And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

JONAH 3:1KJV
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Jonah 3:1 (KJV)

What does Jonah 3:1 mean?

Jonah 3:1 marks a new turn in Jonah’s story: the LORD speaks to Jonah again after his earlier flight from the task he was given. The verse introduces a fresh message to the same prophet, with the message itself following in the next verse.

“The word of the LORD came” is a way of saying that the LORD spoke to Jonah. Coming after Jonah’s rescue from the great fish, the phrase “the second time” connects this moment with the earlier message that began his story.

The Hebrew behind Jonah 3:1

  • “word” — דָּבָר (davar): This word can mean a word or a message. Here it points to what the LORD communicates, rather than to a single spoken word.
  • “LORD” — יְהוָה (YHWH): This is the personal name of Israel’s God. The KJV represents the name with “LORD” in capital letters.

Why Jonah 3:1 matters

  • Jonah’s earlier flight did not end the story of his assignment. “The second time” recalls the first message in Jonah 1:1–2, before Jonah tried to go in the opposite direction.
  • The verse leads directly into the message itself. The ending “saying” prepares the reader for the LORD’s instruction in Jonah 3:2.

Where else these words appear

“Jonah” Hebrew H3124 · used in 17 verses

  • 2 Kings 14:25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.
  • Jonah 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
  • Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.