וַיַּזְעֵ֗ק וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ בְּנִֽינְוֵ֔ה מִטַּ֧עַם הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וּגְדֹלָ֖יו לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָדָ֨ם וְהַבְּהֵמָ֜ה הַבָּקָ֣ר וְהַצֹּ֗אן אַֽל־יִטְעֲמוּ֙ מְא֔וּמָה אַ֨ל־יִרְע֔וּ וּמַ֖יִם אַל־יִשְׁתּֽוּ׃
왕이 그 대신으로 더불어 조서를 내려 니느웨에 선포하여 가로되 사람이나 짐승이나 소떼나 양떼나 아무 것도 입에 대지 말지니 곧 먹지도 말 것이요 물도 마시지 말 것이며
Depths of Yonah
It is one of the most peculiar aspects of the Yonah story, which has more than its fair share of unusual features. The fact that the king of Nineveh ordered animals to fast (Yonah 3:7) is no less than bizarre and demands an explanation!
Abarbanel
Additionally, the king of Nineveh(who was the king of Assyria [as well]) when he knew [of] this rose from his throne and removed his [royal] mantle, and sat in ashes, as if Nineveh had already been destroyed(Verse 7), and commanded to announce in Nineveh: "[Coming] from the conception of the king and his nobles," meaning to say his advisors, "[it is decreed] man and animal not taste [food] nor drink [water], and this commandment applied to animals [even] if they did not have owners, because all [of the measures] were based on [the idea] that "the eyes of ever creature are on Him, Blessed is He," and in order that the animals in [danger of] the overturning of the city would cry out and fast before Him so that He would have mercy on them.