Why did Jonah flee?

(1) The word of GOD came to Jonah son of Amittai: (2) Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim judgment upon it; for their wickedness has come before Me. (3) Jonah, however, started out to flee to Tarshish from GOD’s service. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went aboard to sail with the others to Tarshish, away from GOD’s service.

On the fifth day Jonah fled before his God. Why did he flee? Because on the first occasion when (God) sent him to restore the border of Israel, his words were fulfilled, as it is said, "And he restored the border of Israel from the entering in of Hamath" (2 Kings 14:25).

On the second occasion (God) sent him to Jerusalem to (prophesy that God would) destroy it. But the Holy One, blessed be God, did according to the abundance of God's tender mercy and repented of the evil (decree), and God did not destroy it; thus they called him a lying prophet...

(23) In the fifteenth year of King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah, King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel became king in Samaria—for forty-one years. (24) He did what was displeasing to GOD; he did not depart from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit. (25) It was he who restored the territory of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the promise that the ETERNAL, the God of Israel, had made through God’s servant, the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath-hepher. (26) For GOD saw the very bitter plight of Israel, with neither bond nor free left, and with none to help Israel.

(1) This displeased Jonah greatly, and he was grieved. (2) He prayed to GOD, saying, “O ETERNAL One! Isn’t this just what I said when I was still in my own country? That is why I fled beforehand to Tarshish. For I know that You are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, renouncing punishment.

[God] sent him [Jonah] etc. [God] did, according to God's great mercy, God reduced the evil and did not destroy it. It seems to me that the interpretation of the verse (Jonah 4), "Isn’t this just what I said when I was still in my own country? [al admatai]

"... That the interpretation of the word admatai is holy Jerusalem, adamat hakadosh. And he [Jonah] wants to say, "From what I said in your name to prophesize [warning] Jerusalem [that they were going to be destroyed], but when they did teshuvah, my words did not stand [since it was not destroyed]."...

...On the third occasion (God) sent him against Nineveh to destroy it. Jonah argued with himself [dan Yonah din beino lbein atzmo], saying, I know that the nation is close to repentance [kerovei hateshuvah], now they will repent and the Holy One, blessed be God, will direct God's anger against Israel. And is it not enough for me that Israel should call me a lying prophet; but shall also the nations of the world (do likewise)?

Therefore, I will escape from God's presence to a place where God's glory is not declared. If I ascend above the heavens, it is said, "Above the heavens is God's glory" (Ps. 113:4). If [I escape on] the earth, it is said, "The whole earth is full of God's glory" (Isa. 6:8); thus, I will escape to the sea, to a place where God's glory is not proclaimed.

Jonah went down to Yafo, but he did not find a ship there in which he could embark, for the ship that Jonah might have taken was two days' journey away from Yafo, in order to test Jonah. What did the Holy One, blessed be God, do? God sent against it a mighty tempest on the sea and brought it back to Yafo. Then Jonah saw and rejoiced in his heart, saying, Now I know that my ways will prosper before me.

And behold, Jonah understood the truth of this matter. Therefore, he resolved in his heart not to go to Nineveh, so that the people of Assyria would not be saved from destruction through him. For how could his going be the cause of saving the Assyrians and destroying the Israelites? How could he bear to witness the harm that would come to his people by the Assyrians? Because of this, he fled from before God, meaning that he sought to distance himself from the Land of Israel, which is prepared for prophecy. He thought that prophecy does not rest outside of the Land, and that if he were in an impure land outside the Holy Land, prophecy would not rest upon him, and he would not be commanded to go to Nineveh and proclaim the prophecy. This way, he would not be an instrument or means for saving his enemies. And if the Blessed One wanted to save them, God would do so by God's own will, but not through Jonah or by his hand.