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Chapter LXVI.

THE PROPHET JONAS.

[4 Kings 14, 25. Jonas 1—4.]

After the death^[1] of Eliseus, the Lord wishing to show mercy to the Gentiles, raised up the prophet Jonas that he might go to Ninive^[2], and preach penance to the inhabitants of that city. The wickedness of the pagan Ninivites had provoked the anger of God, and He had said to Jonas: “Arise, and go to Ninive and preach in it , for the wickedness thereof is come up before Me.”^[3]

Jonas, however, knew that the Lord easily forgives; hence he was afraid that if he preached to the people of Ninive they would do penance, and that consequently the Lord would spare them, while he himself would be looked upon as a false prophet. So Jonas rose up to flee from the face^[4] of the Lord, and he embarked on board a ship which sailed for Tharsis. But the Lord sent a great storm, and the sea heaved and swelled, and the ship threatened to sink^[5].

Then the sailors, being frightened, threw into the sea all the merchandise that was on board, in order to lighten the vessel. And each one began praying to his own god for help. But Jonas was below, fast asleep, and the shipmaster went to him and said:

↑ The death. Under the reign of king Joas.
↑ Ninive. The capital of the kingdom of Assyria, situated to the east of Syria. This was the greatest empire of those days, and embraced all the country between the Euphrates and the Tigris (Mesopotamia), and a large tract to the north and south of it (Media, Elam and Babylonia). Ninive, the greatest city of antiquity, was on the Tigris, and was twenty- four leagues in circumference, its houses being surrounded by gardens and vineyards. The inhabitants, who numbered about 700,000, were proud and immoral.
↑ Before Me. i. e. their wickedness constrains Me to punish them if they will not do penance. Jonas suspected that if the Ninivites repented, God would spare them and abandon the Israelites. He wished Ninive to be destroyed, so that the Assyrians should be rendered incapable of overpowering Israel; he did not wish to preach penance to the city, through fear that God might find reason to spare it.
↑ From the face. He wished to avoid the mission with which God had charged him, and therefore embarked on a ship bound for Spain. The prophet knew very well that he could not escape from the omnipresent God.
↑ To sink. And break in pieces.

[1] The death. Under the reign of king Joas.

[2] Ninive. The capital of the kingdom of Assyria, situated to the east of Syria. This was the greatest empire of those days, and embraced all the country between the Euphrates and the Tigris (Mesopotamia), and a large tract to the north and south of it (Media, Elam and Babylonia). Ninive, the greatest city of antiquity, was on the Tigris, and was twenty- four leagues in circumference, its houses being surrounded by gardens and vineyards. The inhabitants, who numbered about 700,000, were proud and immoral.

[3] Before Me. i. e. their wickedness constrains Me to punish them if they will not do penance. Jonas suspected that if the Ninivites repented, God would spare them and abandon the Israelites. He wished Ninive to be destroyed, so that the Assyrians should be rendered incapable of overpowering Israel; he did not wish to preach penance to the city, through fear that God might find reason to spare it.

[4] From the face. He wished to avoid the mission with which God had charged him, and therefore embarked on a ship bound for Spain. The prophet knew very well that he could not escape from the omnipresent God.

[5] To sink. And break in pieces.

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