He describes Nineveh as, “a great city, a three-day journey,” literally it means that it was a vast city and a person can cover it in three days, or roam its streets for three days; spiritually, as the capital of Assyria, Nineveh delivered itself to the devil, worshiping idols, but God still looks out for it as His great city voluntarily usurped by the enemy. God does not disdain His creation, especially human beings even if they deviated from His way. He still anticipates their salvation and their return to Him as His great city inhabited by the Holy Trinity.
In our study of the Book of Joshua, we found that the number three represents faith in the Holy Trinity and the resurrection on the third day (1). The secret of the greatness of man lies in becoming a great city of God, or as the Bible calls him, the “City of Truth” [Zech 8:3], the kingdom of the Holy Trinity, which by his life witnesses for the resurrection of the Lord.
Jonah responded to the calling and entered the city, “the first day’s walk” to call for repentance. This represents the appearance of One Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity: God the Word, who was incarnated and suffered, thus became one of us as if He was in our city, moreover we received the works of the Holy Trinity and attained salvation through Him.
Jonah preached that in forty days Nineveh would be overthrown; and in the Septuagint it is said that after three days the city of Nineveh would be overthrown. The figure forty represents our earthly life that is why the Lord Jesus fasted forty days so that we might fast all the days of our lives. Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days; consequently heaven and earth vanish so that we may enjoy the new heaven and earth. Since the figure three represents the resurrection with the Lord Jesus, then it is imperative that the old Nineveh be destroyed so that the new one would rise in Him.
In our study of the Book of Joshua, we found that the number three represents faith in the Holy Trinity and the resurrection on the third day (1). The secret of the greatness of man lies in becoming a great city of God, or as the Bible calls him, the “City of Truth” [Zech 8:3], the kingdom of the Holy Trinity, which by his life witnesses for the resurrection of the Lord.
Jonah responded to the calling and entered the city, “the first day’s walk” to call for repentance. This represents the appearance of One Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity: God the Word, who was incarnated and suffered, thus became one of us as if He was in our city, moreover we received the works of the Holy Trinity and attained salvation through Him.
Jonah preached that in forty days Nineveh would be overthrown; and in the Septuagint it is said that after three days the city of Nineveh would be overthrown. The figure forty represents our earthly life that is why the Lord Jesus fasted forty days so that we might fast all the days of our lives. Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days; consequently heaven and earth vanish so that we may enjoy the new heaven and earth. Since the figure three represents the resurrection with the Lord Jesus, then it is imperative that the old Nineveh be destroyed so that the new one would rise in Him.
Footnote
(1) The Author: Joshua, 1982, p. 46-47 (in Arabic).
Verses that belong to this explanation: 1-4
1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. 4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
 | Author: Tadros Yacoub Malaty Rank: Monk Posted on: 2022-10-27 |
LXX: 'and the message of God came to Jonah a second time, saying, arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach there this message that I have told you'. He did not say to the prophet, "why have you not done what you were ordered to do?." But the punishment of the shipwreck and his drowning are enough for him to understand the Lord, the liberator, whom he hadn't known to be ordering. Moreover it is superfluous to see his wounds as those of a false servant of God, once he has been smitten, for such a punishment is less of a correction than a reproof. And our Lord is sent to Nineveh a second time after his resurrection: he who had fled by whatever means beforehand when he said, "My Father, if it is possible let this cup pass me by", and who had not wanted to give bread of children to dogs, now the children have cried out, "crucify him, crucify him! we have no king except Caesar", he makes his way towards Nineveh of his own accord to preach after his resurrection that he underwent as he was ordered to do before his suffering. The command is given, he hears it, he refuses, then he is forced to want, and the second time he carries out the will of the Father: all of this is connected to man and to the "form of a slave", to whom such expressions are appropriate.
 | Author: Jerome Rank: Priest AD: 420 |
The listed verse explanations of the individual persons have nothing to do with the explanations of the other persons. This also applies to the Bible translations.
