which the Israelites had passed through the Red Sea. The MT vocalization tradition is preferred. tn The noun סוּף ( suf ) normally refers to “reeds” – freshwater plants that grow in Egyptian rivers and marshes ( Exod 2:3,5 ; Isa 10:19 ) – but here it refers to “seaweed” ( HALOT 747 s.v. סוּף 1). Though the same freshwater plants do not grow in the Mediterranean, the name may be seen to fit similarly long plants growing in seawater.


Jonah began going “down” ( יָרַד , yarad ) in chap. (vv. 3, 5 ; see also 1:15; 2:2-3 ).


The MT לְקִצְבֵי הָרִים ( lÿqitsve harim , “to the extremities [i.e., very bottoms] of the mountains”) is a bit unusual, appearing only here in the Hebrew Bible. Therefore, the BHS editors suggest a conjectural emendation of the MT’s לְקִצְבֵי (“to the extremities”) to לְקַצְוֵי ( lÿqatswey , “to the ends [of the mountains])” based on orthographic confusion between vav ( ו ) and bet ( ב ). However, the phrase קצבי הרים does appear in the OT Apocrypha in Sir 16:19; therefore, it is not without precedent. Since Jonah emphasizes that he descended, as it were, to the very gates of the netherworld in the second half of this verse, it would be appropriate for Jonah to say that he went down “to the extremities [i.e., very bottoms] of the mountains” ( לְקִצְבֵי הָרִים ). Therefore, the MT may be retained with confidence. tn The noun קֶצֶב ( qetseb ) is used only three times in the Hebrew Bible, and this is the only usage in which it means “extremity; bottom” (BDB 891 s.v. קֶצֶב 2). The exact phrase קצבי הרים (“the extremities [bottoms] of the mountains”) is used in the OT Apocrypha once in Sir 16:19.


Some English versions (e.g., NEB, NRSV) have connected the “bottoms of the mountains” with the preceding – “weeds were wrapped around my head at the bottoms of the mountains” – and connect “I went down” with “the earth.” Such a connection between “I went down” and “the earth” is difficult to accept. It would be more normal in Hebrew to express “I went down to the earth” with a directive ending ( אַרְצָה , ’ artsah ) or with a Hebrew preposition before “earth” or without the definite article. The Masoretic accents, in addition, connect “ends of the mountains” with the verb “I went down” and call for a break between the verb and “earth.”


Heb “As for the earth, its bars…” This phrase is a rhetorical nominative construction (also known as casus pendens ) in which the noun הָאָרֶץ ( ha ’ arets , “the earth”) stands grammatically isolated and in an emphatic position prior to the third feminine singular suffix that picks up on it in בְּרִחֶיהָ ( bÿrikheha , “its bars”; see IBHS 128-30 §8.3). This construction is used to emphasize the subject, in this case, the “bars of the netherworld.” The word translated “bars” appears elsewhere to speak of bars used in constructing the sides of the tabernacle and often of crossbars (made of wood or metal) associated with the gates of fortified cities (cf. Exod 36:31-34 ; Judg 16:3 ; 1 Kgs 4:13 ; Neh 3:3 ; Pss 107:16; 147:13 ; Isa 45:1-2 ).


Heb “the earth.” The noun אֶרֶץ (’ erets ) usually refers to the “earth” but here refers to the “netherworld” (e.g., Job 10:21, 22 ; Ps 139:15 ; Isa 26:19; 44:23 ; BDB 76 s.v. אֶרֶץ 2.g). This is parallel to the related Akkadian term irsitu used in the phrase “the land of no return,” that is, the netherworld. This refers to the place of the dead (along with “belly of Sheol,” v. 2 , and “the grave,” v. 6 ), which is sometimes described as having “gates” ( Job 38:17 ; Ps 107:18 ).


Heb “behind me.” The preposition בַּעַד ( ba ’ ad ) with a pronominal suffix and with the meaning “behind” is found also in Judg 3:23 . Jonah pictures himself as closed in and so unable to escape death. Having described how far he had come (totally under water and “to the ends of mountains”), Jonah describes the way back as permanently closed against him. Just as it was impossible for a lone individual to walk through the barred gates of a walled city, so Jonah expected it was impossible for him to escape death.


Heb “As for the earth, its bars [were] against me forever.” This line is a verbless clause. The verb in the translation has been supplied for the sake of clarity and smoothness. The rhetorical nominative construction (see the note on the word “gates” earlier in this verse) has also been smoothed out in the translation.


Heb “my life.” The term חַיַּי ( khayyay , “my life”) functions metonymically as a first common singular pronoun (“me”).


Heb “my soul.” The term נֶפֶשׁ ( nefesh , “soul”) is often used as a metonymy for the life and the animating vitality in the body: “my life” (BDB 659 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 3.c).


Heb “fainting away from me.” The verb הִתְעַטֵּף ( hit ’ attef , “to faint away”) is used elsewhere to describe (1) the onset of death when a person’s life begins to slip away ( Lam 2:12 ), (2) the loss of one’s senses due to turmoil ( Ps 107:5 ), and (3) the loss of all hope of surviving calamity ( Pss 77:4; 142:4; 143:4 ; BDB 742 s.v. עַטֵף ). All three options are reflected in various English versions: “when my life was ebbing away” (JPS, NJPS), “when my life was slipping away” (CEV), “when I felt my life slipping away” (TEV), “as my senses failed me” (NEB), and “when I had lost all hope” (NLT).


Heb “remembered.” The verb זָכַר ( zakhar ) usually means “to remember, to call to mind” but it can also mean “to call out” (e.g., Nah 2:6 ) as in the related Akkadian verb zikaru , “to name, to mention.” The idiom “to remember the Lord ” here encompasses calling to mind his character and past actions and appealing to him for help ( Deut 8:18-19 ; Ps 42:6-8 ; Isa 64:4-5 ; Zech 10:9 ). Tg . Jonah 2:7 glosses the verb as “I remembered the worship of the Lord , ” which somewhat misses the point.


Heb “those who pay regard to.” The verbal root שָׁמַר ( shamar , “to keep, to watch”) appears in the Piel stem only here in biblical Hebrew, meaning “to pay regard to” (BDB 1037 s.v. שָׁמַר ). This is metonymical for the act of worship (e.g., Qal “to observe” = to worship, Ps 31:7 ).


