Abarbanel on Jonah

Sefaria · Tanakh > Rishonim on Tanakh > Abarbanel > Prophets · 42 sections

1.1.1
The first prophecy goes until...."And the Word of Gd came to Yonah a second time." And it has two sections. The first is "The Word of Gd came to Yonah..." and the second is "And Gd said to the fish". And I have 6 questions about this.
1.1.2
The first questions is about Gd's command to Yonah to "get up and go to Ninveh the big city and call forth about it because its wickedness has come up before me." Why is Gd concerned about Ninveh's great sons that He sends His servants the prophets to rebuke it and straighten it. Isn't it clear from the beginning that this is the extra care that Gd takes for His nation and His portion Israel, specifically that they have this extra level of Divine Providence like it says (Deut 32:12) "Hashem alone guides him". Gd's portion is His nation, Jacob is His nachala. The other nations are under the general leadership that Hashem has given to them but among Israel are prophets that are the tools of Gd and His messengers to rebuke them and straighten their paths and Gd doesn't do this to every nation. Why did Gd therefore send Yonah to Ninveh, the city of the Chaldeans, and not to Egypt or Babylon or any other of the large nations with many wicked sinners among them.
1.1.3
The second question: Why did Yonah seek to flee from beore Gd like it says in the midrash, "Did he think he could from from before Hashem when it says (Psalms 139:7) 'where will I go away from Your spirit and how can I flee' and (Zecharia 4:10) 'the Eyes of Gd range across the whole land." Chazal already gave two answers for Yonah's behavior. The first is that the nations were preapred to repent and he didn't want to implicate Israel. But this is weak reasoning because perhaps Ninveh's teshuva would inspire Israel to repent and Gd would have mercy on their doings even more so since He had mercy on the nations. The second reason is that Yonah suspected that the Ninveh residents would repent and Gd would relent from His decree of destruction and they would say he was a false prophet. And this doesn't make sense to me either, since the people of Ninveh clearly believed Yonah and therefore repented based on his words and it is known that if his words inspired their repentance, that they believed his prophecy and if they didn't believe it they would not have repented. Had they not believed him, they would not have repented and then his prophecy of destruction would have come true, so there is no situation where they would consider him a false prophet. And also why does it matter to Yonah if the people of Ninveh would consider him a false prophet since he didn't live among them and after giving his prophecy could have returned to his land. Why would fear of their opinion of him cause him to flee from before Gd especially since he knows that a prophet that withholds his prophecy is liable to death.
1.1.4
The third question is regarding the words of the sailors on the ship that decided to pull lots to know who was responsible for the storm. Storms are natural occurances for ships so why did they think the lots would give them a true judgement about this and maybe the lots would actually give an incorrect response, implicating an innocent person like it says in the midrash on sefer yehoshua when Achan asked Yehoshua "why are you pulling lots between me and my family. If I pulled a lot between you and between Pinchas, would it not fall on one of you. What about in this case, if there was no man responsible for the storm.
1.1.5
The fourth question: What the sailors said to Yonah, "tell us who this trouble has come upon us and what is your work." when they already knew that the lots had fallen on Yonah and that the storm was because of him. So why did they ask who the trouble came because of. And why abut his work, where he came frm and where is he going. They were in the middle of storm so why did they need to know his work...And Yonah's response did not answer the questions. Instead he said "I am an Ivri and I fear Gd of the heavens." And the sailors responded with "what did you do" after he already told that he had fled from Gd. The whole dialogue needs to be explained.
1.1.6
The fifth question: Yonah said "pick me up and throw me into the sea."Since, Yonah knew it was futile to flee from Hashem, why did he not do teshuva and pray and confess and promise to complte his assigned mission since we know that nothing stands in the way of teshuva. And he was already roused against his will to repent by the sailors who said "why are you sleeping. Get up! Pray to your Gd". How did he prefer to risk his life and be thrown to the sea and stand firm in his rebellion even though he was a wise prophet of Gd.
1.1.7
The sixth question: Why did Hashem command the fish to spit out Yonah on the dry land. If Yonah continued to refused to repent and to listen to Gd's command why did Hashem forgive His anger when Yonah clung to his sin. He did pray inside the fish, but how did the prayer help him when he was still clinging to his sin. Woudn't this be comparable to going in a mikveh holding an abominable animal and when he withheld from sharing his prophecy he was still deserving of death inside the fish and not to be saved from there. Even his prayer demonstrated stubborness when he said "I will fulfill my vows" but we don't know of any vows he made. I will now explain these pesukim according to these questions.
