Dora Bas Rivka Silver O'H After he was expelled from the fish,
G-d spoke to Jonah again. He told Jonah to go to Nineveh and
this time to do what G-d says. Nineveh was a particularly large
city for the time, a three-day walk around the perimeter. Jonah
walked through the city and proclaimed that in forty days, the
city would be overturned. (Rashi explains that it would be
"overturned" rather than "destroyed" because overturned could
also have a positive connotation, i.e. spiritually overturned
through repentance.) The people heeded Jonah, donning sackcloth
and fasting. When the king of Nineveh heard about this, he got
off his throne and joined his people sitting in ashes. He had it
announced throughout his kingdom that everyone should fast and
wear sackcloth, both man and beast. The people were to cry out
to G-d and renounce their evil ways. G-d saw their sincerity and
agreed not to demolish the city.