The people of Nineveh believed God, called for a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least Jonah 3:5. Their response spread through the city and included both leaders and common people Jonah 3:5–6.
In Jonah 3:5 the city’s response begins immediately and publicly: the people take Jonah’s warning seriously and treat it as a matter between them and God. Their “believing God” is shown through shared actions, not private feelings—announcing a fast and putting on sackcloth. This verse sits in the middle of Jonah’s second commission to go to Nineveh (3:1–4), where Jonah finally delivers the warning. Verse 5 marks the first wave of Nineveh’s reaction before later details expand how far the response spreads, including leadership participation and specific commands (3:6–9).
Jonah 3:5 presents a rapid, citywide response to Jonah’s warning. The text explicitly says the people “believed God,” and that this belief showed up as coordinated public mourning: they announced a fast and wore sackcloth. These are not described as private spiritual feelings but as visible, shared crisis practices.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Jonah 3:5, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
5The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.