1.1.8
The overarching theme of the prophecy is to tell us that Gd's Will will prevail forever and the words of Gd will be fulfilled forever. And therefore we can trust the prophets words about the future because Gd isn't a man who lies. And Gd already commanded as an action to Yonah to prophecy not about his nation but about Ninveh the capital city of the Kingdom of Assyria. And Yonah did not want to go because he knew Assyria would in the future do wickedness to Israel and he was disgusted by helping Assyria and Ninveh and therefore he ran away. And Gd who is the Master of man's actions made a powerful storm in the sea until the sailors were forced to throw the sinner, Yonah, into the water and even there he did not find rest because the fishi n the sea swallowed him and guarded him like the pupil of his eye until Yonah was forced to pray to Gd and He took him out and he went on his mission. Because nothing is impoosible for Gd and man is like clay in His hands and He can do whatever He Wills.
1.1.9
"The word of Gd came to Jonah ben Amittai..." until "the sailors feared". Our sages say that Yonah was from the tribe of Asher and he was the son of the widow who had sustained Eliyahu and he was the dead who Eliyahu had brought back to life. But Rabbi Yochana said he was from the tribe of Zevulun because when he is introduced in II Kings 14:25 weare told he is from Gat Chefer (in Zeveulun's portion). Rabbi Levi says that his mother was from Asher and his father was from Zevulun (who was blessed to dwell by the sea until Tzidon" and he went down to Yaffo and found a ship going to Tarshish, and Elisha trusted him as prohet to deliver the messenger abut annointng Yehu ben Nimshi as King and because he was trustworthy, he was called "Amitai" And from this were learn taht this wasi n the Kingdom of Efraim before Sancherib destroyed the Shomrom but after the Assyrians defeated the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and half of Menashe that were on the other side of the Jordan and after they exiled Zebulun and Naftali and there is no doubt that all the other prophets who remained were scared of the King of Assyria that he would come and destroy the Shomron like he did to the previously exiled tribes. And this fear was in the hearts of the wise of Israel and therefore affected Yonah's actions as will be explained in this book and what Gd commanded Yonah to (Yonah 1:2) go to Ninveh the big city which was the capital with the king's throne. And the Ibin Ezra explains that the big city for Gd because the Ninveh people feared Gd from early days but only now in the days of Yonah had begun to sin and do eveil in the eyes of Gd and only because they had previously been righteous did Gd command his prophet to rebuke them. But I disagree wit hthis and I explain " a great city for Gd" in a different way.
1.1.10
And it isn't fitting to explain "call upon it because there wickedness has come before" that hte point was to inform the city of the wickedness rather the point was to tell that Gd had decreed that they would be overturned rather it is translated like (Isiah 58:1) to call out loud and not be silent. To rebuke them and frighten them and this is because their wickedness has come up before Gd. And this wasn't in order to have Providence on them with Divine Providence like Israel and to straighten their deeds and to save them from plauge but rather because they were decreed by Gd to destroy the tribes of Israel and Shomron and it's suburbs fro mtheir sins through Assryia. Therefore Gd wanted to saved Assyria from the wickedness that would come upon them because of the violence in their hands in order to save Assyria from destruction so they could be the weapon of Gds wrath as they are refered to as "Assyria the rod of My anger." and therefoere Gd wanted to straighted their ways of the capitol city Ninveh, the head of the Kingdom of Assyria and this is why Yonah was sent to Ninveh to call upon it and not because Gd loved them and desired them, rather to save them from the evil so they would in the future be prepared for their mission against Israel. Which answers the first question.
1.4.1
And since Jonah was going against His Will, Gd made a great wind on the sea and there was a mighty storm and about this the psukim explain the reason for the storms. According to the philosophers when there wind blows on the water, the wind tries to get out from under the water according to it's lightweight nature. And the waters heavy nature holds onto the wind and that creates a storm. So therefore the informatoin that "Gd made a wind on the sea" gives the reason for the storm and tells us that the wind did n't hit the sea because of a natural reason because it wasn't the time for the wind naturally, rather Gd with Divine Providence made the wind appear there to cause a storm. And when it says "the ship was thought to be broken" from the storm because it appeared to them that it was breaking. Typically a boat doesn't break in a storm, rather it sinks in it's place. Therefore I am explaining "thought to be broken" as they were scared it would drown because of the mighty waves and the sailors would nt escape, so the sailors tried to bring the boat ashore so it would break on the shore and the men could escape because they wuld be clse t land. So this pasuk "thught to be broken" describes the mindset of the sailors who's goal was to break the boat. But because of the strong wind, the efforts of the sailors to run the boat ashore did not work, because the wind came from the land and pushed the boat into the water.
