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Hi Steve,
We have a translation issue in this verse. The [Hebrew/Aramaic] word translated evil is the word ra. It can be translated evil,
in particular, if it's used as an adjective or adverb. As a noun, it's
best translated as a disaster, calamity or affliction. Let's look at the
verse, itself, to illustrate the point.
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God
repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did
not do it.
Jonah 3:10 (RSV)
The word evil appears twice, once to describe the ways being practiced
by the Ninevites, the second time as a noun to describe the calamity of
judgment which would befall Nineveh if they didn't repent. You don't
have to be a Hebrew scholar, (which I'm not), to understand the use of
the word in this instance. The context dictates the meaning.
In verse 9 it reads:
"Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so
that we perish not? Jonah 3:9 (RSV)
So clearly, in describing God's action, the word evil is not
talking about an intrinsic evil, rather it is descriptive of the experience
from the Ninevite perspective. In fact, the fierce anger stems
from the righteousness of God, not a sadistic evil tendency. The fact that
He gave them the opportunity to repent tells us that God is righteous and
above all merciful.
Again, we have to look at context when exegeting
a passage. Looking at
each word is helpful, but remember, even in English, we often use the
same word with a different intent.
I can say,
"I had a bad day."
By that I mean all kinds of things went
wrong or I can say,
"That is a bad action."
meaning that is sinful behavior.
The same principle should apply to the word threaten. It can
mean:
- a warning for the persons own good, or
- it can mean something nefarious.
I hope this helps,
John D.
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