Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Jonah 1:2 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 2. 2Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse commissions Jonah to arise, go to great Nineveh, and cry against its evil.
Read It With
- Jonah 1:1–3
Read Jonah 1:1–3 together. This verse commissions Jonah to arise, go to great Nineveh, and cry against its evil. Read Jonah 1:1–3 as one complete scene: The LORD commissions Jonah son of Amittai to confront Nineveh's evil, and Jonah responds by descending toward a ship bound for Tarshish in an attempt to flee from the LORD's presence.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The contrast between divine command and prophetic flight creates the book's governing conflict and makes later repetitions of 'arise,' 'go,' 'great,' and 'evil' significant. Within that movement, this verse commissions Jonah to arise, go to great Nineveh, and cry against its evil.
Follow the Context
- The word of the LORD comes to Jonah son of Amittai.
- Jonah is told to arise, go to Nineveh, and cry against its evil.
- Jonah arises to flee toward Tarshish, pays passage, and goes down into the ship to escape from the LORD's presence.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Jonah 1:2 does not make Nineveh innocent, define every resident by the city's evil, or authorize hatred of Assyrian people.
What Remains True
The LORD sees Nineveh's evil and sends warning before judgment, holding imperial wrongdoing and divine patience together.
How It Can Shape Life
- Name serious wrongdoing truthfully while seeking warning and change rather than taking pleasure in a community's ruin.
Teach It Back
Explain Jonah 1:2's precise role in Jonah 1:1–3. Include the scene's movement, the surrounding verses, any material uncertainty, and one conclusion this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Jonah 1:1–3 — The LORD Sends Jonah, and Jonah FleesSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Jonah 1:1–3, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Jonah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew forms, morphology, repeated roots, clause relationships, names, and the base wording behind translation discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Jonah.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 1:1–3
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Jonah with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Material lexical, grammatical, textual, historical, seafaring, city, repentance, and divine-relenting notes within the unit.
Exact location: NET Bible Jonah PDF, printed pp. 1728–1732, translation and translator notes on 1:1–3
Open source ↗