1.9.1
And because all these questions were trying to determing who had sinned and what the sin was, Yonah was able to succinctly answer all with "I am an Ivri and I fear Hashem, Gd of the heavens". Meaning, you asked my sin and whether it was related to the land or my nation or whether I sinned in a way that would make me deserving of death, now see that I am an Ivri. The word Ivri both being from the land of the Ivrim but also that he was "ovvar" disobeying the command of Gd as it is used in (Bamidbar 14:41). This explained nature of his sin and also against whom he had sinned (Hashem, Gd of the heavens) and you dont need to inquire about my land and people because I didn't sin before you but only before Gd whom I fear and the matter isn't in the realm of the heavens but in the Gd of heaven and earth who created the sea and the storm and the dry land that we cannot reach.
1.9.2
A different explanation is the sailors asked "who caused this wickedness for us" meaning if it was a decree from heaven on his birthland that he would need to drown in the water or was it Divine Providence. So they asked questions to get more information. And it wasn't four separate questions like it seems in the pshat, but instead the questions were as follows: What is your work? What is the work that because of it may have cuased you to be punished this way. And they didn't say how did he sin in his work because maybe his punishment would have come on account of others from his land and the wickedness of his nation. And what nation are you from that would make you culpable...? and SImilarly all the questions were on this track or trying to figure out why he was culpable. So Yonah answered about the work that he was an Iviro... menaing the matter doesn't have to do with my land or my nation but I am an Ivri and you know the land of the Ivrim is a good place and the people who are there travel the sea without issue. But I fear Hashem, Gd of the heaven who looks down from His place and puts His Providence on the land. And I fear Him because not only did I sin but He created the land and the sea and everything is in His Hands like clay in the potters hands. And this is why Yonah's answer to the sailors questions made sense.
2.5.1
By saying, "I thought I was driven away out of your sight," he means, "When I went down to Jaffa to flee to Tarshish, I thought that prophecy would no longer be in me. But all that I thought was for naught, because in truth I will again see Your holy Temple, for prophecy will necessarily return to me."
3.1.1
The second prophecy begins with "And the Word of G-d came to Yonah a second time" until the end of the book and it has two sections. The first begins here and the second with G-d asking Yonah "are you that deeply grieved?"And I have six questions.
3.1.2
The first question: Yonah called out that in 40 days Nineveh would be overturned. But this never happened, and we know that every word of prophecy is true, and how could the words of prophecy fall to the ground [unfulfilled]? And if you say that it was a conditional prophecy("if they repent [they will be spared]"/"If they do not repent [they will be destroyed]"), like the conditional prophecy in Jeremiah 18:7-9("For a moment I speak [about a nation... to be destroyed...]"/"And for a moment I speak [about a nation... to be built..."]), there is no doubt that since the people of Nineveh were gentiles they didn't know how to interpret a conditional prophecy, so Yonah should've made the condition clear in his warning to them so that the Word of G-d would be vindicated and the words of the prophet would be made true and would teach people to repent, and it should not be that the destiny [detailed by the prophecy] should be [taken as] certain and afterwards not be fulfilled.
3.1.3
The second question is about that which it says in the verse: "It was bad for Yonah and distressed him"- why was he so distressed, and why did he lower his face and consider this as a terrible thing for him? And what was made new to him now with this [occurring], for when he got onto the boat to flee to Tarshish he only did so because it was revealed and known to him that such would be- that they would repent and Hashem would relent from doing the evil he had said to do; and [also] he left the belly of the fish in order to do this [to deliver the prophecy]! What was he thinking in the beginning [such that he fled on the ship even though he knew that the prophecy would be fulfilled] and what was he thinking in the end, because after Hashem, blessed is he, commanded him a second time [to deliver the prophecy] and he went to do his mission, he went on condition of this[that they would repent], and what was made new to him now such that he was infuriated and it was such a bad thing for him?
