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¹ וַֽיְהִי֙ דְּבַר־יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־יוֹנָ֥ה בֶן־אֲמִתַּ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃

2     ק֠וּם לֵ֧ךְ אֶל־נִֽינְוֵ֛ה הָעִ֥יר הַגְּדוֹלָ֖ה וּקְרָ֣א עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּֽי־עָלְתָ֥ה רָעָתָ֖ם לְפָנָֽי׃

3     וַיָּ֤קָם יוֹנָה֙ לִבְרֹ֣חַ תַּרְשִׁ֔ישָׁה מִלִּפְנֵ֖י יְהוָ֑ה וַיֵּ֨רֶד יָפ֜וֹ וַיִּמְצָ֥א אָנִיָּ֣ה׀^* בָּאָ֣ה תַרְשִׁ֗ישׁ וַיִּתֵּ֨ן שְׂכָרָ֜הּ וַיֵּ֤רֶד בָּהּ֙ לָב֤וֹא עִמָּהֶם֙ תַּרְשִׁ֔ישָׁה מִלִּפְנֵ֖י יְהוָֽה׃

Vocabulary

Verse 1   

היה   verb: Qal imperfect 3ms + vav consecutive with apocopated ה ending meaning “come to pass.”

יוֹנה  name: “Jonah”

אמתי  name: “Amattai” (BDB 54)

Verse 2   

קום  verb: Qal imperative 2ms which means “arise.”

הלך  verb: Qal imperative 2ms with apocopated ה and means “go.”

נינוה  name: “Ninevah”

קרא  verb: Qal imperative 2ms meaning “call out/preach”

עלה  verb: Qal perfect 3fs from the 3^rd ה verb meaning “went/gone up”

רע  noun: with 3mp suffix meaning “evil”

Verse 3   

ברח  verb: Qal infinitive construct + ל meaning “to flee”

תרשׁישׁה  name: “Tarshish”

ירד  verb: Qal preterit 3ms

יפו  name: “Joppa”

אניה  noun: “ship”

באה verb: Qal active participle fs meaning “going”

שׂכר noun: with 3fs suffix meaning “fare” 

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 1

• וַיְהִי Qal imperfect + vav consecutive (wayyiqtol) is commonly found at the beginning of a narrative, prophetic or instructional sections, and the vav attached to the imperfect should generally be left untranslated.
• The subsequent construct nouns (בֶן־אֲמִתַּ֖י ) are in apposition with Jonah, which serves to further clarify who Jonah is.  The genitive in this construct is a genitive of relationship marking kinship.
• לֵאמֹר is a normal indicator of direct quotations, or marked speech.  Additionally, after the verb היה a ל followed by an infinitive construct functions as the predicate of the clause and bears a connotation of imminence (BHRG, 155).

Verse 2

• Two Qal imperatives side by side (ק֠וּם לֵ֧ךְ) without a conjoining vav indicates a sense of urgency.
• Nineveh is followed by the noun עִ֥יר which is appositional to it.  עִ֥יר agrees with the noun in respect of determination.  The article, which is likely functioning either as Naming or Definite Place, is normal for determinate nouns (Arnold, 30).  In the present case a definite attributive adjective (הַגְּדוֹלָ֖ה) is present as well.  When multiple attributives are constructed on a single noun, each adjective takes the article if the noun is determinate. It appears here that both nouns are attributes in apposition with Nineveh; however, an adjective cannot directly qualify a proper noun and it is best to translate this phrase Nineveh the great (Jouon, §138a, §141c).
• The particle (כִּֽי) introduces a dependent clause.
• What has went up is the noun רָעָתָ֖ם (evil), which has a 3mp suffix acting as a genitive to the noun.  The antecedent of evil is likely that of the inhabitants of the city previously mentioned.

Verse 3

• The zaqef qaton ( ֔ ) marks the first major junction in the verse and is under the accusative noun Tarshish, which possesses a directional ָה and functions as an Accusative of Direction.
• The form עִמָּהֶם֙ is a preposition with 3mp suffix and its antecedent is implied as the sailors.

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