Matthew Poole and continuators on Jonah 3:10

10 ¶ And God saw their works , that they turned from their evil way , and God repented of the evill that he had said that he would do unto them , and he did it not l.

Not onely with naked and single intuition, but he saw and approved, was singularly well pleased with that he saw.

Works not words are sure signs of what men are, humbling themselves to the dust, extraordinary Fasting, and crying unto God these were some of their works, but God saw more then these external professing work.

Vid. ver. 8. let. u. they did heartily, presently and universally turn from the ways of impiety against God, of injustice against man, from the ways of luxury and pride, from all their violence against man, without this all the rest had been not worth the observing nor would God have regarded it.

This is spoken as before, ver. 9. let. a. (and as his seeing is attributed to him) after the manner of man, and must be applied unto our unchangeable God, so as may not reflect any blemish upon his Truth, constancy or immutability. Though he is said to repent 'tis not as man doth who may through frailty of his nature lie, but our God is not a man, or as the Son of man that he should change or lie.

Of punishment.

Threatned by Ionah's mouth.

To sinning Ninevites, who did rightly conjecture that 'twas possible, this dreadful message might be a minatory warning, and might be big of a merciful condition of pardon if they repented, and there was no other way to make the discovery of this but that they took. For he will not deal with penitent sinners as with impenitent, though his justice would not have spared unrepenting Citizens, his Mercy is so great he will not destroy repenting sinners.