3.1.4
The third question: when Yonah asked Hashem "take my soul because my death is better than my life"- Is there a crazy person in the world that would say something like this, that since Hashem forgave the Assyrians and the people of Nineveh he should die and that death was preferable to life?! Why should Yonah die because the people of Nineveh did not die- How could embarrassment not have covered his face to pray like this after he just prayed for Hashem to save his life from inside the fish and he vowed to go to Nineveh to call out his proclamation- How could he pray to die now? Didn't Avraham our forefather pray for the people of Sodom and Amorah for them to be elevated and not to make them worthy of death? Also, with regards to what Hashem said to Yonah "Are you so deeply distressed?"- we do not find that Yonah answered anything to him, and this is strange.
3.1.5
The fourth question is about how Hashem rebuked Yonah: " you cared about the Kikayon tree that you didn't work for..." This seems not to make sense for many reasons. The first is that it is a greater question he could have answered to Him from the fact that Yonah had more reason to care about the Kikayon than Nineveh since: "The Kikayon tree saved my life and therefore I am distressed in it's absence, not for it's sake but for my own. Could the same be said of the city of Nineveh with regards to You, for it did not save You nor help You at all- therefore it is not fitting that you should have pity on it." The second reason [this seems not to make sense] is [found in that] Hashem replied that: "The Kikayon tree was only a day old was gone in a day." In his statement "you didn't work for it, and you did not grow it" there is a element of comparison since Nineveh [like the Kikayon] was [also] the work of G-d in the category of his creations, but [the statement] that the Kikayon was [created] in one night and gone in one night does not seem to be an element of the comparison, because Nineveh was not created in one night and was not destroyed.
3.1.6
The fifth question is in Hashem saying to Yonah, "Should I not have mercy on Nineveh, the great city, that has more than 120,000 people who do not know their right from left, and many animals?" And this [question] is that the Holy One, Blessed is He, should have responded to Yonah:"How should I not have mercy on the people who returned to me with all their hearts and all their souls?" And based on the letter of the law, one who admits [his wrongdoing] and abandons [the sin] is granted mercy! And how could he not mention this strong claim to him, and [instead] mentioned the weaker claim of the [innocence of the] youths and the many animals, who did not know their right from their left, and it is known that because of their[the sincere penitents] repentance Hashem relented of [doing] the evil, and not because of the youth and animals.
3.1.7
The sixth question is what is this claim that because of the multitude of youth and animals, G-d should have mercy on the land while it's people are evil and sinning? Were the people of the generation of the flood exempted [of punishment] because of the many youths and animals they had, or Sodom and Amorah? And also [with regards to] Israel and Jerusalem, did Hashem overlook the people's wickedness because of the children of the study house who had never sinned or because of their animals? So why, with regards to Nineveh, is this claim made? Now I will explain the pesukim by solving them according to these questions.
3.1.8
The overarching intention of this prophecy is to make it known that Yonah fulfilled the word and command of G-d and called out in Nineveh the decree of Hashem: "40 days more and Nineveh will be overturned." And the people of were inspired by his words, believed in G-d, and repented with an intention that desired to do so, and Hashem relented and took back the decree. And since Yonah was upset that his words weren't fulfilled, Hashem made the kikayon tree as a parable that if he cared so much about the tree, which he did not grow nor create, should Hashem not care about Nineveh? And this [interpretation] is as will become clear from the pesukim.