Heb “worthlessnesses of nothingness” or “vanities of emptiness.” The genitive construct הַבְלֵי־שָׁוְא ( havle-shavÿ ’) forms an attributive adjective expression: “empty worthlessness” or “worthless vanities.” This ironic reference to false gods is doubly insulting (e.g., Ps 31:7 ). The noun הֶבֶל ( hevel , “vapor, breath”) is often used figuratively to describe what is insubstantial, empty, and futile (31 times in Eccl; see also, e.g., Pss 39:4-6, 11; 144:4 ; Prov 13:11; 21:6 ; Isa 30:7; 49:4 ). It often refers to idols – the epitome of emptiness, nothingness, and worthlessness ( Deut 32:21 ; 1 Kgs 16:13, 26 ; Ps 31:7 ; Jer 8:19; 10:8, 15; 14:22; 16:19; 51:18 ). The noun שָׁוְא (“worthlessness, emptiness, nothingness”) describes what is ineffective and lacking reality (BDB 996 s.v. שָׁוְא ; e.g., Exod 20:7 ; Pss 60:11; 127:1 ; Ezek 22:28 ). It is also often used to refer to idols (e.g., Ps 31:7 ; Jer 18:15 ; Hos 5:11 ).


Heb “abandon their mercy/loyalty.” The meaning of חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ ( khasdam ya ’ azovu , “forsake their mercy/loyalty”) is greatly debated. There are two exegetical issues that are mutually related. First, does the noun חֶסֶד ( khesed ) here mean (1) “mercy, kindness” that man receives from God, or (2) “loyalty, faithfulness” that man must give to God (see BDB 338-39 s.v חֶסֶד ; HALOT 336-37 s.v. חֶסֶד )? Second, the third masculine plural suffix on חַסְדָּם (“their loyalty/mercy”) has been taken as (1) subjective genitive, referring to the loyal allegiance they ought to display to the true God: “they abandon the loyalty they should show.” Examples of subjective genitives are: “This is your kindness ( חַסְדֵּךְ , khasdek ) which you must do for me: every place to which we come, say of me, ‘He is my brother’” ( Gen 20:13 ; also cf. Gen 40:14 ; 1 Sam 20:14-15 ). Several English versions take this approach: “forsake their faithfulness” (NASB), “abandon their faithful love” (NJB), “abandon their loyalty” (NEB, REB), “forsake their true loyalty” (RSV, NRSV), “turn their backs on all God’s mercies” (NLT), “have abandoned their loyalty to you” (TEV). (2) This has also been taken as objective genitive, referring to the mercy they might have received from God: “they forfeit the mercy that could be theirs.” The ancient versions interpret חַסְדָּם in this sense: “they do not know the source of their welfare” ( Tg . Jonah 2:8 ), “forsake the source of their welfare” (Vulgate), and “abandon their own mercy” (LXX). Several English versions follow this approach: “forsake their source of mercy” (NAB); “forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (NIV), “forsake their own welfare” (JPS, NJPS), “forsake their own mercy” (KJV, ASV), “forsake their own Mercy” (NKJV), “turn from the God who offers them mercy” (CEV). This is a difficult lexical/syntactical problem. On the one hand, the next line contrasts their failure with Jonah’s boast of loyalty to the true God – demonstrating that he, unlike pagan idolaters, deserves to be delivered. On the other hand, the only other use of חֶסֶד in the book refers to “mercy” God bestows ( 4:2 ) – something that Jonah did not believe that the (repentant) pagan idolaters had a right to receive. BDB 339 s.v. I חֶסֶד II takes this approach – “He is חַסְדָּם their goodness, favour Jonah 2:9 ” – and cites other examples of חֶסֶד with suffixes referring to God: חַסְדִּי ( khasdi ) “my kindness” = he shows kindness to me ( Ps 144:2 ); and אֱלֹהֵי חַסְדִּי (’ elohe khasdi ) “the God of my kindness” = the God who shows kindness to me (Ps 59:18).


Heb “voice” or “sound.”


The MT reads בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה ( bÿqol todah , “with a voice of thanksgiving”). Some mss of Tg . Jonah read “with the sound of hymns of thanksgiving” here in 2:9 – the longer reading probably reflects an editorial gloss, explaining תּוֹדָה (“thanksgiving”) as “hymns of thanksgiving.” tn Heb “voice/sound of thanksgiving.” The genitive תּוֹדָה ( todah , “thanksgiving”) specifies the kind of public statement that will accompany the sacrifice. The construct noun קוֹל ( qol , “voice, sound”) functions as a metonymy of cause for effect, referring to the content of what the voice/sound produces: hymns of praise or declarative praise testimony.


The verbs translated “I will sacrifice” and “I will pay” are Hebrew cohortatives, expressing Jonah’s resolve and firm intention.


Heb “what I have vowed I will pay.” Jonah promises to offer a sacrifice and publicly announce why he is thankful. For similar pledges, see Pss 22:25-26; 50:14-15; 56:12; 69:29-33; 71:14-16, 22-24; 86:12-13; 116:12-19 .


Or “deliverance” (NAB, NRSV).


Or “comes from the Lord .” For similar uses of the preposition lamed ( לְ , lÿ ) to convey a sort of ownership in which the owner does or may by right do something, see Lev 25:48 ; Deut 1:17 ; 1 Sam 17:47 ; Jer 32:7-8 .


Heb “spoke to.” The fish functions as a literary foil to highlight Jonah’s hesitancy to obey God up to this point. In contrast to Jonah who immediately fled when God commanded him, the fish immediately obeyed.


Heb “Nineveh, the great city.”


The verb קָרָא ( qara ’, “proclaim”) is repeated from 1:2 but with a significant variation. The phrase in 1:2 was the adversative קְרָא עָל ( qÿra ’ ’ al , “proclaim against”), which often designates an announcement of threatened judgment ( 1 Kgs 13:4, 32 ; Jer 49:29 ; Lam 1:15 ). However, here the phrase is the more positive קְרָא אֶל ( qÿra ’ ’ el , “proclaim to”) which often designates an oracle of deliverance or a call to repentance, with an accompanying offer of deliverance that is either explicit or implied ( Deut 20:10 ; Isa 40:2 ; Zech 1:4 ; HALOT 1129 s.v. קרא 8; BDB 895 s.v. קָרָא 3.a). This shift from the adversative preposition עַל (“against”) to the more positive preposition אֶל (“to”) might signal a shift in God’s intentions or perhaps it simply makes his original intention more clear. While God threatened to judge Nineveh, he was very willing to relent and forgive when the people repented from their sins ( 3:8-10 ). Jonah later complains that he knew that God was likely to relent from the threatened judgment all along ( 4:2 ).


