God does not permit the fires of affliction to burn any hotter than is necessary to consume the dross. If His children respond to mild chastisements, severer judgments become unnecessary. On the other hand, a persistent refusal to repent under the easier tests requires that each successive affliction come with increased intensity. This was the case with Israel. The minor calamities had been insufficient to accomplish any lasting reformation, and the nation, by its continued course of rebellion, was rapidly approaching the ultimate doom of complete national destruction. It appears that the temporary alleviation under Jeroboam was designed to give a demonstration of what God was willing to do even at this late hour for the rebellious nation. It was not yet too late, but the limits of divine forbearance had almost been reached; the end was hastening on apace.

The period was one of intense prophetic activity. In times of crisis and need God provides special divine direction. In addition to the prophetic utterances of Jonah, the prophecies of Hosea and Amos fell in this period. The messages of these books throw additional light on the conditions of the times.

 The exact meaning of this phrase is not clear. It seems to denote that the widespread calamity was to be upon all classes (see Deut. 32:36; 1 Kings 14:10; 2 Kings 9:8). The two ideas may be in antithesis to each other, meaning, “him that is shut up and him that is loose,” or “him that is bound and him that is free.”