Speaking:

“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.” These are the words that God directly passed on to Jonah to tell the Ninevites, so of course, these are the words that Jehovah wished to say to the Ninevites.

I

When the king of Nineveh heard this news, he arose from his throne, took off his robe, dressed himself in sackcloth and sat in ashes. He then proclaimed that no one in the city would be allowed to taste anything. Man and livestock alike were to don sackcloth, and the people were to make earnest entreaties to God. The king also proclaimed that everyone would turn away from their evil ways and forsake the violence in their hands. Judging from this series of actions, the king of Nineveh had true repentance in the depths of his heart. Through this series of actions, the king of Nineveh truly accomplished that which a ruler should. His series of actions is one that was difficult for any king in human history to achieve, and indeed, no other king achieved these things. These actions can be called unprecedented in human history, and they are worthy of being both remembered and imitated by mankind.

II

Since the dawn of man, every king had led his subjects to resist and oppose God. No one had ever led his subjects to entreat God to make up for their evil deeds, receive Jehovah God’s pardon and avoid imminent punishment. But the king of Nineveh could lead his subjects to turn to God, to leave their respective evil ways behind and abandon the violence in their hands. Furthermore, he could put aside his throne, and in return, Jehovah God had a change of mind and felt regret, retracting His wrath and allowing the people of the city to survive, keeping them from destruction. It can be said with certainty that the actions of the king were a rare miracle in human history, and they can truly be regarded as a model example of corrupt humanity repenting and confessing their sins to God.

from The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique II