The Meaning of Jonah 3:8 Explained

Jonah 3:8

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

YLT: and cover themselves with sackcloth let man and beast, and let them call unto God mightily, and let them turn back each from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

Darby: and let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God; and let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

ASV: but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands.

Discover Jonah 3:8

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Jonah 3:8?

MEANING: What does Jonah 3:8 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Jonah 3:8 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Jonah 3:8?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Jonah 3:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Clearly the Ninevites connected the impending judgment with their own conduct. They felt that by abandoning their wickedness they could obtain some mercy from God. The Hebrew word translated "violence" (hamas) refers to the overbearing attitude and conduct of someone who has attained power over others and misuses it (cf. Genesis 16:5). Assyrian soldiers were physically violent ( Nahum 3:1; Nahum 3:3-4; cf. 2 Kings 18:33-35), but so were the Chaldeans ( Habakkuk 1:9; Habakkuk 2:8; Habakkuk 2:17) and others who, because of conquest, could dominate others. Discrimination against minorities because they are less powerful manifests this sin. We must not forget the violence of our own times and society.
"Violence, the arbitrary infringements of human rights, is a term that occurs in the OT prophets especially in connection with cities: urban conglomeration encourages scrambling over others, like caterpillars in a jar." [1]
This reference to violence recalls Genesis 6:11; Genesis 6:13. God had previously destroyed the world in Noah"s day because it was so violent. Now Jonah became the bearer of a message of judgment on another violent civilization.
Decorating horses and other animals has long been a popular practice. In the funeral of President John F. Kennedy a rider-less horse added a poignant touch to the procession.

Context Summary

Jonah 3:1-10 - A Repentant City
Peter was not only forgiven, but restored to his office; so also was Jonah again sent to Nineveh. Thank God for our second chances! There was no hesitancy this time. The prophet arose and went. The story of his deliverance seems to have reached Nineveh and to have prepared its people to receive his word, Luke 11:30. We must deliver God's messages and preach only as He bids us. He will tell us what to say.
Nineveh is said to have been sixty miles in circuit, the distance of a three days' journey. It was full of violence and cruelty. But the sight of that strange figure, clad in a rude sheep-skin mantle, smote its conscience. The alarm spread from the streets to the palace. Even the great king felt it within his sculptured chambers. It stirred him to action, so that king and court, peers and people, and even the brute creation, became united in one act of common humiliation. The repentance was city-wide in its scope, Jonah 3:5; was practical, Jonah 3:8; and directed toward God, Jonah 3:9. What a contrast to Israel! There, prophet after prophet was exposed to refusal and even to cruel usage. Whatever fear there may have been upon man's side, there was no hesitation upon God's. He abundantly pardoned! See Isaiah 55:7. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jonah 3

1  Jonah, sent again, preaches to the Ninevites
5  Upon their repentance,
10  God relents

What do the individual words in Jonah 3:8 mean?

But let be covered with sackcloth man and beast and cry to God mightily and yes let turn every one from his way evil and from the violence that is in his hands
וְיִתְכַּסּ֣וּ שַׂקִּ֗ים הָֽאָדָם֙ וְהַבְּהֵמָ֔ה וְיִקְרְא֥וּ אֶל־ אֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּחָזְקָ֑ה וְיָשֻׁ֗בוּ אִ֚ישׁ מִדַּרְכּ֣וֹ הָֽרָעָ֔ה וּמִן־ הֶחָמָ֖ס אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּכַפֵּיהֶֽם

וְיִתְכַּסּ֣וּ  But  let  be  covered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: כָּסָה  
Sense: to cover, conceal, hide.
שַׂקִּ֗ים  with  sackcloth 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שַׂק  
Sense: mesh, sackcloth, sack, sacking.
הָֽאָדָם֙  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
וְהַבְּהֵמָ֔ה  and  beast 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּהֵמָה  
Sense: beast, cattle, animal.
וְיִקְרְא֥וּ  and  cry 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
אֱלֹהִ֖ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
בְּחָזְקָ֑ה  mightily 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חָזְקָה  
Sense: force, might, strength, violence.
וְיָשֻׁ֗בוּ  and  yes  let  turn 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
אִ֚ישׁ  every  one 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִדַּרְכּ֣וֹ  from  his  way 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
הָֽרָעָ֔ה  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וּמִן־  and  from 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
הֶחָמָ֖ס  the  violence 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָמָס  
Sense: violence, wrong, cruelty, injustice.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that  is 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּכַפֵּיהֶֽם  in  his  hands 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, fdc, third person masculine plural
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.

What are the major concepts related to Jonah 3:8?

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