Nineveh Repents (Ch. 3). 

        In the description of Nineveh there is probably an element of Oriental exaggeration, which is quite understandable. After the small tightly packed Palestinian cities on their tells the wide expanse of Nineveh, including even open land within its walls, must have seemed enormous. While “three days’ journey” is a rough approximation, we find it confirmed for the circumference of the city by Diodorus Siculus, who esti­mated it at about 60 miles (See Lanchester: Obadiah & Jonah (C.B.), p. 53. It is “Greater Nineveh” that is meant, the actual city was much smaller, see Bewer: Jonah (I.C.C.), p. 51.). The impression — not necessarily correct — made by ch. 3 is that the whole of it took place within a day. If so the “day’s journey” (ver. 4) covers his whole movements.