3.1.9
"The Word of G-d came to Yonah a second time" until the end of the book: Blessed is He Who chose of their [the sages] words, may their memory be a blessing. How deep were their minds, for nothing of anything they said "fell to the ground" [was purposeless; did not accomplish anything]. They said in the Midrash (Mechilta, the beginning of Parshat Bo, page six, first entry) that because Yonah charged for the honor of the son and not the honor of the father, his punishment was that he only received this second prophecy and never got a third prophecy afterwards. And it is already discernible to an attentive student that this [knowledge] is [known] through the interpretive method(דרך דרש) and it is not necessary [to be true] that from the fact that it says "second" [it means] he did not prophesy a third time. But you do find in the Seder Olam that Yonah anointed Yehu ben Nimshi as king over Israel in the year 3072 from the creation of the world, and Yonah lived until Zechariah who ruled in Israel in the year 3174. It emerges from this [fact] that Yonah lived for 102 years after he started receiving prophecy, and since we do not find another prophecy of his in that long time except for these two prophecies that he prophesied about Nineveh, we have [now] known that he ceased to have prophesy because of this thing. And this was fitting to be done, because if he had fled from the prophecy and tried hard to remove it from himself, his punishment should be measure-for-measure- that his ability to prophesy should be flee from him and never being another word of G-d to him, since he had rejected and kicked back at it. This is [the understanding of] their statement: "a second [prophecy] was said to him, [but] a third [prophecy] was not said to him," for their is no ceasing [on the part] of the Giver, but [rather] the receiver is the one who prevents the good from [coming] to himself. And with regards to this prophecy(Yonah 3:2-3), Hashem commanded Yonah to go to Nineveh after he got on dry land and call out and announce in it's midst about the decree Hashem had decree on it, and he said: "Get up, go to Nineveh, the great city, quell [it's fear] in it's ear and say to it that Hashem was concerned about it because it was a large city," like it says that "Nineveh was a great city to G-d"- the meaning is not that its people were pious like Rabbi Avraham ben Ezra said, because it was the land of Assyria, and the people living in it were very much evil and sinners to G-d, but [rather] it is related to G-d because of it's size, in the same way as [the verse] "The mountains of G-d,"(Tehillim 36:7) [or the verse] "A flame of G-d"(Song of Songs 8:6) [do so]. Their comparison [G-d and the city] is because it was so large that in it was a three-day-walk. According [to what he thought was] the simple explanation of the verse, Rabbi Avraham ben Ezra wrote that that journey [Yonah took] was around the city which is a one day walk, but his words are not correct, for the pasuk says: "and Yonah began to come into the city for a one day journey"- this teaches that he had not yet passed the entire journey but just part of it; therefore, it seems [from here] that from one gate to the other gate was three days [of walking].
3.4.1
And Yonah started to walk in it [the city] for one day's walk and immediately its people were roused to do repentance, even though in Bereishit Rabah they said that Nineveh was a forty-day walk, maybe that was [describing the distance] in the outskirts of the city, and therefore the decree was: "Forty more days, and Nineveh is overturned" because there were forty days [required] until the announcement was executed in the entire land- the city and its outskirts, and [only] then Nineveh could be destroyed. This decree was certain, without any conditions at all.
3.4.2
And what appears [proper] to me to say in solving the first question which is attached to this [definite] destiny is one of two choices; the first, that this destiny was like its simple meaning- that in forty days time Nineveh would necessarily be overturned from what it is now, because if its people return [to G-d] in repentance, it will be overturned in it's actions and it's quality, from bad to good, and from wickedness to righteousness, and be innocent. If so, the destiny that was stated: "and Nineveh will be overturned" is from the [same kind of] expression [as]: "...and you will become a different man."(Shmuel Alef, 10:6), [or the verse:] "My heart turns over inside me"(Aicha 1:20). If they do not do repentance [however], it will be overturned like the overturning of S'dom and Amorah, and this destiny would be fulfilled in any case. In order that the word "overturned" can contain these two meanings, G-d did not command the prophet to call out: "Nineveh will be overturned like the overturning of S'dom and Amorah," [but] rather simply "overturned," meaning to say that it was necessary that within the forty days Nineveh would be overturned, [but] this might be with its issues, that it would do repentance and overturn in its actions, and this might be with its inhabitants/dwelling. And behold that this decree was not according to the instruction of the Upper System [of Judgement], for G-d does not hold the system captive [so to speak] except on behalf of [the nation of] Israel, and because of its repentance, prayer, and outcry He rides heaven to help him; However, the judgement of his supervision of it [the nation of Israel] includes it with the rest of nations, and when they sin with treachery and perversion of the [proper] ways [of life], he deals with them to turn them over and to destroy them, like he did with the generation of the flood and the people of S'dom, "for the earth is filled with lawlessness because of them..."(Bereishit 6:13) and they are lessening of the [ability for] inhabiting of the world. And I have already explained in my compilation of the Mishnah [Torah] in Parshat Va'Etchanan that the value of the nation of Israel over the other nations is a matter of the system and of [other] things; the first is that each and every nation has within itself a star and constellation in the heavens, and Israel is not like this for "the portion of Hashem is his nation"(Devarim 32:9), and the second is that also with the birth of individuals of every nation they are [given a destiny] according to the time of the birth and its constellation; [but] behold that this system does not instruct about the actions of [positive] commandments and transgressions at all. The third is that the [natural outcomes of the] system of an individual of [the nation of] Israel may be nullified through prayer and merit. However, [even though] for the other nations the instructions of the system cannot be nullified through their repentance, still the all-encompassing supervision of G-d may attach to them for perpetuation of their state-wide settlement, and therefore when there is lawlessness among them [resulting] in destruction and nullification of the law [of the world], they are necessarily liable for destruction, and this was the case with Nineveh. However, because the Holy One, Blessed is He, was guarding the Assyrian nation [in order] to [later] be his rod of anger and staff of wrath on [the nation of] Israel, therefore He sent His prophet to return them to the good path so that they would not make themselves liable perishing and destruction.
