the Second Week after Easter
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J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Jonah 3:10
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God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—so God relented from the disaster he had threatened them with. And he did not do it.
God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God repented of the evil which he said he would do to them, and he didn't do it.
And God saw their workes, that they turned from their euill way, and God repented of the euill that hee had sayd, that he would doe vnto them, and he did it not.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, then God relented of the disaster which He had declared He would bring on them. So He did not do it.
When God saw what the people did, that they stopped doing evil, he changed his mind and did not do what he had warned. He did not punish them.
When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God [had compassion and] relented concerning the disaster which He had declared that He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
And God sawe their workes that they turned from their euill wayes: and God repented of the euill that he had said that he woulde doe vnto them, and he did it not.
When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, so God relented concerning the evil which He had spoken He would bring upon them. And He did not bring it upon them.
When God saw their actions-that they had turned from their evil ways-He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them.
When God saw that the people had stopped doing evil things, he had pity and did not destroy them as he had planned.
When God saw by their deeds that they had turned from their evil way, he relented and did not bring on them the punishment he had threatened.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that he had said he would do unto them, and he did [it] not.
God saw what the people did. He saw that they stopped doing evil. So God changed his mind and did not do what he planned. He did not punish the people.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways; he turned away from them his fierce anger, and he did not destroy them.
God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.
And God saw their deeds—that they turned from their evil ways—and God changed his mind about the evil that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. And God was compassionate over the evil that He had spoken to do to them, and He did not do it .
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not.
And God saw what they did, how they were turned from their evil way; and God's purpose was changed as to the evil which he said he would do to them, and he did it not.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, which He said He would do unto them; and He did it not.
And God sawe their workes, that they turned from their euil wayes, and he repented of the euill that he saide he woulde do vnto them, and did it not.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways; and God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did it not.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not.
God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God repented of the evil which he said he would do to them, and he didn't do it.
And God sai the werkis of hem, that thei weren conuertid fro her yuel weie; and God hadde merci on the malice which he spac, that he schulde do to hem, and did not.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which he said he would do to them; and he did not do it.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do to them; and he did [it] not.
When God saw their actions—they turned from their evil way of living!—God relented concerning the judgment he had threatened them with and he did not destroy them.
Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.
When God saw what they did, and that they turned from their sinful way, He changed His mind about the trouble He said He would bring upon them, and He did not destroy Nineveh.
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
And God saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way: and God had mercy with regard to the evil which he had said that he would do to them, and he did it not.
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.
And God seeth their works, that they have turned back from their evil way, and God repenteth of the evil that He spake of doing to them, and he hath not done [it].
And when God sawe their workes, how they turned from their wicked wayes: he repented on the euell, which he sayde he wolde do vnto them, and dyd it not.
God saw what they had done, that they had turned away from their evil lives. He did change his mind about them. What he said he would do to them he didn't do.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
God saw: 1 Kings 21:27-29, Job 33:27, Job 33:28, Jeremiah 31:18-20, Luke 11:32, Luke 15:20
and God repented: Jonah 4:2, Jeremiah 18:8, Joel 2:13, Amos 7:3, Amos 7:6
Reciprocal: Genesis 6:6 - repented Exodus 32:14 - General Exodus 33:3 - for I Numbers 14:19 - and as thou Judges 2:18 - it repented 1 Samuel 15:11 - repenteth me 2 Samuel 12:22 - I fasted 1 Kings 8:33 - turn again Isaiah 38:1 - for thou Isaiah 55:7 - the wicked Jeremiah 20:16 - repented Jeremiah 42:10 - for I Jonah 3:4 - Yet 2 Corinthians 7:10 - repentance
Cross-References
And they were both of them naked, the man and his wife, - and put not each other to shame.
