The Repentance of Nineveh/2
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The Repentance of Nineveh
Exegetical Approaches
Full
The repentance of the people of Nineveh was sincere and worthy of emulation.
Why did the people listen to Yonah?
- Radak1 suggests that the boatmen had reached Nineveh and testified to the wonders that had happened to Yonah in the sea,2 leading the people to believe in him as a true prophet.
- Ibn Ezra, in contrast, learns from the description of Nineveh as an "עִיר גְּדוֹלָה לֵאלֹהִים", that the people of Nineveh had been monotheists all along.3 As such, when a prophet of Hashem came to speak to them, they believed in him.
"...וַיַּרְא הָאֱלֹהִים... כִּי שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה וַיִּנָּחֶם עַל הָרָעָה" – This verse is perhaps the best evidence that the repentance of the people was sincere and complete. The narrator says explicitly that they returned from their evil ways, and implies that it is for this reason that Hashem overturned the decree.
Sackcloth and fasting for animals – The Ninevites' inviting of their animals to join in their acts of penitence is meant to express the totality of their submission to God.4 Elsewhere, too, animals are said to join in displays of mourning and prayer. See Judith 4:12-13 where man and animal alike oppress themselves and don sackcloth and Herodotus 9:24 where horses and pack animals participate in the the mourning of the Persians.
"וְיָשֻׁבוּ אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמִן הֶחָמָס אֲשֶׁר בְּכַפֵּיהֶם" – Shemuel explains that the verse adds "אֲשֶׁר בְּכַפֵּיהֶם" to teach that the people went beyond the law to return all lost property (and not just its monetary equivalent), even breaking down the walls of their homes to return the original beams to their owners.
"וַיַּאֲמִינוּ אַנְשֵׁי נִינְוֵה בֵּאלֹהִים" – According to Ibn Ezra who maintains that the people of Nineveh had been monotheists even before Yonah appeared to them., this verse does not speak of newfound faith, but comes only to explain why they were willing to heed Yonah's call. One, however, might alternatively suggest that this verse attests to the people's returning to God and abandoning of idolatry (even if there is no explicit mention of destruction of idols and altars).5
What made them change?
Role of the king
Partial
The people of Nineveh did not repent fully.
Sources:R. Yochanan in Yerushalmi Taanit, Abarbanel, Malbim
Temporary
Though the people repented sincerely, their penitence was short-lived.