Jonah 4
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?
Common Questions About Jonah 4
Why does Jonah become angry in chapter 4?
Rather than rejoicing over Nineveh's repentance and God's mercy, Jonah becomes furious, admitting he fled to Tarshish in the first place precisely because he suspected God would show compassion to Nineveh, mercy he clearly resented them receiving.
What lesson does God teach Jonah through the plant?
God appoints a plant to give Jonah shade, then sends a worm to destroy it, and when Jonah becomes angry about losing the plant, God points out the inconsistency: Jonah cares more about a short-lived plant he didn't even grow than about the many thousands of people, and animals, in Nineveh.
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Questions to Think About
- Jonah struggled to accept God's mercy being extended to people he considered enemies. Are there people or groups you find it hard to want good things for, even if you wouldn't admit it outright?
- The book ends with an open question rather than a resolution to Jonah's attitude. How would you personally answer God's question about valuing compassion for people over your own comfort or preferences?
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