Jonah 1:2
MS: ק֠וּם לֵ֧ךְ אֶל־נִֽינְוֵ֛ה הָעִ֥יר הַגְּדוֹלָ֖ה וּקְרָ֣א עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּֽי־עָלְתָ֥ה רָעָתָ֖ם לְפָנָֽי
LXX: ἀνάστηθι καὶ πορεύθητι εἰς Νινευη τὴν πόλιν τὴν μεγάλην καὶ κήρυξον ἐν αὐτῇ ὅτι ἀνέβη ἡ κραυγὴ τῆς κακίας αὐτῆς πρός με
TJ: קוּם אֱזֵיל לְנִינְוֵה קַרְתָּא רַבְּתָא וְאִתְנַבֵּי עַלָהּ אֲרֵי סְלִיקַת בִּישַׁתְהוֹן קֳדָמָי
MS: ק֠וּם לֵ֧ךְ אֶל־נִֽינְוֵ֛ה LXX: ἀνάστηθι καὶ πορεύθητι εἰς Νινευη TJ: קוּם אֱזֵיל לְנִינְוֵה
MS: qum lek ‘el-nineve LXX: anastethi kai poreutheti eis nineue TJ: qum ‘ezeil lenineve
MS: Arise to go to Nineveh LXX: Arise and go to Neveye TJ: Arise to go to Nineveh
MS: הָעִ֥יר הַגְּדוֹלָ֖ה LXX: τὴν πόλιν τὴν μεγάλην TJ: קַרְתָּא רַבְּתָא
MS: ha`ir hagdola LXX: ten polin ten megalen TJ: qartta’ rabta’
MS: The city (the) great LXX: The city (the) great TJ: The city (the) great
MS: וּקְרָ֣א עָלֶ֑יהָ LXX: καὶ κήρυξον ἐν αὐτῇ TJ: וְאִתְנַבֵּי עַלָהּ
MS: uqra’ `aleyha LXX: kai keruxon en autei TJ: v’itnavei `alah
MS: And cry to/against her LXX: And cry in her TJ: And prophesy to her
MS: כִּֽי־עָלְתָ֥ה רָעָתָ֖ם לְפָנָֽי LXX: ὅτι ἀνέβη ἡ κραυγὴ τῆς κακίας αὐτῆς πρός με TJ: אֲרֵי סְלִיקַת בִּישַׁתְהוֹן קֳדָמָי
MS: ci-`alta ra`atam lpanai LXX: hoti anabe he krauge tes kakias autes pros me TJ: ‘arei sliqat beshathon qadamai
MS: For risen the evil before my face LXX: For come up the voice of her evil before me TJ: For risen her evil before me
Shortest construction: “Arise to go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry in her, for her evil has risen before me”
Longest construction: “Arise and go to Nineveh, the great city, and prophesy to her, for the voice of her evil has come up before my face”
Overview: This verse is very stable, without much significant variation. There are two small variations, one in LXX and one in TJ.
The variation in LXX is in the fourth section, saying “the voice of her evil” rather than “her evil,” as MS and TJ attest. This is a small explanation that the outcry of evil has been sensed by God, and that is why He is moving in this way.
The variation in TJ is in the third section. Where MS and LXX show “cry against her,” TJ shows “prophesy against her.” Similarly to verse one, this is a minor explanative difference, since the cry against Nineveh is one prophesying their destruction.
LBTB Devotional: Why Study the Bible?
The study of Jonah is excellent for understanding why we study the Bible as a whole. In this verse, Jonah is told to warn Nineveh about their wickedness. On a reactionary reading, one might thing God is a God of anger and wrath, just waiting to destroy Nineveh. But on a second reading, you realize it was Jonah who was full of anger and wrath. God warns Nineveh that their wickedness will result in their destruction. In fact, this warning causes Nineveh to repent and turn to God, which was God’s ultimate plan. By the end, we will see it is Jonah who is angry at the repentance of Nineveh, not God.
One of the main reasons we study the Bible is to understand the character of God. Many in the world today have the opposite view of Jonah: Where Jonah knew God would forgive and restore Nineveh, many in the world believe God is a God of judgment only, a hateful being that is waiting until He can destroy. But Jonah shows us the opposite. In Jonah we see the gentle nature of God’s kindness. He does not wish to destroy Nineveh, though He will if they continue to destroy creation. Even when Jonah, in the wickedness of his heart, plots to keep this warning from Nineveh in order that they would be destroyed, God is gentle with him. In all of these things, we see the heart of God for Jonah, the Ninevites, and ourselves. We are foolish people, rebellious people, who God gently moves toward His goals. His desire is to make His power and grace known through broken, foolish people, like you and me. Amen.