Heb “was a great city to God/gods.” The greatness of Nineveh has been mentioned already in 1:2 and 3:2 . What is being added now? Does the term לֵאלֹהִים ( le ’ lohim , “to God/gods”) (1) refer to the Lord ’s personal estimate of the city, (2) does it speak of the city as “belonging to” God, (3) does it refer to Nineveh as a city with many shrines and gods, or (4) is it simply an idiomatic reinforcement of the city’s size? Interpreters do not agree on the answer. To introduce the idea either of God’s ownership or of dedication to idolatry (though not impossible) is unexpected here, being without parallel or follow-up elsewhere in the book. The alternatives “great/large/important in God’s estimation” (consider Ps 89:41 b) or the merely idiomatic “exceptionally great/large/important” could both be amplified by focus on physical size in the following phrase and are both consistent with emphases elsewhere in the book ( Jonah 4:11 again puts attention on size – of population). If “great” is best understood as a reference primarily to size here, in view of the following phrase and v. 4 a (Jonah went “one day’s walk”), rather than to importance, this might weigh slightly in favor of an idiomatic “very great/large,” though no example with “God” used idiomatically to indicate superlative ( Gen 23:6; 30:8 ; Exod 9:28 ; 1 Sam 14:15 ; Pss 36:6; 80:10 ) has exactly the same construction as the wording in Jonah 3:3 .


Heb “a three-day walk.” The term “required” is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and clarity. sn Required three days to walk through it . Although this phrase is one of the several indications in the book of Jonah of Nineveh’s impressive size, interpreters are not precisely sure what “a three-day walk” means. In light of the existing archaeological remains, the phrase does not describe the length of time it would have taken a person to walk around the walls of the city or to walk from one end of the walled city to the other. Other suggestions are that it may indicate the time required to walk from one edge of Nineveh’s environs to the other (in other words, including outlying regions) or that it indicates the time required to arrive, do business, and leave. More information might also show that the phrase involved an idiomatic description (consider Gen 30:36 ; Exod 3:18 ; a three-day-journey would be different for families than for soldiers, for example), rather than a precise measurement of distance, for which terms were available ( Ezek 45:1-6; 48:8-35 ). With twenty miles as quite a full day’s walk, it seems possible and simplest, however, to take the phrase as including an outlying region associated with Nineveh, about sixty miles in length.


Heb “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown!” The adverbial use of עוֹד (’ od , “yet”) denotes limited temporal continuation (BDB 728 s.v. עוֹד 1.a; Gen 29:7 ; Isa 10:32 ). Tg . Jonah 3:4 rendered it as “at the end of [forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown].”


Heb “be overturned.” The Niphal נֶהְפָּכֶת ( nehpakhet , “be overturned”) refers to a city being overthrown and destroyed (BDB 246 s.v. הָפַךְ 2.d). The related Qal form refers to the destruction of a city by military conquest ( Judg 7:3 ; 2 Sam 10:3 ; 2 Kgs 21:13 ; Amos 4:11 ) or divine intervention as in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah ( Gen 19:21, 25, 29 ; Deut 29:22 ; Jer 20:16 ; Lam 4:6 ; BDB 245 s.v. 1 .b). The participle form used here depicts an imminent future action (see IBHS 627-28 §37.6f) which is specified as only “forty days” away.


Heb “men.” The term is used generically here for “people” (so KJV, ASV, and many other English versions); cf. NIV “the Ninevites.”


Heb “from the greatest of them to the least of them.”


Heb “word” or “matter.”


Contrary to many modern English versions, the present translation understands the king’s proclamation to begin after the phrase “and he said” (rather than after “in Nineveh”), as do quotations in 1:14; 2:2, 4; 4:2, 8, 9 . In Jonah where the quotation does not begin immediately after “said” ( אָמַר , ’ amar ), it is only the speaker or addressee or both that come between “said” and the start of the quotation ( 1:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12; 4:4, 9, 10 ; cf. 1:1; 3:1 ).


Heb “with strength”; KJV, NRSV “mightily”; NAB, NCV “loudly”; NIV “urgently.”


Heb “let them turn, a man from his evil way.” The alternation between the plural verb וְיָשֻׁבוּ ( vÿyashuvu , “and let them turn”) and the singular noun אִישׁ (’ ish , “a man, each one”) and the singular suffix on מִדַּרְכּוֹ ( middarko , “from his way”) emphasizes that each and every person in the collective unity is called to repent.


Heb “his.” See the preceding note on “one.”


Heb “evil way.” For other examples of “way” as “way of living,” see Judg 2:17 ; Ps 107:17-22 ; Prov 4:25-27; 5:21 .


Heb “that is in their hands.” By speaking of the harm they did as “in their hands,” the king recognized the Ninevites’ personal awareness and immediate responsibility. The term “hands” is either a synecdoche of instrument (e.g., “Is not the hand of Joab in all this?” 2 Sam 14:19 ) or a synecdoche of part for the whole. The king's descriptive figure of speech reinforces their guilt.


“he might turn and relent.” The two verbs יָשׁוּב וְנִחַם ( yashub vÿnikham ) may function independently (“turn and repent”) or form a verbal hendiadys (“be willing to turn”; see IBHS 540 §32.3b). The imperfect יָשׁוּב and the perfect with prefixed vav וְנִחַם form a future-time narrative sequence. Both verbs function in a modal sense, denoting possibility, as the introductory interrogative suggests (“Who knows…?”). When used in reference to past actions, שׁוּב ( shub ) can mean “to be sorry” or “to regret” that someone did something in the past, and when used in reference to future planned actions, it can mean “to change one’s mind” about doing something or “to relent” from sending judgment (BDB 997 s.v. שׁוּב 6). The verb נִחַם ( nikham ) can mean “to be sorry” about past actions (e.g., Gen 6:6, 7 ; 1 Sam 15:11, 35 ) and “to change one’s mind” about future actions (BDB 637 s.v. נחם 2). These two verbs are used together elsewhere in passages that consider the question of whether or not God will change his mind and relent from judgment he has threatened (e.g., Jer 4:28 ). The verbal root שׁוּב is used four times in vv. 8-10 , twice of the Ninevites “repenting” from their moral evil and twice of God “relenting” from his threatened calamity. This repetition creates a wordplay that emphasizes the appropriateness of God’s response: if the people repent, God might relent.


Heb “from the burning of his nose/face.” See Exod 4:14; 22:24; 32:12 ; Num 25:4; 32:14 ; Deut 9:19 .