3.4.3
And the second way in explanation of "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned" is [the word] "day" in this case is [coming] in place of [the word] "year," like [it says in another verse]: "It's redemption shall be for days[a year]"(Vayikra 25:29); and the word "עוד"("more") [in Gematria] is a number which adds up to eighty, and when you add forty [years] onto this, the sum of it is 120 years, and it is as if he said that at the end of 120 years Nineveh will be overturned, and so it was that Nevuchadnetzar came and destroyed it after 120 years from this prophecy, and on it Nachum the Alkushi prophesied [its future] with the destruction of Nineveh. The way that we have to verify this is that Nevuchadnetzar destroyed Nineveh in the first year that he reigned like it says in the Seder Olam, and it is known that Nevuchadnetzar reigned in the beginning of the fourth year of the kingship of Yehoyakim the king of Yehudah, and [it is] like what was written in the book of Yirmiyahu: "in the fourth year of King Yehoyakim son of Yoshiyahu king of Yehudah, which was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar, King of Babylon."(Jeremiah 25:1), and Yehoyakim reigned for eleven years; subtract from there the four years mentioned [already]- it is found to teach that Yehoyakim reigned for seven years in years of the kingship of Nebuchadnetzar, and after him Yehoyachin reigned for three months, and after him Tzidkiyahu reigned until the destruction of Yerushalayim for fourteen years, as can be seen in this verse. And it also says in the book of Kings that in the nineteenth year of the kingship of Nebuchadnetzar Yerushalayim was destroyed, and the house of G-d was burnt, and what comes out from this is that nineteen years before the destruction of Yerushalayim Nineveh was destroyed. And it is known that Yonah went to Nineveh after the exile of the Land of Zevulun and the land of Naphtali, and before the destruction of Shomron, for there were nine years between these two, from when Hoshea son of Alah ruled until the exile of the Shomron. And if so, the matter of Yonah in Nineveh would have been five or six years before the destruction of the Shomron, and from the years of the kings of Yehudah we have known that the destruction of the Shomron was 133 years before the destruction of Yerushalayim- subtract from there the nineteen years that Nineveh was already destroyed when Yerushalayim was destroyed and if [this calculation] is so from the destruction of Shomron until the destruction of Nineveh is 114 years, and the journey of Yonah to Nineveh was about six years before the destruction of Shomron, as I mentioned [already]. One can draw from this that from the calling out of Yonah in Nineveh until the destruction of Nineveh there were 120 years without a doubt, and on this he is really saying "forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed." And behold that Hashem, Blessed is He, hid the truth of this destiny and his intention with the word "עוד" and with the words "forty days" so that the people of the city would not understand it, and also Yonah did not descend into the end of the intention of his prophecy, and with this the first question is solved.
3.5.1
The people of Nineveh believed God: that is, that there was a purpose to His word and His decree. Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra wrote in the name of Rabbi Yeshuah that the sailors went to Nineveh and told them about Yonah. And so they believed him without him having to provide any signs or wonders.
3.5.2
[However], there is no need [for this explantion provided by the Ibn Ezra], for signs and wonders are not demanded from a prophet when he is commanding and warning only about keeping the Torah and doing what is good and upright. For one is also obligated to listen to a sage when he says these things[to keep the torah, and therefore it makes no difference whether a prophet or sage is telling you to do them]; but when it is commanded in the name of God to violate one of the commandments of the Torah as a provisional ruling(provided it is not idol worship) then it is fitting that he perform wonders to verify his prophecy.
3.5.3
Yonah made it clear to them that the decree was for their transgressions in general, and specifically for the "violence in their hands," and [told them] that they should return to God, who would have mercy on them.
