Useful Bible Studies > Jonah Commentary > chapter 3
The king of Nineveh was more than just the ruler over the city called Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, a large and powerful nation. Not long after the time of Jonah, Assyria would become one of the most powerful nations in the world. It destroyed many other nations as its power and authority increased (2 Kings 19:10-13). Its kings were extremely proud men (see 2 Kings 19:20-28). Most of Nineveh’s kings respected nobody else – not even God.
That was probably how the king of Nineveh, at the time of Jonah, had also behaved. Certainly, he considered himself an extremely great man. He sat on his throne, the impressive and beautiful seat that displayed his royal authority. He wore rich and splendid royal clothes. He wanted everyone to see how powerful and wealthy he was.
As soon as this proud king heard the message from God, his attitudes changed completely. His great authority could not help him now – in just 40 days, he would lose everything. He could not depend on his wealth – he could not pay God to stop the punishment. He could not achieve anything by his cruelty – that would only make him more guilty in God’s opinion.
The king saw that God’s judgment made him as weak as the poorest person in Nineveh. So, the king decided to do what the poorest people had to do. He left his throne and, like the poorest person, sat on the ground in the dirt. He took off his royal clothes and he covered his body with cheap, rough and uncomfortable cloth. Probably he wept much (compare Jonah 3:8). He wanted God to know that he accepted God’s judgment completely.
In other words, he had chosen to be humble in front of God. He was still the king of Nineveh, but he accepted completely God’s authority over him.
Next part: The king's special command (Jonah 3:7)
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© 2024, Keith Simons.