Jonah 1:2
What does Jonah 1:2 mean?
A plain-English look at Jonah 1:2 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Jonah 1:2 means
God’s call is urgent and specific: “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it.” The command lifts Jonah from comfort and sends him into enemy territory. Nineveh’s greatness points to its size and influence, but also magnifies its accountability. “Their wickedness is come up before me” shows that no evil is hidden from God and that His justice involves both seeing and sending warning. The call to “cry against” does not delight in judgment; it announces God’s moral concern and gives opportunity for response. Jonah is summoned to be God’s voice, confronting real sin in a real place with a message that matters.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Up! go to Nineveh, that great town, and let your voice come to it; for their evil-doing has come up before me.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`Rise, go unto Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim against it that their wickedness hath come up before Me.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Arise and go to Ninive, the great city, and preach in it: For the wickedness thereof is come up before me.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Context
After establishing that God has spoken, the narrative now spells out the content of that speech. The focus shifts from Jonah’s identity to his assignment. The note about Nineveh’s wickedness explains why this mission is necessary. This heightens the dramatic tension for the reader, who knows Nineveh’s fearsome reputation. What remains to be seen is whether Jonah will comply. The next verse shockingly reveals his response, which runs counter to what one expects from a prophet.
v.1Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
v.2This passage
v.3But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Genesis 18:20
And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
- Ezra 9:6
and I said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens.
- Ezekiel 2:7
And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious.
- Nahum 1:1
The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
- Ezekiel 3:5
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;
- Jonah 3:2
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
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