Jonah 4 11

Jonah 4:11 kjv

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

Jonah 4:11 nkjv

And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left?and much livestock?"

Jonah 4:11 niv

And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left?and also many animals?"

Jonah 4:11 esv

And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?"

Jonah 4:11 nlt

But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?"

Jonah 4 verses

Jonah 4 11 Meaning

The Lord asks Jonah if it is right for him to be angry about the plant. This rhetorical question underscores the triviality of Jonah's anger over a temporary plant compared to the immense value of the lives of Nineveh's people, whom the Lord chose not to destroy. It highlights God's compassion and concern for all creation.

Jonah 4 11 Context

Jonah has been given a mission to preach repentance to Nineveh. The city repents, and God spares them from destruction. However, Jonah becomes intensely angry about this outcome, feeling his prophecy has been disgraced. He withdraws from the city, sulks, and expresses his desire to die. God, in His persistent grace, teaches Jonah a lesson through a plant that withers. Jonah's anger focuses on the loss of this plant, which provided him shade, despite its short life and the fact that he did nothing to make it grow. This final exchange emphasizes God's compassion for the great city of Nineveh, which includes over 120,000 people who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left, highlighting their innocence and inability to discern good from evil. The context underscores the contrast between Jonah's self-centeredness and God's all-encompassing mercy and love for all His creation, including those outside Israel.

Jonah 4 11 Word Analysis

• "And" (Hebrew: וְ - ve): Connects this final statement and question to the preceding events and Jonah's anger. It signifies continuation.
• "did" (Hebrew: עָשָׂה - asah): Denotes action or doing. In this context, it refers to what the Lord has done concerning Nineveh.
• "the" (Hebrew: הַ - ha): Definite article.
• "LORD" (Hebrew: יְהוָה - Yahweh): The covenant name of God, emphasizing His personal relationship and faithfulness.
• "see" (Hebrew: רָאָה - ra'ah): To perceive visually or to understand. God sees the great number of people.
• "that" (Hebrew: כִּי - ki): Here functioning as a conjunction introducing the reason or the extent of what God saw.
• "it" (Hebrew: הֵמָּה - hemmah): Refers to the people of Nineveh, explicitly distinguishing them by their numerical quantity and their inability to discern.
• "was" (Hebrew: הָיָה - hayah): State of being.
• "good" (Hebrew: טוֹב - tov): Connotes what is morally right, pleasing, or beneficial. God sees the potential for good and the overall value in sparing them.
• "and" (Hebrew: וְ - ve): Continuation.
• "Jonah" (Hebrew: יוֹנָה - Yonah): The prophet's name, meaning "dove."
• "was" (Hebrew: הָיָה - hayah): State of being.
• "exceedingly" (Hebrew: עַד־מְאֹד - ad-me'od): An intensifier, meaning "greatly" or "to a very great extent."
• "grieved" (Hebrew: חָרָה - charah): To burn with anger, to be hot with anger. A strong emotional reaction.
• "and" (Hebrew: וְ - ve): Continuation.
• "his" (Hebrew: הוּא - hu): Possessive pronoun, referring to Jonah.
• "soul" (Hebrew: נֶפֶשׁ - nephesh): Can refer to life, person, or emotion/spirit. Here, it signifies his inner being or emotional state.
• "was" (Hebrew: הָיָה - hayah): State of being.
• "exceedingly" (Hebrew: עַד־מְאֹד - ad-me'od): Reinforces the intensity of his emotion.

Group Analysis:

• "And Yahweh said unto Jonah, Is it to thee right that thou art angry unto death?": The rhetorical question probes the appropriateness of Jonah's extreme negative emotion in relation to the plant. The phrase "angry unto death" signifies an overwhelming, life-destroying anger.
• "But the Lord said to Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?": This is a slightly different translation emphasizing the object of anger.
• "the Lord said to Jonah": The divine address to the human prophet, highlighting God's direct interaction.
• "Is it right that you are exceedingly angry?": This question directly challenges the validity and intensity of Jonah's emotional response. The Lord presents it as a question of justification.
• "about the plant?": This phrase narrows the focus of Jonah's anger to a specific, temporal, and ultimately insignificant object, contrasting it with the divine perspective.
• "Did the Lord see that it was good, and Jonah was exceedingly grieved?": This captures the stark contrast: God's perception of "good" (sparing Nineveh) versus Jonah's profound "grief" (over the plant). The verb "grieved" (charah) carries a strong sense of burning anger or displeasure.

Jonah 4 11 Bonus Section

The narrative in Jonah powerfully illustrates the attributes of God's mercy and sovereignty. Jonah's reluctance to see Nineveh repent and be forgiven is a reflection of the often exclusive mindset of his time regarding God's favor. The plant, a fleeting comfort, represents temporary human concerns that can obscure eternal divine truths. Jonah's intense anger signifies a failure to exhibit the character of God, specifically His slowness to anger and His abundant kindness. This final verse compels a reflection on what truly matters: divine compassion or human comfort and pride. The lesson learned here is that true righteousness involves reflecting God’s heart, which grieves over sin but rejoices in repentance and the preservation of life. It contrasts human, often narrow, affection with divine, boundless compassion.

Jonah 4 11 Commentary

The verse culminates God's dialogue with Jonah, using a potent rhetorical question to highlight Jonah's distorted perspective. Jonah’s anger is rooted in self-preservation of his prophetic reputation, not in genuine concern for righteousness or for others. God, in contrast, is motivated by compassion for the spiritual and physical well-being of a vast population. The Lord draws a stark parallel between Jonah’s intense anger over a plant—a perishable item that served Jonah temporarily and he did not even cause to grow—and the triviality of this feeling when weighed against the value of human life in Nineveh. The great number of Ninevites mentioned underscores their importance in God's eyes. This divine questioning serves as a gentle yet firm correction, exposing the root of Jonah's resentment: his narrow, human-centric view, which failed to grasp God’s universal love and mercy, especially towards the vulnerable and repentant. It challenges the listener to reflect on whether their own anger is justifiable, particularly when it opposes divine mercy.