The imperfect verb נֹאבֵד ( no ’ ved , “we might not die”) functions in a modal sense, denoting possibility. The king’s hope parallels that of the ship’s captain in 1:6 . See also Exod 32:7-14 ; 2 Sam 12:14-22 ; 1 Kgs 8:33-43; 21:17-29 ; Jer 18:6-8 ; Joel 2:11-15 .


This clause is introduced by כִּי ( ki , “that”) and functions as an epexegetical, explanatory clause.


Heb “from their evil way” (so KJV, ASV, NAB); NASB “wicked way.”


Heb “calamity” or “disaster.” The noun רָעָה ( ra ’ ah , “calamity, disaster”) functions as a metonymy of result – the cause being the threatened judgment (e.g., Exod 32:12, 14 ; 2 Sam 24:16 ; Jer 18:8; 26:13, 19; 42:10 ; Joel 2:13 ; Jonah 4:2 ; HALOT 1263 s.v. רָעָה 6). The root רָעָה is repeated three times in vv. 8 and 10 . Twice it refers to the Ninevites’ moral “evil” (vv. 8 and 10 a) and here it refers to the “calamity” or “disaster” that the Lord had threatened (v. 10 b). This repetition of the root forms a polysemantic wordplay that exploits this broad range of meanings of the noun. The wordplay emphasizes that God’s response was appropriate: because the Ninevites repented from their moral “evil” God relented from the “calamity” he had threatened.


Heb “the disaster that he had spoken to do to them.”


Heb “It was evil to Jonah, a great evil.” The cognate accusative construction רוַיֵּרע...רָעָהַ ( vayyera ’… ra ’ ah ) emphasizes the great magnitude of his displeasure (e.g., Neh 2:10 for the identical construction; see IBHS 167 §10.2.1g). The verb רָעַע ( ra ’ a ’) means “to be displeasing” (BDB 949 s.v. רָעַע 1; e.g., Gen 21:11, 12; 48:17 ; Num 11:16; 22:34 ; Josh 24:15 ; 1 Sam 8:6 ; 2 Sam 11:25 ; Neh 2:10; 13:8 ; Prov 24:18 ; Jer 40:4 ). The use of the verb רָעַע (“to be evil, bad”) and the noun רָעָה (“evil, bad, calamity”) here in 4:1 creates a wordplay with the use of רָעָה in 3:8-10 . When God saw that the Ninevites repented from their moral evil ( רָעָה ), he relented from the calamity ( רָעָה ) that he had threatened – and this development greatly displeased ( רָעָה ) Jonah.


Heb “it burned to him.” The verb חָרָה ( kharah , “to burn”) functions figuratively here (hypocatastasis) referring to anger (BDB 354 s.v. חָרָה ). It is related to the noun חֲרוֹן ( kharon , “heat/burning”) in the phrase “the heat of his anger” in 3:9 . The repetition of the root highlights the contrast in attitudes between Jonah and God: God’s burning anger “cooled off” when the Ninevites repented, but Jonah’s anger was “kindled” when God did not destroy Nineveh.


Heb “my saying?” The first common singular suffix on דְבָרִי ( dÿvari , “my saying”) functions as a subjective genitive: “I said.” The verb אָמַר (’ amar , “to say”) here refers to the inner speech and thoughts of Jonah (see HALOT 66 s.v. אמר 4; BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר 2; e.g., Gen 17:17 ; Ruth 4:4 ; 1 Sam 20:26 ; Esth 6:6 ; Jonah 2:4 ). There is no hint anywhere else in the book that Jonah had argued with God when he was originally commissioned. While most English versions render it “I said” or “my saying,” a few take it as inner speech: “This is what I feared” (NEB), “It is just as I feared” (REB), “I knew from the very beginning” (CEV).


The phrase “would happen” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.


Heb “Is this not my saying while I was in my own country?” The rhetorical question implies a positive answer (“Yes, this was the very thing that Jonah had anticipated would happen all along!”) so it is rendered as an emphatic declaration in the translation.


Or “This is why I originally fled to Tarshish.” The verb קָדַם ( qadam ) in the Piel stem has a broad range of meanings and here could mean: (1) “to go before, be in front of” ( 1 Sam 20:25 ; Ps 68:26 ); (2) “to do [something] beforehand,” ( Ps 119:147 ); or (3) “to anticipate, to do [something] early, forestall [something]” ( Ps 119:148 ). The lexicons nuance Jonah 4:2 as “to do [something] for the first time” ( HALOT 1069 s.v. קדם 4) or “to do [something] beforehand” (BDB 870 s.v. קָדַם 3). The phrase קִדַּמְתִּי לִבְרֹחַ ( qiddamti livroakh , “I did the first time to flee”) is an idiom that probably means “I originally fled” or “I fled the first time.” The infinitive construct לִבְרֹחַ (“to flee”) functions as an object complement. This phrase is translated variously by English versions, depending on the category of meaning chosen for קָדַם : (1) “to do [something] for the first time, beforehand”: “That is why I fled beforehand” (JPS, NJPS), “I fled before” (KJV), “I fled previously” (NKJV), “I fled at the beginning” (NRSV), “I first tried to flee” (NJB), “I fled at first” (NAB); (2) “to do [something] early, to hasten to do [something]”: “That is why I was so quick to flee” (NIV), “I hastened to flee” (ASV), “I made haste to flee” (RSV), “I did my best to run away” (TEV); and (3) “to anticipate, forestall [something]”: “it was to forestall this that I tried to escape to Tarshish” (REB), “to forestall it I tried to escape to Tarshish” (NEB), “in order to forestall this I fled” (NASB). The ancient versions also handle it variously: (1) “to do [something] early, to hasten to do [something]”: “Therefore I made haste to flee” (LXX), “That is why I hastened to run away” ( Tg . Jonah 4:2 ); and (2) “to go before, to be in front”: “Therefore I went before to flee to Tarshish” (Vulgate). The two most likely options are (1) “to do [something] the first time” = “This is why I originally fled to Tarshish” and (2) “to anticipate, forestall [something]” = “This is what I tried to forestall [= prevent] by fleeing to Tarshish.”


