# Jonah 04 📖: God's Compassion for Nineveh [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Jonah Overview]] | [[Jonah 03]] | [[Micah 01]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### Jonah Responds to God’s Kindness [[#Verse 01.]] This displeased Jonah terribly and he became very angry.  [[#Verse 02.]] He prayed to the Lord and said, “Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. This is what I tried to prevent by attempting to escape to Tarshish, because I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment.  [[#Verse 03.]] So now, Lord, kill me instead, because I would rather die than live!”  [[#Verse 04.]] The Lord said, “Are you really so very angry?” [[#Verse 05.]] Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made a shelter for himself there and sat down under it in the shade to see what would happen to the city.  [[#Verse 06.]] The Lord God appointed a little plant and caused it to grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to rescue him from his misery.Now Jonah was very delighted about the little plant. [[#Verse 07.]] So God sent a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so that it dried up.  [[#Verse 08.]] When the sun began to shine, God sent a hot east wind. So the sun beat down on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life and said, “I would rather die than live!” [[#Verse 09.]] God said to Jonah, “Are you really so very angry about the little plant?” And he said, “I am as angry as I could possibly be!”  [[#Verse 10.]] The Lord said, “You were upset about this little plant, something for which you did not work, nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day.  [[#Verse 11.]] Should I not be more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than 120,000 people in it who do not know right from wrong, as well as many animals.” ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. It would have been great if the book ended in chapter three. We would likely think of Jonah as one of the greatest prophets in history. Under his ministry, the Lord saved an entire city. However, this chapter shows just how dark his heart really was. What is amazing, though, is it shows just how amazing God’s mercy truly is. God did not destroy him, as He would have been well justified in doing. He shows mercy. ###### Verse 01. - The Hebrew word for “angry” seems to indicate boiling water. He was overwhelmed in anger. - One of the reasons Jonah may have been so angry is because it is likely Amos and Hosea have already prophesied that Israel would be judged and God was going to use the Assyrians to do it. Therefore, God sparing Nineveh would spell disaster for Israel. ###### Verse 02. - This would have been a shock to the readers. Up to this point, the author has not revealed why Jonah was unwilling to originally go to Nineveh. Now we see that Jonah is no hero. - Jonah seems to be throwing God’s adjectives about Himself back in God’s face. It is uncertain if this is meant to say Jonah reluctantly knows God is good or if he is being passive-aggressive. ###### Verse 03. - One of several times in the book of Jonah that Jonah asks to die. ###### Verse 04. - Instead of judgment, the Lord works to bring conviction and clarity to his heart. ###### Verse 05. - It is possible this is before the 40 days were up. Therefore, Jonah is waiting to see if God will, indeed, relent or if judgment will come after all. - Likely a castor oil plant or Climbing Gourd. They can grow quickly in a dry climate. ###### Verse 06. - “Appointed”- this is the same word used in [[Jonah 01#Verse 17.]] When talking about the great fish. The author is making sure the reader understands God is at work. ###### Verse 07. - “Appointed” is used again. (See verse 5.) ###### Verse 08. - “Appointed” is used again. (See verse 5.) - If this wind came from the Arabian desert, it is known to be severe heat. - The literal Hebrew phrase seems to indicate that Jonah may have literally fainted. - Jonah, again, asks to die. ###### Verse 09. - God asks Jonah the second time about his anger. ###### Verse 10. - God ends with revealing His object lesson. Jonah had pity for the plant. God says that Jonah had nothing to do with the plant, yet he feels sorry for it. How much more should God feel pity for the people of Nineveh? ###### Verse 11. - 120,000 people - some commentators think that, because it says they did not know their “right hand from their left,” it means the author is saying these are children. However, a majority of commentators think this is saying they do not know to move forward spiritually. They are like newborn babies, spiritually. This would seem to make more sense with the context and the records of what Nineveh’s population possibly was during the time. **Abrupt ending**- The book of Jonah ends abruptly just like it began. The author intends to leave it open for us to decide ourselves whether Jonah responded to the Lord’s message or if he stayed bitter. I think he responded well for three reasons: 1. He either wrote this book or passed the story on to someone else. It would make sense that he would not have been able to write the lesson if he had not learned from it. 2. There is a tomb on the outside of the ancient city of Nineveh called “The Tomb of Jonah.” It is thought he was buried there. 3. Current Assyrian Christians trace their lineage back to the first worshipers of Yahweh that were reached during the ministry of Jonah. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Jonah quotes God's description of Himself from Exodus 34:6 (4:2), the same words found in Joel 2:13. 2. The plant (*qiqayon*) may have been a castor oil plant or a gourd vine. 3. The Hebrew word "appointed" is used for the fish (1:17), the plant (4:6), the worm (4:7), and the east wind (4:8). 4. A scorching east wind (4:8) blew in from the desert and could raise temperatures sharply. 5. Jonah asks to die in 4:3 and 4:8, as Elijah did under the broom tree (1 Kings 19:4). 6. God asks Jonah twice if he has a right to be angry (4:4, 9). 7. Nineveh had more than 120,000 people who did not know their right hand from their left (4:11). 8. The book's last words in Hebrew mention "many animals," showing God's care for all His creation. 9. Jonah and Nahum, both about Nineveh, are the only books of the Bible that end with a question. 10. The book of Jonah is read in synagogues on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the full revelation of the God who is gracious, compassionate, and slow to anger (4:2). Jonah resented mercy for his enemies, but Jesus died for His enemies (Romans 5:10) and wept over a lost city (Luke 19:41). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. Jonah was angry because God is gracious and compassionate (4:2). Why can God's mercy toward others make us angry? 2. Jonah cared more about the plant than the people of Nineveh (4:10-11). What do our emotions reveal about our priorities? 3. The book ends with God's question unanswered (4:11). How would you answer God's question if He asked it of you? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 2: Jonah knew God is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. - 📖 verse 4: The Lord asks Jonah, "Are you really this angry?" - 📖 verse 11: God asks if He should not have compassion on the great city of Nineveh. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[Exodus 34#Verse 06.|Exodus 34:6]] - The Lord is gracious and compassionate. - 🔗 [[Romans 05#Verse 10.|Romans 5:10]] - While we were enemies, we were reconciled. - 🔗 [[Luke 15#Verse 28.|Luke 15:28-32]] - The older brother refuses to celebrate mercy. - 🔗 [[Luke 19#Verse 41.|Luke 19:41]] - Jesus weeps over the city. - 🔗 [[1 Kings 19#Verse 04.|1 Kings 19:4]] - Elijah asks to die. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Jonah 04 - SOAP|The Heart of God]] ## 📂 Internal Notes