3.5.4
This is why they didn't have to ask him for any signs or wonders. They accepted his words as good and upright of their own accord. And this is why it says that "the people of Nineveh believed in God," and not that "they believed in Yonah" or that the king had summoned him or even spoken with him about this. They believed in God, that it was within God's power to do all this, and that God loves the upright and hates violence. They were stirred by Yonah's words to do their repentance.
3.6.1
Additionally, the king of Nineveh(who was the king of Assyria [as well]) when he knew [of] this rose from his throne and removed his [royal] mantle, and sat in ashes, as if Nineveh had already been destroyed(Verse 7), and commanded to announce in Nineveh: "[Coming] from the conception of the king and his nobles," meaning to say his advisors, "[it is decreed] man and animal not taste [food] nor drink [water], and this commandment applied to animals [even] if they did not have owners, because all [of the measures] were based on [the idea] that "the eyes of ever creature are on Him, Blessed is He," and in order that the animals in [danger of] the overturning of the city would cry out and fast before Him so that He would have mercy on them.
3.8.1
The king decreed that it was not enough that the people just fast and wear sackcloth, but that along with this they should also "cry mightily to God" and "turn back from the violence of their hands," which was the main point.
3.9.1
It is said broadly [in the verse]: "whoever knows should return," meaning to say that one who knows of something swindled or stolen in his hands should return it, or [that] one who knows the ways of repentance should return to God and he will have mercy on him, for with this is the anger of God returned [from upon people] and they will not go to destruction. And from this it can be seen that the people of Nineveh understood the Godly decree according to its [true] intention with regards to the overturning [of the city for good or for bad], for the king therefore commanded that Nineveh overturn its actions, for if it did this "spiritual overturning," then God would be overturned from [executing] his decree and there would be no physical overturning in the city afterward. [But] behold that neither the people of Nineveh nor their king were aroused to serve the honored Name [of God] and [they were] not [aroused] to remove their idols and false gods from the land, for they were continuously holding on to their deficient belief, and this is the [meaning of the verse's] statement: "and God saw their actions," meaning to say in the practical commandments between them and their fellows they had returned from their evil way, but they had not returned from their belief [in false gods] and [even] with all this [it still says in the verse]: "And God relented of all the bad he had said to do" for the decree was [based] on nothing but "the treachery in their hands."
4.1.1
...Jonah became depressed and wanted to die, because ... while they had repented from their evil ways in beliefs and deeds, he saw that they continued in their idolatry, and did not repent for their sins against God...
4.1.2
Jonah complained silently to God: why did God intend to destroy Israel for its idolatry, but forgave the idolatry of the people of Nineveh? ...
4.1.3
Because all this graciousness and kindness that You do for Nineveh is not out of love for them, nor because it is just, but entirely because You show patience to the Assyrians so that they will come to my land, the Land of Israel, to destroy it...
4.4.1
God was rebuking Jonah for his anger by saying "Are you that deeply grieved?" - which is to say, is there a trait worse than this one of yours, that you are grieved that I have been good to Nineveh?
4.4.2
...It is not the way of a good person to grieve when God is good to someone else, for God is good to all, and His mercies are on all His creatures (Psalm 145).
4.4.3
And the proof of this interpretation is that Jonah does not answer. If it were more than a rhetorical question, we would expect that Jonah would answer as he does later (in verse 9), "Yes, so deeply that I want to die."
4.4.4
It is also possible that Jonah did not want to answer the question because he knew with certainty that all is revealed before the throne of the Holy One. He knew that God knew his true intention, not that he was grieved about the goodness bestowed upon Nineveh, but about the future destruction of Israel that would result from it.
4.9.1
On the one hand, Jonah did not ask for life or health, but for death. On the other, he was grieved about the plant that had gone, because he had rejoiced over it. This is why God rebuked him by pointing out the contradiction, "Are you so deeply grieved about the plant?" - that is, if, as you say, death is better than life, why are you sorry about the plant that dried up? It would appear that life actually seemed good to you, and so you rejoiced over the plant that prolonged your life, and you were grieved at its absence, because its absence will bring about your death.
4.9.2
And the prophet answered, "Yes, so deeply that I want to die." That is, I will always tell You that death is better. But I was still grieved about the plant not because of death, but because of the punishment and distress that I will suffer until my death. Hence, death is better, but the suffering from the sun before my death is what grieves me.

Sefaria Community Translation. Via Sefaria (sefaria.org), Sefaria-Export. Version source: https://www.sefaria.org Licence: CC0. Source.