See note on the phrase “to Tarshish” in 1:3 . sn The narrator skillfully withheld Jonah’s motivations from the reader up to this point for rhetorical effect – to build suspense and to create a shocking, surprising effect. Now, for the first time, the narrator reveals why Jonah fled from the commission of God in 1:3 – he had not wanted to give God the opportunity to relent from judging Nineveh! Jonah knew that if he preached in Nineveh, the people might repent and as a result, God might more than likely relent from sending judgment. Hoping to seal their fate, Jonah had originally refused to preach so that the Ninevites would not have an opportunity to repent. Apparently Jonah hoped that God would have therefore judged them without advance warning. Or perhaps he was afraid he would betray his nationalistic self-interests by functioning as the instrument through which the Lord would spare Israel’s main enemy. Jonah probably wanted God to destroy Nineveh for three reasons: (1) as a loyal nationalist, he despised non-Israelites (cf. 1:9 ); (2) he believed that idolaters had forfeited any opportunity to be shown mercy (cf. 2:9-10 ); and (3) the prophets Amos and Hosea had recently announced that God would sovereignly use the Assyrians to judge unrepentant Israel ( Hos 9:3; 11:5 ) and take them into exile ( Amos 5:27 ). If God destroyed Nineveh, the Assyrians would not be able to destroy Israel. The better solution would have been for Jonah to work for the repentance of Nineveh and Israel.


Or “know.” What Jonah knew then he still knows about the Lord ’s character, which is being demonstrated in his dealings with both Nineveh and Jonah. The Hebrew suffixed tense accommodates both times here.


Heb “long of nostrils.” Because the nose often expresses anger through flared nostrils it became the source of this idiom meaning “slow to anger” (e.g., Exod 34:6 ; Num 14:18 ; Neh 9:17 ; Pss 86:15; 103:8; 145:8 ; Jer 15:15 ; Nah 1:3 ; BDB 74 s.v. אָרֵךְ ).


Heb “great” (so KJV); ASV, NASB “abundant”; NAB “rich in clemency.”


Heb “take my life from me.”


Heb “better my death than my life.”


Heb “Rightly does it burn to you?” Note this question occurs again in v. 9 , there concerning the withered plant. “Does it so thoroughly burn to you?” or “Does it rightly burn to you?” or “Does it burn so thoroughly to you?” The Hiphil of יָטַב ( yatav , “to do good”) here may have one of two meanings: (1) It may mean “to do [something] rightly” in terms of ethical right and wrong (BDB 406 s.v. יָטַב 5.b; HALOT 408 s.v. יטב 3.c; e.g., Gen 4:7 ; Lev 5:4 ; Pss 36:4; 119:68 ; Isa 1:17 ; Jer 4:22; 13:23 ). This approach is adopted by many English versions: “Do you have any right to be angry?” (NIV); “Are you right to be angry?” (REB, NJB); “Is it right for you to be angry?” (NRSV, NLT); “Do you have good reason to be angry?” (NASB); “Do you do well to be angry?” (cf. KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV); “What right do you have to be angry?” (cf. TEV, CEV). (2) It may be used as an adverb meaning “well, utterly, thoroughly” (BDB 405 s.v. 3 ; HALOT 408 s.v. 5 ; e.g., Deut 9:21; 13:15; 17:4; 19:18; 27:8 ; 1 Sam 16:17 ; 2 Kgs 11:18 ; Prov 15:2 ; Isa 23:16 ; Jer 1:12 ; Ezek 33:32 ; Mic 7:3 ). This view is adopted by other English versions: “Are you that deeply grieved?” (JPS, NJPS); “Are you so angry?” (NEB). This is also the approach of the Tg . Jonah 4:4 : “Are you that greatly angered?” Whether or not Jonah had the right to be angry about the death of the plant is a trivial issue. Instead the dialogue focuses on the depth of Jonah’s anger: he would rather be dead than alive (vv. 3, 8 ) and he concludes by saying that he was as angry as he could possibly be (v. 9 ; see note on עַד־מָוֶת [’ ad-mavet , “to death”] in v. 9 ). the Lord then uses an a fortiori argument (from lesser to greater): Jonah was very upset that the plant had died (v. 10 ), likewise God was very concerned about averting the destruction of Nineveh (v. 11 ). sn The use of the term יָטַב ( yatab , “rightly, good”) creates a wordplay with its antonym רָעָה ( ra ’ ah , “evil, wrong”) which is used in 4:1 of Jonah’s bad attitude.


Heb “Does it burn to you?” The verb חָרָה ( kharah , “to burn”) functions figuratively here (hypocatastasis) to refer to strong anger (BDB 354 s.v. חָרָה ). The verb is repeated from v. 1 and will be used again in v. 9 .


Heb “from the east” or “from the front.” When used to designate a location, the noun קֶדֶם ( qedem ) may mean “front” (BDB 869 s.v. קֶדֶם 1.a) or “east” (BDB 869 s.v. 1 .b). The construction קֶדֶם + preposition מִן ( min , “from”) means “from the front” = “in front of” ( Job 23:8 ; Ps 139:5 ; Isa 9:11 ) or “from the east” = “eastward, on the east side” ( Gen 3:21; 12:8 ; Num 34:11 ; Josh 7:2 ; Ezek 11:23 ). Because the morning sunrise beat down upon Jonah (v. 8 ) and because the main city gate of Nineveh opened to the east, the term probably means “on the east side” of the city. But “in front of” the city would mean the same in this case.


Heb “of the city.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the noun “city” has been replaced here by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation.


The verb מָנָה ( manah ) in the Piel stem is used elsewhere in Jonah meaning “to send, to appoint” ( Jonah 2:1; 4:6-8 ; HALOT 599 s.v. מנה 2; BDB 584 s.v. מָנָה ).


The noun קִיקָיוֹן ( qiqayon , “plant”) has the suffixed ending וֹן - which denotes a diminutive (see IBHS 92 §5.7b), so it can be nuanced “little plant.” For the probable reason that the narrator used the diminutive form here, see the note on “little” in v. 10 .


The consonantal form להציל is vocalized by the MT as לִהַצִּיל ( lÿhatsil ), a Hiphil infinitive construct from נָצַל ( natsal , “to deliver, rescue”; BDB 664-65 s.v. נָצַל ). However, the LXX’s τοῦ σκιάζειν ( tou skiazein , “to shade”) reflects an alternate vocalization tradition of לְהָצֵיל ( lÿhatsel ), a Niphal infinitive construct from צָלַל ( tsalal , “to shade”; see BDB 853 s.v. צָלַל ). The MT vocalization is preferred for several reasons. First, it is the more difficult form with the assimilated nun . Second, the presence of the noun צֵל ( tsel , “shadow”) just two words before helps to explain the origin of the LXX vocalization which was influenced by this noun in the immediate context. Third, God’s primary motivation in giving the plant to Jonah was not simply to provide shade for him because the next day the Lord killed the plant (v. 7 ). God’s primary motivation was to create a situation to “rescue” Jonah from his bad attitude. Nevertheless, the narrator’s choice of the somewhat ambiguous consonantal form להציל might have been done to create a wordplay on נָצַל (“to rescue, deliver”) and צָלַל (“to shade”). Jonah thought that God was providing him shade, but God was really working to deliver him from his evil attitude, as the ensuing dialogue indicates.