Then were opened the eyes of them both, and they knew that, naked, they were, - so they tacked together fig-leaves, and made for themselves girdles,
And, to the man, he said, Because thou didst hearken to the voice of thy wife, and so didst eat of the tree as to which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, Accursed be the ground for thy sake, In pain, shalt thou eat of it, all the days of thy life;
Thorn also and thistle, shall it shoot forth to thee, - when thou hast come to eat of the herb of the field:
And he said - I, am the God of thy father, God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
And Moses saw the people, that unbridled, they were, - for Aaron had given them the rein, for a whispering, among their enemies.
For this cause, from his presence, am I driven in fear, I diligently consider and am kept back from him in dread:
My flesh, bristled up from dread of thee, and, of thy regulations, stand I in fear.
Terror-stricken in Zion, - are sinners, Shuddering hath seized the impious, - Who among us can sojourn with a fire that devoureth? Who among us can sojourn with burnings age-abiding?
Bared shall be thy shame, Yea seen thy reproach, - An avenging, will I take, And will accept no son of earth.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And God saw their words, that they turned from their evil way,.... Not their outward works, in putting on sackcloth and ashes, and fasting; but their inward works, their faith in him, and repentance towards him; and which were attended with fruits and works meet for repentance, in that they forsook their former course of life, and refrained from it; and these he saw not barely with his eye of omniscience, as he sees all persons and things, good and bad, but so as to like them, approve of them, and accept them, in which sense the word is used, Genesis 1:4; and so the repentance of these men is spoken of with commendation by Christ, and as what would rise up in judgment, and condemn the men of that generation, Matthew 12:41;
and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them, and he did [it] not; this is spoken after the manner of men, as Aben Ezra observes; and is to be understood, not of any such affection in God as repentance; but of an effect done by him, which carries in it a show of repentance, or resembles what is done by men when they repent; then they change their course and conduct; so, the Lord, though he never changes his will, nor repents of or revokes his decrees, or alters his purposes; yet he sometimes wills a change, and makes an alteration in the dispensations of his providence, according to his unchangeable will. God, in this case, did not repent of his decrees concerning the Ninevites, but of what he had said or threatened respecting the overthrow of Nineveh, in case of their impenitence; it was his will that they should be told of their sin and danger, and by this means be brought to repentance, and the wrath threatened them be averted; so that here was a change, not of his mind and will concerning them, but of his outward dispensations towards them; see Jeremiah 18:7.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
And God saw their works - o âHe did not then first see them; He did not then first see their sackcloth when they covered themselves with it. He had seen them long before He sent the prophet there, while Israel was slaying the prophets who announced to them the captivity which hung over them. He knew certainly, that if He were to send the prophets far off to the Gentiles with such an announcement, they would hear and repent.â God saw them, looked upon them, approved them, accepted the Ninevites not for time only, but, as many as persevered, for eternity. It was no common repentance. It was the penitence, which our Lord sets forth as the pattern of true repentance before His coming Matthew 12:41. âThe men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold a greater than Jonah is here.â
They believed in the one God, before unknown to them; they humbled themselves; they were not ashamed to repent publicly; they used great strictness with themselves; but, what Scripture chiefly dwells upon, their repentance was not only in profession, in belief, in outward act, but in the fruit of genuine works of repentance, a changed life out of a changed heart. âGod saw their works, that they turned from their evil way.â Their whole way and course of life was evil; they broke off, not the one or other sin only, but all âtheirâ whole âevil wayâ . âThe Ninevites, when about to perish, appoint them a first; in their bodies they chasten their souls with the scourge of humility; they put on hair-cloth for raiment, for ointment they sprinkle themselves with ashes; and, prostrate on the ground, they lick the dust. They publish their guilt with groans and lay open their secret misdeeds. Every age and sex alike applies itself to offices of mourning; all ornament was laid aside; food was refused to the suckling, and the age, as yet unstained by sins of its own, bare the weight of those of others; the mute animals lacked their own food. One cry of unlike natures was heard along the city walls; along all the houses echoed the piteous lament of the mourners; the earth bore the groans of the penitents; heaven itself echoed with their voice. That was fulfilled (Ecclesiasticus 35:17); The prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds.