Jonah 4

Jonah's Displeasure Rebuked

1 But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became ¹angry.

2 He ²prayed to the LORD and said, "Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore * in order to forestall this I ³fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a ⁴gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.

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

4 The LORD said, "Do you have good reason to be angry?"

5 Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and ⁷sat under it in the shade until * he could see what would happen in the city.

6 So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over * Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely * happy about the plant.

7 But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it ⁸withered.

8 When the sun came up God appointed a scorching ⁹east wind, and the ¹⁰sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, "¹¹Death is better to me than life."

9 Then God said to Jonah, "Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "I have good reason to be angry, even to death."

10 Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight * and perished overnight *.

11 "Should I not ¹²have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 * * persons who do not ¹³know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many ¹⁴animals?"

Jonah 4 Commentary

Chapter 4

Jonah repines at God's mercy to Nineveh, and is reproved. (1-4) He is taught by the withering of a gourd, that he did wrong. (5-11)

Verses 1-4 What all the saints make matter of joy and praise, Jonah makes the subject of reflection upon God; as if showing mercy were an imperfection of the Divine nature, which is the greatest glory of it. It is to his sparing, pardoning mercy, we all owe it that we are out of hell. He wishes for death: this was the language of folly, passion, and strong corruption. There appeared in Jonah remains of a proud, uncharitable spirit; and that he neither expected nor desired the welfare of the Ninevites, but had only come to declare and witness their destruction. He was not duly humbled for his own sins, and was not willing to trust the Lord with his credit and safety. In this frame of mind, he overlooked the good of which he had been an instrument, and the glory of the Divine mercy. We should often ask ourselves, Is it well to say thus, to do thus? Can I justify it? Do I well to be so soon angry, so often angry, so long angry, and to give others ill language in my anger? Do I well to be angry at the mercy of God to repenting sinners? That was Jonah's crime. Do we do well to be angry at that which is for the glory of God, and the advancement of his kingdom? Let the conversion of sinners, which is the joy of heaven, be our joy, and never our grief.

Verses 5-11 Jonah went out of the city, yet remained near at hand, as if he expected and desired its overthrow. Those who have fretful, uneasy spirits, often make troubles for themselves, that they may still have something to complain of. See how tender God is of his people in their afflictions, even though they are foolish and froward. A thing small in itself, yet coming seasonably, may be a valuable blessing. A gourd in the right place may do us more service than a cedar. The least creatures may be great plagues, or great comforts, as God is pleased to make them. Persons of strong passions are apt to be cast down with any trifle that crosses them, or to be lifted up with a trifle that pleases them. See what our creature-comforts are, and what we may expect them to be; they are withering things. A small worm at the root destroys a large gourd: our gourds wither, and we know not what is the cause. Perhaps creature-comforts are continued to us, but are made bitter; the creature is continued, but the comfort is gone. God prepared a wind to make Jonah feel the want of the gourd. It is just that those who love to complain, should never be left without something to complain of. When afflicting providences take away relations, possessions, and enjoyments, we must not be angry at God. What should especially silence discontent, is, that when our gourd is gone, our God is not gone. Sin and death are very dreadful, yet Jonah, in his heat, makes light of both. One soul is of more value than the whole world; surely then one soul is of more value than many gourds: we should have more concern for our own and others' precious souls, than for the riches and enjoyments of this world. It is a great encouragement to hope we shall find mercy with the Lord, that he is ready to show mercy. And murmurers shall be made to understand, that how willing soever they are to keep the Divine grace to themselves and those of their own way, there is one Lord over all, who is rich in mercy to all that call upon him. Do we wonder at the forbearance of God towards his perverse servant? Let us study our own hearts and ways; let us not forget our own ingratitude and obstinacy; and let us be astonished at God's patience towards us.

Cross References

• 1. Jonah 4:4, 9; Matthew 20:15; Luke 15:28
• 2. Jeremiah 20:7
• 3. Jonah 1:3
• 4. Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalms 86:5, 15; Joel 2:13
• 5. 1 Kings 19:4; Job 6:8, 9
• 6. Job 7:15, 16; Ecclesiastes 7:1
• 7. 1 Kings 19:9, 13
• 8. Joel 1:12
• 9. Ezekiel 19:12; Hosea 13:15
• 10. Psalms 121:6; Isaiah 49:10
• 11. Jonah 4:3
• 12. Jonah 3:10
• 13. Deuteronomy 1:39; Isaiah 7:16
• 14. Psalms 36:6

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "my word"
• [b]. Lit "I was beforehand in fleeing"
• [c]. Lit "soul"
• [d]. Lit "the city"
• [e]. Probably a castor oil plant, and so in vv 7, 9 and 10
• [f]. Lit "greatly"
• [g]. Probably a castor oil plant, and so in vv 7, 9 and 10
• [h]. Lit "was a son of a night"
• [i]. Lit "a son of a night"

Chapter Summary

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.