Or “evil attitude.” The meaning of the noun רָעָה ( ra ’ ah ) is intentionally ambiguous; the author puns on its broad range of meanings to create a polysemantic wordplay. It has a broad range of meanings: (1) “distress, misery, discomfort” (2) “misfortune, injury,” (3) “calamity, disaster,” (4) “moral evil,” and (5) “ill-disposed, evil attitude” (see BDB 949 s.v. רָעָה ; HALOT 1262-63 s.v. רָעָה ). The narrator has used several meanings of רָעָה in 3:8-4:2 , namely, “moral evil” ( 3:8, 10 ) and “calamity, disaster” ( 3:9, 10; 4:2 ), as well as the related verb רָעַע ( ra ’ a ’, “to be displeasing”; see 4:1 ). Here the narrator puns on the meaning “discomfort” created by the scorching desert heat, but God’s primary motivation is to “deliver” Jonah – not from something as trivial as physical discomfort from heat – but from his sinful attitude about God's willingness to spare Nineveh. This gives the term an especially ironic twist: Jonah is only concerned about being delivered from his physical “discomfort,” while God wants to deliver him from his “evil attitude.”


Heb “he rejoiced with great joy.” The cognate accusative construction repeats the verb and noun of the consonantal root שׂמח ( smkh , “rejoice”) for emphasis; it means “he rejoiced with great joy” or “he was greatly delighted” (see IBHS 167 §10.2.1g). This cognate accusative construction ironically mirrors the identical syntax of v. 1 , “he was angry with great anger.” The narrator repeated this construction to emphasize the contrast between Jonah’s anger that Nineveh was spared and his joy that his discomfort was relieved.


Or “appointed.” The verb מָנָה ( manah ) in the Piel stem means “to send, to appoint” ( Ps 61:8 ; Jonah 2:1; 4:6-8 ; Dan 1:5, 10-11 ; HALOT 599 s.v. מנה 2; BDB 584 s.v. מָנָה ).


Or “appointed.” See preceding note on v. 7 .


The MT adjective חֲרִישִׁית ( kharishit , “autumnal”) is a hapax legomenon with an unclear meaning (BDB 362 s.v. חֲרִישִׁי ); therefore, the BHS editors propose a conjectural emendation to the adjective חֲרִיפִית ( kharifit , “autumnal”) from the noun חֹרֶף ( khoref , “autumn”; see BDB 358 s.v. חרֶף ). However, this emendation would also create a hapax legomenon and it would be no more clear than relating the MT’s חֲרִישִׁית to I חָרַשׁ ( kharash , “to plough” [in autumn harvest]). tn Heb “autumnal” or “sultry.” The adjective חֲרִישִׁית is a hapax legomenon whose meaning is unclear; it might mean “autumnal” (from I חָרַשׁ , kharash ; “to plough” [in the autumn harvest-time]), “silent” = “sultry” (from IV. חרשׁ , “to be silent”; BDB 362 s.v. חֲרִישִׁי ). The form חֲרִישִׁית might be an alternate spelling of חֲרִיסִית ( kharisit ) from the noun חֶרֶס ( kheres , “sun”) and so mean “hot” (BDB 362 s.v.).


Heb “attacked” or “smote.”


Heb “he asked his soul to die.”


Heb “better my death than my life.” sn Jonah repeats his assessment, found also in 4:3 .


Heb “Does it burn so thoroughly to you?” or “Does it burn rightly to you?” See note on this expression in v. 4 .


Heb “It thoroughly burns to me” or “It rightly burns to me.”


Heb “unto death.” The phrase עַד־מָוֶת (’ ad-mavet , “unto death”) is an idiomatic expression meaning “to the extreme” or simply “extremely [angry]” ( HALOT 563 s.v. מָוֶת 1.c). The noun מָוֶת (“death”) is often used as an absolute superlative with a negative sense, similar to the English expression “bored to death” ( IBHS 267-69 §14.5). For example, “his soul was vexed to death” ( לָמוּת , lamut ) means that he could no longer endure it ( Judg 16:16 ), and “love is as strong as death” ( כַמָּוֶת , kammavet ) means love is irresistible or exceedingly strong ( Song 8:6 ). Here the expression “I am angry unto death” ( עַד־מָוֶת ) means that Jonah could not be more angry. Unfortunately, this idiomatic expression has gone undetected by virtually every other major English version to date (KJV, NKJV, RSV, NRSV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NJB, JPS, NJPS). The only English version that comes close to representing the idiom correctly is BBE: “I have a right to be truly angry.”


Heb “were troubled.” The verb חוּס ( khus ) has a basic three-fold range of meanings: (1) “to be troubled about,” (2) “to look with compassion upon,” and (3) “to show pity, to spare [someone from death/judgment]” ( HALOT 298 s.v. חוס ; BDB 299 s.v. חוּס ). Clearly, here God is referring to Jonah’s remorse and anger when the plant died (vv. 7-9 ), so here it means “to be troubled about” ( HALOT 298 s.v. 1 .c) rather than “to pity” (BDB 299 s.v. c). Elsewhere חוּס describes emotional grief caused by the loss of property ( Gen 45:20 ) and the death of family members ( Deut 13:9 [ET 13:8 ]). The verb חוּס is derived from a common Semitic root which has a basic meaning “to pour out; to flow” which is used in reference to emotion and tears in particular. This is seen in the Hebrew expression תָחוּס עֵין ( takhush ’ en , “the eyes flow”) picturing tears of concern and grief (c.f., Gen 45:20 ; Deut 13:9 [ET 13:8 ]). The verb חוּס will be used again in v. 11 but in a different sense (see note on v. 11 ).


The noun קִיקָיוֹן ( qiqayon , “plant”) has the suffixed ending וֹן - which denotes a diminutive (see IBHS 92 §5.7b); so it can be nuanced “little plant.” The contrast between Jonah’s concern for his “little” plant (v. 10 ) and God’s concern about this “enormous” city (v. 11 ) could not be greater! Jonah’s misplaced priorities look exceedingly foolish and self-centered in comparison to God’s global concern about the fate of 120,000 pagans.


Heb “which was a son of a night and perished [as] a son of a night.”