â âThe Ninevites were converted to the fear of God, and laying aside the evil of their former life, betook themselves through repentance to virtue and righteousness, with a course of penitence so faithful, that they changed the sentence already pronounced on them by God.â âAs soon as prayer took possession of them, it both made them righteous, and immediately corrected the city which had been habituated to live with profligacy and wickedness and lawlessness. More powerful was prayer than the long usage of sin. It filled that city with heavenly laws, and brought along with it temperance, lovingkindness, gentleness and care of the poor. For without these it cannot abide to dwell in the soul. Had any then entered Nineveh, who knew it well before, he would not have known the city; so suddenly had it sprung back from life most foul to godliness.â
And God repented of the evil - This was no real change in God; rather, the object of His threatening was, that He might not do what He threatened. Godâs threatenings are conditional, âunless they repent,â as are His promises, âif they endure to the endâ Matthew 10:22. God said afterward by Jeremiah, Jeremiah 18:7-8. At what âinstant I shall speak concerning a nation and concern ing a kingdom, to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it, if that nation, against whom I had pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.â
âAs God is unchangeable in nature, so is He unchangeable in will. For no one can turn back His thoughts. For though some seem to have turned back His thoughts by their deprecations, yet this was His inward thought, that they should be able by their deprecations to turn back His sentence, and that they should receive from Him whereby to avail with Him. When then outwardly His sentence seemeth to be changed, inwardly His counsel is unchanged, because He inwardly ordereth each thing unchangeably, whatsoever is done outwardly with change.â âIt is said that He repented, because He changed that which He seemed about to do, to destroy them. In God all things are disposed and fixed, nor doth He anything out of any sudden counsel, which He knew not in all eternity that He should do; but, amid the movements of His creature in time, which He governeth marvelously, He, not moved in time, as by a sudden will, is said to do what He disposed by well-ordered causes in the immutability of His most secret counsel whereby things which come to knowledge, each in its time, He both doth when they are present, and already did when they were future.â âGod is subject to no dolor of repentance, nor is He deceived in anything, so as to wish to correct wherein He erred. But as man, when he repenteth willeth to change what he has done, so when thou hearest that God repenteth, look for the change. God, although He calleth it ârepenting,â doth it otherwise than thou. Thou doest it, because thou hast erred; He, because He avengeth or freeth. He changed the kingdom of Saul when He ârepented.â
And in the very place, where Scripture saith, âHe repenteth,â it is said a little after, âHe is not a man that He should repent.â When then He changes His works through His unchangeable counsels, He is said to repent, on account of the change, not of the counsel, but of the act.â Augustine thinks that God, by using this language of Himself, which all would feel to be inadequate to His Majesty, meant to teach us that all language is inadequate to His Excellences. âWe say these things of God, because we do not find anything better to say. I say, âGod is just,â because in manâs words I find nothingâ better, for He is beyond justice. It is said in Scripture, âGod is just and loveth justice.â But in Scripture it is said, that âGod repenteth,â âGod is ignorant.â Who would not start back at this? Yet to that end Scripture condescendeth healthfully to those words from which thou shrinkest, that thou shouldest not think that what thou deemest great is said worthily of Him. If thou ask, âwhat then is said worthily of God? one may perhaps answer, that âHe is just.â Another more gifted would say, that this word too is surpassed by His Excellence, and that this too is said, not worthily of Him, although suitably according to manâs capacity: so that, when he would prove out of Scripture that it is written, âGod is just,â he may be answered rightly, that the same Scriptures say that âGod repenteth;â so, that, as he does not take that in its ordinary meaning, as men are accustomed to repent, so also when He is said to be just, this does not correspond to His supereminence, although Scripture said this also well, that, through these words such as they are, we may be brought to that which is unutterable.â âWhy predictest Thou,â asks Chrysostom, âthe terrible things which Thou art about to do? That I may not do what I predict. Wherefore also He threatened hell, that He may not bring to hell. Let words terrify you that ye may be freed from the auguish of deeds.â âMen threaten punishment and inflict it. Not so God; but contrariwise, He both predicts and delays, and terrifies with words, and leaves nothing undone, that He may not bring what He threatens. So He did with the Ninevites. He bends His bow, and brandishes His sword, and prepares His spear, and inflicts not the blow. Were not the prophetâs words bow and spear and sharp sword, when he said, âyet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed?â But He discharged not the shaft, for it was prepared, not to be shot, but to be laid up.â
