Jonah 4:1-6

Jonah's Anger and the Lord's Compassion

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,^[a] and ¹he was angry.

2 And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? ²That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a ³gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and ⁴relenting from disaster.

3 ⁵Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, ⁶for it is better for me to die than to live."

4 And the LORD said, ⁷"Do you do well to be angry?"

5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and ⁸made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.

6 Now the LORD God appointed a plant^[b] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.^[c] So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.

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Jonah 4:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JONAH 4

This chapter gives us an account of Jonah's displeasure at the repentance of the Ninevites, and at the Lord's showing mercy unto them, Jon 4:1; the angry prayer of Jonah upon it, Jon 4:2,3; the Lord's gentle reproof of him for it, Jon 4:4; his conduct upon that, Jon 4:5; the gourd prepared for him; its rise, usefulness, and destruction, which raised different passions in Jonah, Jon 4:6-8; the improvement the Lord made of this to rebuke Jonah, for his displicency at the mercy he showed to the Ninevites, and to convict him of his folly, Jon 4:9-11.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 8

1. [ver. 4, 9]
2. Jonah 1:3
3. See Joel 2:13
4. See Joel 2:13
5. [1 Kings 19:4]
6. [Ecclesiastes 7:1]
7. [ver. 1, 9]
8. [Nehemiah 8:15]

Footnotes 3

[a]. Hebrew it was exceedingly evil to Jonah
[b]. Hebrew qiqayon, probably the castor oil plant; also verses 7, 9, 10
[c]. Or his evil

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.