The emphatic use of the independent pronouns “you” and “I” ( אַתָּה , ’ attah , and אֲנִי , ’ ani ) in vv. 10 and 11 creates an ironic comparison and emphasizes the strong contrast between the attitudes of Jonah and the Lord .


Heb “You…Should I not spare…?” This is an a fortiori argument from lesser to greater. Since Jonah was “upset” ( חוּס , khus ) about such a trivial matter as the death of a little plant (the lesser), God had every right to “spare” ( חוּס ) the enormously populated city of Nineveh (the greater). The phrase “even more” does not appear in Hebrew but is implied by this a fortiori argument.


Heb “Should I not spare?”; or “Should I not show compassion?” The verb חוּס ( khus ) has a basic three-fold range of meanings: (1) “to be troubled about,” (2) “to look with compassion upon,” and (3) “to show pity, to spare (someone from death/judgment)” ( HALOT 298 s.v. חוס ; BDB 299 s.v. חוּס ). In v. 10 it refers to Jonah’s lament over the death of his plant, meaning “to be upset about” or “to be troubled about” ( HALOT 298 s.v. 1 .c). However, here in v. 11 it means “to show pity, spare” from judgment (BDB 298 s.v. b; HALOT 298 s.v. 1 .a; e.g., 1 Sam 24:11 ; Jer 21:7 ; Ezek 24:14 ). It is often used in contexts which contemplate whether God will or will not spare a sinful people from judgment ( Ezek 5:11; 7:4, 9; 8:19; 9:5, 10; 20:17 ). So this repetition of the same verb but in a different sense creates a polysemantic wordplay in vv. 10-11 . However, the wordplay is obscured by the appropriate translation for each usage – “be upset about” in v. 10 and “to spare” in v. 11 – therefore, the translation above attempts to bring out the wordplay in English: “to be [even more] concerned about.”


Heb “the great city.”


Heb “their right from their left.” Interpreters wonder exactly what deficiency is meant by the phrase “do not know their right from their left.” The expression does not appear elsewhere in biblical Hebrew. It probably does not mean, as sometimes suggested, that Nineveh had 120,000 small children (the term אָדָם , ’ adam , “people,” does not seem to be used of children alone). In any case, it refers to a deficiency in discernment that Jonah and the initial readers of Jonah would no doubt have considered themselves free of. For partial parallels see 2 Sam 19:35 ; Eccl 10:2 ; Ezek 22:26; 44:23 .


Heb “and many animals.”


Heb “The word of the Lord which came to.”


The words “he delivered this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “in the days of” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).


Heb “O peoples, all of them.”


Heb “O earth and all its fullness”; KJV “and all that therein is.”


Heb “May the sovereign Lord testify against you.” The verb וִיהִי ( vihiy ) is jussive, which normally conveys a volitional sense of an urgent request or prayer (“may he testify!”). However, GKC 325-26 §109. k notes that here the jussive form is used without any volitional sense for the ordinary imperfect, as a rhythmic shortening at the beginning of a sentence, thus removed as far as possible from the principal accent (cf. Gen 49:17 ; Deut 28:8 ; 1 Sam 10:5 ; 2 Sam 5:24 ; Hos 6:1; 11:4 ; Amos 5:14 ; Zeph 2:13 ; Zech 9:5 ; Pss 72:16-17; 104:31 ; Job 18:12; 20:23, 26, 28; 27:8; 33:21; 34:37 ; Ruth 3:4 ). Thus, the translation here renders the jussive as an ordinary imperfect. Some translations render it in a traditional jussive sense: (1) urgent request: “And let my Lord God be your accuser” (NJPS); or (2) dependent purpose/result: “that the Sovereign Lord may witness against you” (NIV).


Heb “the Lord from his majestic palace.” Since the verb is omitted it is unclear whether the implied term be supplied from the preceding line (“he will testify against you”) or the following line (“he is leaving”). So the line may be rendered “the Lord will accuse you from his majestic temple” or “the Lord will come forth from his majestic temple.” Most translations render it literally, but some remove the ambiguity: “the Lord God accuses you from his holy temple” (CEV); “He speaks from his holy temple” (TEV).


Or “his holy temple” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This refers to the Lord’s dwelling in heaven, however, rather than the temple in Jerusalem (note the following verse, which describes a theophany).


Or “For look.” The expression כִּי־הִנֵּה ( ki-hinneh ) may function as an explanatory introduction (“For look!”; Isa 26:21; 60:2; 65:17, 18: 66:15 ; Jer 1:15; 25:29; 30:10; 45:5; 46:27; 50:9 ; Ezek 30:9; 36:9 ; Zech 2:10; 3:8 ), or as an emphatic introduction (“Look!”; Jdgs 3:15; Isa 3:1 ; Jer 8:17; 30:3; 49:15 ; Hos 9:6 ; Joel 3:1 [HT 4:1 ]; Amos 4:2, 13; 6:11, 14; 9:9 ; Hab 1:6 ; Zech 2:9 [HT 2:13 ]; Zech 3:9; 11:16 ).


Or “high places” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).


Or “melt” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This is a figurative description of earthquakes, landslides, and collapse of the mountains, rather than some sort of volcanic activity (note the remainder of the verse).


Heb “and because of.” This was simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “house.”


Heb “What is the rebellion of Jacob?”


Heb “Is it not Samaria?” The negated rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!” To make this clear the question has been translated as a strong affirmative statement.


Heb “What are Judah’s high places?”


Heb “Is it not Jerusalem?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!” sn In vv. 2-5 Micah narrows the scope of God’s judgment from the nations (vv. 2-4 ) to his covenant people (v. 5 ). Universal judgment is coming, but ironically Israel is the focal point of God’s anger. In v. 5 c the prophet includes Judah within the scope of divine judgment, for it has followed in the pagan steps of the northern kingdom. He accomplishes this with rhetorical skill. In v. 5 b he develops the first assertion of v. 5 a (“All of this is because of Jacob’s rebellion”). One expects in v. 5 c an elaboration of the second assertion in v. 5 a (“and the sins of the nation of Israel”), which one assumes, in light of v. 5 b, pertains to the northern kingdom. But the prophet specifies the “sins” as “high places” and makes it clear that “the nation of Israel” includes Judah. Verses 6-7 further develop v. 5 b (judgment on the northern kingdom), while vv. 8-16 expand on v. 5 c (judgment on Judah). map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


For location see Map2-B1 ; Map4-D3 ; Map5-E2 ; Map6-A4 ; Map7-C1 .


Heb “into a planting place for vineyards.”


