וַֽאֲנִי֙ לֹ֣א אָח֔וּס עַל־נִינְוֵ֖ה הָעִ֣יר הַגְּדוֹלָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֶשׁ־בָּ֡הּ הַרְבֵּה֩ מִֽשְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵ֨ה רִבּ֜וֹ אָדָ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יָדַע֙ בֵּין־יְמִינ֣וֹ לִשְׂמֹאל֔וֹ וּבְהֵמָ֖ה רַבָּֽה׃
און מיר זאָל ניט זײַן אַ שאָד אױף דער גרוסיער שטאָט נינוֵה, װאָס אין איר זײַנען דאָ מער װי צװעלף מאָל צען טױזנט מענטשן, װאָס װײסן ניט צװישן זײער רעכטער האַנט און זײער לינקער, און אױך בהמות אַ סך?
Depths of Yonah
In explaining why He forgave Nineveh, Hashem tells Yonah that the city’s many inhabitants do not know between right and left (Yonah 4:11). Presumably this means they do not distinguish between right and wrong.
Depths of Yonah
Professor Uriel Simon presents intriguing support to this approach. He notes that archaeological discoveries indicate that the population of Nineveh hovered around 300,000. This, of course, is far more than the population of 120,000 people mentioned in Yonah 4:11. Professor Simon suggests that the 120,000 refers to those residents who are innocent, namely the children.
Depths of Yonah
Yonah 4:11 just might serve as the Biblical basis for the Rambam’s assertion. The powerful cultural legacy of idolatry in the ancient near east and the lack of appropriate spiritual guidance in the region make it reasonable for one to classify the people of Nineveh as Tinokot SheNishbu.