Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Jonah 4:11
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city? etc.] (see Jon 1:2 3:3); what is such a gourd or plant to that? wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons; or twelve myriads; that is, twelve times ten thousand, or a hundred and twenty thousand; meaning not all the inhabitants of Nineveh; for then it would not have appeared to be so great a city; but infants only, as next described: that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; do not know one from another; cannot distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong; are not come to years of maturity and discretion; and therefore there were room and reason for pity and sparing mercy; especially since they had not been guilty of actual transgressions, at least not very manifest; and yet must have perished with their parents had Nineveh been overthrown. The number of infants in this city is a proof of the greatness of it, though not so as to render the account incredible; for, admitting these to be a fifth part of its inhabitants, as they usually are of any place, as Bochartf101 observes, it makes the number of its inhabitants to be but six or seven hundred thousand; and as many there were in Seleucia and Thebes, as Plinyf102 relates of the one, and Tacitusf103 of the other: and [also] much cattle; and these more valuable than goods, as animals are preferable to, and more useful than, vegetables; and yet these must have perished in the common calamity. Jarchi understands by these grown up persons, whose knowledge is like the beasts that know not their Creator. No answer being returned, it may be reasonably supposed Jonah, was convinced of his sin and folly; and, to show his repentance for it, penned this, narrative, which records his infirmities and weaknesses, for the good of the church, and the instruction of saints in succeeding ages. FOOTNOTES Ft1 -- Onomastic. Sacr. p. 429. Ft2 -- Hieron. Proem. i Jon. Ft3 -- Seder Olam Rabba, c. 18. p. 45, Ft4 -- Chronological Tables. Ft5 -- Chron. Tables, cent, 7. Ft6 -- Deuteronomy Prophet. Vit. c. 16. Ft7 -- Ut supra. Ft8 -- Deuteronomy Vita & Morte Sanct. c. 45. Ft9 -- Itinerar. p. 52. Ft10 -- Travels, par 1. B. 2. c. 55. p. 213. Ft11 -- yhyw “et fuit”, Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; “factum fuit”, Piscator. Ft12 -- Bibliothec. l 2. p. 92. Ft13 -- Geograph. l. 16. p. 507. Ft14 -- Ut supra. (Geograph. l. 16. p. 507.) Ft15 -- Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 92. Ft16 -- Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 2. Ft17 -- Travels, par. 1. B. 2. c. 52. p. 208. Ft18 -- Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 13. Ft19 -- Geograph. l. 16. p. 522. Ft20 -- Stephanus apud Reland. Palestina Illustrata, tom. 2. p. 865. Ft21 -- lyjh “projecit”, Mercerus, Drusius; “conjecit”, Cocceius. Ft22 -- µyb “in mare illud”, Mercerus. Ft23 -- Pirke Eliezer, c. 10. fol. 10. 1. Ft24 -- hbçj “putabat”, Montanus; “cogitavit”, Vatablus, Burkius; “cogitabat”, Drusius, Cocceius. Ft25 -- hynah “navem iliam”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. Ft26 -- Pirke Eliezer, c. 10. fol. 10. 1. So Aben Ezra, Jarchi, Kimchi, and Abendana in loc. Ft27 -- µylkh ta “vasa”, V. L. Vatablus, Grotius. Ft28 -- Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 2.) Ft29 -- lbjh br “magister funalis”, Munster; “magister funiculaiorum”, so some in ;Mercer; “magister funis”, Calvin. Ft30 -- Concordant. Part. Ebr. p. 182. No. 828. Ft31 -- Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 2. Ft32 -- qtçyw “ut sileat”, Pagninus, Vatablus, Mercerus, Drusius; “et silebit”, Montanus; “ut conticeseat”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Burkius. Ft33 -- r[sw Ælwh “ib…
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