Jonah, 4

Name: Jonah
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Mercy Repentance Judgment God Desires Compassion Joy Suffering Death Anger

Jonah becomes angry and frustrated that God has spared Nineveh, and God teaches Jonah a lesson about His mercy and compassion.

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Bible version

Jonah's Anger and God's Mercy

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.

6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Commentary

In Jonah chapter 4, we see the prophet Jonah's reaction to God's mercy and compassion towards the people of Nineveh. After Jonah had preached to the people of Nineveh and they had repented of their sins, God had mercy on them and did not bring the destruction that Jonah had warned them of. Jonah was angry and frustrated that God had not kept his word and destroyed the city. In response to this, Jonah went out and made a shelter for himself to wait and see what would happen to Nineveh. He was hoping that God would still bring destruction upon the city. However, God had other plans. He sent a plant to grow and provide shade for Jonah, and then sent a worm to destroy the plant. This was a reminder to Jonah that God is in control and that his plans are not always the same as ours. God then asked Jonah a question, "Doest thou well to be angry?" This question was meant to remind Jonah that God is merciful and compassionate, and that his plans are not always the same as ours. Jonah's response was to ask God to take his life, as he was so frustrated and angry. This chapter serves as a reminder to us that God is in control and that his plans are not always the same as ours. We must remember to trust in God and his plans, even when we don't understand them. We must also remember to be thankful for God's mercy and compassion, and to not be angry when things don't go our way.

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FAQ

Assuming a reader with an average reading speed of 300 WPM reads the Jonah, chapter 4 it would take approximately 1 minutes to finish.

There are 11 verses in Jonah, chapter 4.