Heb “pour” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, NRSV “pour down”; NAB “throw down”; NLT “roll.”


Heb “and all her prostitute’s wages will be burned with fire.” sn The precious metal used by Samaria’s pagan worship centers to make idols are here compared to a prostitute’s wages because Samaria had been unfaithful to the Lord and prostituted herself to pagan gods, such as Baal.


Heb “I will make desolate” (so NASB).


Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NRSV).


No object is specified in the Hebrew text; the words “the metal” are supplied from the context.


Heb “for from a prostitute’s wages she gathered, and to a prostitute’s wages they will return.” When the metal was first collected it was comparable to the coins a prostitute would receive for her services. The metal was then formed into idols, but now the Lord ’s fiery judgment would reduce the metal images to their original condition.


The prophet is probably the speaker here.


Or “stripped.” The precise meaning of this Hebrew word is unclear. It may refer to walking barefoot (see 2 Sam 15:30 ) or to partially stripping oneself (see Job 12:17-19 ).


Heb “naked.” This probably does not refer to complete nudity, but to stripping off one’s outer garments as an outward sign of the destitution felt by the mourner.


Heb “I will make lamentation.”


Or “a jackal”; CEV “howling wolves.”


Heb “[make] a mourning.”


Or perhaps “ostrich” (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).


Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg. tn Or “wound.”


Heb “come to.”


Or “reached.”


Heb “the gate.” Kings and civic leaders typically conducted important business at the city gate (see 1 Kgs 22:10 for an example), and the term is understood here to refer by metonymy to the leadership who would be present at the gate.


Heb “to Jerusalem.” The expression “it has contaminated” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to fill out the parallelism with the preceding line. map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


Heb “Tell it not in Gath.” The Hebrew word for “tell” ( נָגַד , nagad ) sounds like the name of the city, Gath ( גַּת , gat ).


The Hebrew infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the prohibition.


The translation assumes a masculine plural imperative. If one were to emend בְּבֵית ( bÿvet ) to בֵית ( vet ), Beth Leaphrah would then be the addressee and the feminine singular imperative (see Qere ) could be retained, “O Beth Leaphrah, sit in the dust.” tn Heb “roll about in mourning in the dust”; or “wallow about in mourning in the dust.” The verb פָּלַשׁ ( palash , “roll about in mourning [in dust]”; HALOT 935 s.v. פלשׁ ) is figurative (metonymy) for sitting as an outward sign of mourning. sn To sit in the dust was an outward sign of mourning. The name Beth Leaphrah means “house of dust.”


The Hebrew participial form, which is feminine singular, is here used in a collective sense for the all the residents of the town. See GKC 394 §122. s .


The imperatival form is used rhetorically, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Shaphir will pass by into exile.


Heb “have not come out”; NIV “will not come out”; NLT “dare not come outside.” sn The expression can’t leave their city alludes to a siege of the town. The place name Zaanan sounds like the verb “come out” (i.e., “can’t leave”) in Hebrew.


Heb “the lamentation of Beth Ezel.” The following words could be the lamentation offered up by Beth Ezel (subjective genitive) or the mourning song sung over it (objective genitive).


The translation assumes an emendation of חָלָה ( khalah ; from חִיל , khil , “to writhe”) to יִחֲלָה ( yikhalah ; from יָחַל , yakhal , “to wait”). tn Heb “[the residents of Maroth] writhe [= “anxiously long for”?] good.”


Heb “though disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.”


Heb “she”; this has been translated as second person (“you”) in keeping with the direct address to the residents of Lachish in the previous line.


Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”


Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”


The subject of the feminine singular verb is probably Lachish.


Heb “you will give a dowry to”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “give parting gifts to.” Lachish is compared to a father who presents wedding gifts to his daughter as she leaves her father’s home to take up residence with her husband. In similar fashion Lachish will bid farewell to Moresheth Gath, for the latter will be taken by the invader.


Heb “houses.” By metonymy this refers to the people who live in them.


Or “will be a deception.” The term אַכְזָב (’ akhzav ) is often translated “deception,” as derived from the verb I כָּזָב (“to deceive, lie”; HALOT 467-68 s.v. I כזב ). However, it probably means “what is dried up,” since (1) the noun elsewhere refers to an empty well or dried river in summer ( Jer 15:18 ; cf. Job 6:15-20 ) ( HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב ); (2) the place-name “Achzib” ( אַכְזִיב ) literally means “place on the אַכְזָב [dried up river]” ( HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב ); and (3) it is derived from the verb II כָּזָב (“to dry up [brook]”; Isa 58:11 ), which also appears in Mishnaic Hebrew and Arabic. The point of the metaphor is that Achzib will be as disappointing to the kings of Israel as a dried up spring in the summer is to a thirsty traveler in the Jordanian desert.


Heb “Again a conqueror I will bring to you, residents of Mareshah.” The first person verb is problematic, for the Lord would have to be the subject (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). But the prophet appears to be delivering this lament and the Lord is referred to in the third person in v. 12 . Consequently many emend the verb to a third person form ( יָבוֹא , yavo ’) and understand the “conqueror” as subject.


Heb “to Adullam the glory of Israel will go.” This probably means that the nation’s leadership will run for their lives and, like David of old, hide from their enemy in the caves of Adullam. Cf. NIV’s “He who is the glory of Israel will come to Adullam,” which sounds as if an individual is in view, and could be understood as a messianic reference.


Heb “over the sons of your delight.”


Heb “make wide your baldness.”


Or “a vulture” (cf. NIV, TEV); CEV “a buzzard.” The Hebrew term נֶשֶׁר ( nesher ) refers to the griffon vulture or eagle.


Heb “Woe to those who plan sin.” The Hebrew term הוֹי ( hoy , “woe”; “ah”) was a cry used in mourning the dead.


Heb “those who do evil upon their beds.”


Heb “at the light of morning they do it.”


Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”


Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”


Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (’ ashaq , “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.


Heb “clan” or “extended family.”


Heb “from which you will not remove your neck.” The words “It will be like a yoke” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


Or “you will not.”


The form נִהְיָה ( nihyah ) should be omitted as dittographic (note the preceding וְנָהָה נְהִי vÿnahah nÿhiy ). tn Heb “one will lament [with] a lamentation [and] say.”


Or “exchange.” The LXX suggests a reading יִמַּד ( yimmad ) from מָדַד ( madad , “to measure”). In this case one could translate, “the property of my people is measured out [i.e., for resale].”


Heb “how one removes for me.” Apparently the preposition has the nuance “from” here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).