âWhen we read in the Scriptures or hear in Churches the word of God, what do we hear but Christ? âAnd behold a greater than Jonas is here.â If they repented at the cry of one unknown servant, of what punishment shall not we be worthy, if, when the Lord preacheth, whom we have known through so many benefits heaped upon us, we repent not? To them one day sufficed; to us shall so many months and years not suffice? To them the overthrow of the city was preached, and 40 days were granted for repentance: to us eternal torments are threatened, and we have not half an hourâs life certain.â
And He did it not - God willed rather that His prophecy should seem to fail, than that repentance should fail of its fruit. But it did not indeed fail, for the condition lay expressed in the threat. âProphecy,â says Aquinas in reference to these cases, âcannot contain anything untrue.â For âprophecy is a certain knowledge impressed on the understanding of the prophets by revelation of God, by means of certain teaching. But truth of knowledge is the same in the Teacher and the taught, because the knowledge of the learner is a likeness of the knowledge of the Teacher. And in this way, Jerome saith that âprophecy is a sort of sign of divine foreknowledge.â The truth then of the prophetic knowledge and utterance must be the same as that of the divine knowledge, in which there can be no error. But although in the Divine Intellect, the two-fold knowledge (of things as they are in themselves, and as they are in their causes,) is always united, it is not always united in the prophetic revelation, because the impression made by the Agent is not always adequate to His power. Whence, sometimes, the prophetic revelation is a sort of impressed likeness of the Divine Foreknowledge, as it beholds the future contingent things in themselves, and these always take place as they are prophesied: as, âBehold, a virgin shall conceive.â
But sometimes the prophetic revelation is an impressed likeness of Divine Foreknowledge, as it knows the order of causes to effects; and then at times the event is other than is foretold, and yet there is nothing untrue in the prophecy. For the meaning of the prophecy is, that the disposition of the inferior causes, whether in nature or in human acts, is such, that such an effect would followâ (as in regard to Hezekiah and Nineveh), âwhich order of the cause to the effect is sometimes hindered by other things supervening. âThe will of God,â he says again, âbeing the first, universal Cause, does not exclude intermediate causes, by virtue of which certain effects are produced. And since all intermediate causes are not adequate to the power of the First Cause, there are many things in the power, knowledge, and will of God, which are not contained in the order of the inferior causes, as the resurrection of Lazarus. Whence one, looking to the inferior causes, might say, âLazarus will not rise again:â whereas, looking to the First Divine Cause, he could say, âLazarus will rise again.â And each of these God willeth, namely, that a thing should take place according to the inferior cause: which shall not take place, according to the superior cause, and conversely. So that God sometimes pronounces that a thing shall be, as far as it is contained in the order of inferior causes (as according to the disposition of nature or deserts), which yet doth not take place, because it is otherwise in the superior Divine Cause. As when He foretold Hezekiah Isaiah 38:1, âSet thy house in order, for thou, shalt die and not live;â which yet did not take place, because from eternity it was otherwise in the knowledge and will of God which is unchangeable. Whence Gregory saith , âthough God changeth the thing, His counsel He doth not change.â When then He saith, âI will repent,â Jeremiah 18:8. it is understood as said metaphorically, for men, when they fulfill not what they threatened, seem to repent.â
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Jonah 3:10. And God saw their works — They repented, and brought forth fruits meet for repentance; works which showed that they did most earnestly repent. He therefore changed his purpose, and the city was saved. The purpose was: If the Ninevites do not return from their evil ways, and the violence that is in their hands, within forty days, I will destroy the city. The Ninevites did return, &c., and therefore escaped the threatened judgment. Thus we see that the threatening was conditional.
