Jonah 4 1

Jonah 4:1 kjv

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

Jonah 4:1 nkjv

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.

Jonah 4:1 niv

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.

Jonah 4:1 esv

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

Jonah 4:1 nlt

This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

Jonah 4 verses

Jonah 4 1 meaning

Jonah chapter 4 verse 1 immediately follows God's decision to spare Nineveh because of their collective repentance. The verse reveals Jonah's extreme personal distress and intense anger over God's compassion and mercy towards the Assyrian city, the very outcome Jonah had attempted to avoid. He finds God's goodness and willingness to forgive to be "bad" and profoundly irritating, demonstrating a significant misalignment between his personal desires and God's universal character.

Jonah 4 1 Context

The verse immediately follows Jonah 3:10, which describes God relenting from the judgment He had proclaimed against Nineveh due to their collective repentance. This stark reversal, from prophesied destruction to divine mercy, directly precipitates Jonah's reaction. Chapter 3 showcases Nineveh's extraordinary conversion—from king to livestock—in response to Jonah's minimalist sermon. Chapter 4 then plunges into Jonah's personal struggle, contrasting God's expansive compassion with Jonah's narrow nationalism and concern for his own prophetic reputation. Historically, Assyria (with its capital Nineveh) was a brutal and oppressive empire, an enemy that routinely terrorized Israel. From Jonah's perspective, God's mercy towards such a powerful and wicked adversary was not only unpatriotic but also seemed to undermine justice, validate their sin, and potentially compromise his prophetic integrity, since his declaration of doom had apparently failed.

Jonah 4 1 Word analysis

• Word-by-word analysis:

  • "But" (וַיֵּרַע - wa-yera - conjunction 'and' here functioning adversatively 'but'): Connects Jonah's reaction directly to God's act of relenting in Jonah 3:10. It signals a strong contrast: what brought life to Nineveh brought extreme displeasure to Jonah.
  • "it displeased" (וַיֵּרַע - wa-yera - from root רעַ, ra, meaning "bad," "evil," "calamity," "misfortune"): Literally, "it was evil/bad for Jonah," or "it displeased Jonah greatly." This Hebrew idiom, identical to Gen 4:5 where Cain's offering was not accepted and "it was bad for Cain," vividly expresses profound emotional distress or personal offense. The use of ra is deeply ironic: God's mercy is perceived as "evil" or "bad" in Jonah's eyes.
  • "Jonah" (לְיוֹנָה - le-yonah - preposition 'to' + Jonah): The protagonist, whose very name means "dove" (symbol of peace or the Holy Spirit), is depicted here in stark opposition to such symbolism, highlighting the narrative's central irony.
  • "exceedingly" / "very" (גְּדוֹלָה - gedolah - adjective, "great," "large"): Modifies wa-yera, emphasizing the intense degree of Jonah's displeasure. It wasn't a minor annoyance but a significant, great internal struggle and personal offense.
  • "and he was very angry" / "and he became furious" (וַיִּחַר לוֹ - wa-yihar lo - verb charah, "to be hot," "to burn"): Literally, "and it burned hot for him." This phrase idiomatically denotes fierce, intense, burning anger, often implying righteous indignation in divine contexts but here used for human, potentially unrighteous, anger. It reflects an inward seething passion.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly": This phrase highlights the radical contrast between God's boundless compassion and Jonah's narrow-minded perspective. The "it" refers directly to God's mercy toward Nineveh. For Jonah, God's grace was a personal offense, challenging his expectations, national pride, and potentially his reputation as a prophet whose pronouncements of doom did not materialize.
  • "and he was very angry": This intense anger is not just simple annoyance but a deep, burning indignation. It reflects a spirit of resentment against God's prerogative to show mercy and a failure to rejoice in the repentance and salvation of a vast multitude. His anger arises from seeing his enemies spared, directly challenging the notion of a loving God whose compassion extends beyond national boundaries and whose will transcends human desires.

Jonah 4 1 Bonus section

The dramatic irony in Jonah's name ("dove") contrasting with his furious, unyielding heart in this verse is a deliberate literary device emphasizing his spiritual blindness. The Hebrew term ra, meaning "evil" or "displeasing," which Jonah applies to God's act of mercy, is the same term God used in Jonah 3:10 to describe the "disaster" or "evil" from which He relented. This reversal highlights Jonah's distorted moral compass. His anger is not simply disappointment but a challenge to God's sovereign right to extend grace, positioning Jonah's human judgment against divine wisdom and compassion. The entire Book of Jonah serves as a polemic against narrow ethno-centrism within Israel, reminding them of their prophetic calling to be a light to the Gentiles and God's expansive, covenantal mercy meant for all nations who repent. This verse is the emotional crux from which God will directly engage Jonah to confront his prejudice and selfishness, unfolding a divine tutorial on compassion.

Jonah 4 1 Commentary

Jonah 4:1 is a profoundly significant verse that immediately establishes the central conflict of the book's final chapter: Jonah's visceral displeasure with God's mercy. Instead of celebrating the Ninevites' repentance and God's boundless compassion, Jonah reacted with immense personal offense and fierce anger. This response reveals a deep spiritual malady: a nationalistic fervor that overshadowed universal love, a personal pride rooted in expecting prophetic predictions to be rigidly fulfilled, and a fundamental misunderstanding of God's patient, redemptive character. The verse sets up a dramatic contrast between a God who relents from judgment to save and a prophet who would prefer destruction for a sworn enemy, underscoring God's consistent desire for all to repent, not to perish. It positions Jonah as an anti-hero whose internal struggle against divine grace becomes a lesson on the expansive nature of God's love and the danger of self-righteous indignation.