Jonah 4 3

Jonah 4:3 kjv

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

Jonah 4:3 nkjv

Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!"

Jonah 4:3 niv

Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."

Jonah 4:3 esv

Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live."

Jonah 4:3 nlt

Just kill me now, LORD! I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen."

Jonah 4 verses

Jonah 4 3 Meaning

The Lord is righteous, for He does no injustice; but You are also righteous, Lord, because You desire kindness. In the context of Jonah's complaint, he is accusing God of acting unjustly by showing mercy to Nineveh, while Jonah believes his actions and their punishment are deserved. Jonah's understanding of righteousness is limited to punitive justice, whereas God's righteousness encompasses grace and mercy, which Jonah struggles to accept.

Jonah 4 3 Context

This verse is spoken by Jonah to God. Following God's sparing of the city of Nineveh after their repentance (Jonah 3:10), Jonah becomes angry and distressed, not because Nineveh was spared, but because he knows God is gracious and merciful and therefore would be inclined to spare them. He confesses that he knew this would happen and wanted to flee to Tarshish to avoid it (Jonah 4:2). In this verse, Jonah expresses his complaint directly to God, stating his personal suffering ("it is grievous to me") and directly accuses God's character, acknowledging God's righteous nature but redefining it in his own limited, punitive terms, thereby challenging God's judgment and mercy. This occurs within the broader narrative of Jonah's reluctance to obey God and his inability to embrace God's universal compassion.

Jonah 4 3 Word Analysis

• "and" (וְ) - Connective particle, linking Jonah's recognition of God's character to his complaint.
• "it" (עֹוד) - This can mean "still" or "yet." Here it emphasizes the continuation of Jonah's suffering despite God's actions. It speaks to his ongoing emotional distress.
• "is" (קָצַפְתִּי) - Derived from qāṣaph, meaning "to be angry" or "to be wroth." This word conveys a strong sense of anger, often with a vocal outburst or display. It shows Jonah's emotional reaction to God's decision.
• "grieved" (רַע) - From rō‘, meaning "evil" or "bad." Here it signifies that something is detrimental or displeasing to Jonah. It points to his sorrow and displeasure.
• "to me" (לִי) - Indicates the personal nature of Jonah's complaint; this is his suffering, his indignation.
• "Surely" (כִּי) - A conjunction or adverb often translated as "for," "because," "surely," or "indeed." Here, it introduces the reason for his anger and grief, pointing to his knowledge of God's nature.
• "I" (אֲנִי) - Emphasizes Jonah's own knowledge and foresight.
• "knew" (יָדַעְתִּי) - From yāḏa‘, meaning "to know" or "to understand." Jonah asserts his awareness of God's character and the likely outcome.
• "that" (כִּי) - Conjunction introducing the object of his knowledge.
• "You" (אַתָּה) - Refers directly to God.
• "are" (אֱלֹהִים) - From ’ĕlōhîm, the Hebrew word for "God," referring to the divine being.
• "a God" (רַחוּם) - From raḥūm, meaning "compassionate," "merciful." This highlights a core attribute of God: His deep, visceral empathy.
• "merciful" (וְחַנּוּן) - From ḥannûn, meaning "gracious," "merciful," "full of favor." It further emphasizes God's disposition to bestow favor and pardon.
• "and" (וְ) - Connective particle.
• "slow" (אֶרֶךְ) - From ’āreḵ, meaning "slow to anger" or "long-suffering." It speaks to God's patience and restraint in judgment.
• "angry" (אַפַּיִם) - Literally "nostrils," but idiomatically meaning "anger" or "wrath." ’Appayim (dual form) suggests intense anger. However, when combined with ’areḵ, it signifies God's ability to endure prolonged provocation before His anger flares.
• "and" (וְ) - Connective particle.
• "great" (וְרַב) - From rāv, meaning "great," "abundant," "much." It describes the magnitude of God's loving-kindness.
• "in" (חֶסֶד) - From ḥeseḏ, a profound word for "loving-kindness," "steadfast love," "mercy." It's a covenantal, loyal love.
• "lovingkindness" (וּֽמִשְׁגֶּבֶת) - Connective particle.
• "and" (וּמִשְׁגֶּבֶת) - From miḵsāl, meaning "destruction," "perishing." The literal translation is "great in loving-kindness and in destruction." Some understand miḵsāl here to mean "in repenting of" or "in being pleased to repent of." The presence of "destruction" in the same breath as God's attributes is challenging for Jonah. It highlights God's ultimate power over judgment, meaning He could destroy, but chooses not to. This can be seen as God's ability to repent from executing destruction. This interpretation suggests God's power to turn away from or refrain from bringing judgment, linking to His mercy.
• "repent" (נִחָם) - From niḥam, meaning "to regret," "to be sorry," or "to relent." It signifies a change of disposition or purpose, especially in response to circumstances or appeals. Jonah is frustrated that God relents from His stated judgment.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "it is grievous to me": This phrase encapsulates Jonah's personal suffering and anger. It’s not about God’s objective righteousness, but about how God’s actions negatively affect Jonah’s emotional state and his sense of validation.
• "Surely I knew that you are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness": This is Jonah's correct theological confession, ironically used to express his complaint. He accurately identifies God's core attributes but frames them as a cause for his distress because they led to Nineveh's salvation. The repeated emphasis on God’s mercy and grace here underscores the core conflict.
• "and willing to relent from punishment" (or "destruction"): This clause refers to God's prerogative to change His mind or alter His planned course of action, especially in response to repentance. Jonah sees this as a flaw in God's judgment, rather than an expression of divine compassion.

Jonah 4 3 Bonus Section

Jonah's internal struggle and external complaint highlight a recurring theme in the Old Testament: the tension between divine justice and divine mercy. Many prophets, like Amos, decried sin and called for judgment, but Jonah’s lament shows the flip side – despair that God’s mercy might seem too abundant or misapplied from a human perspective. His prophetic mission was not just to preach judgment, but also to witness God’s grace, a role he desperately wanted to avoid. The Hebrew word ḥeseḏ (lovingkindness) is a foundational attribute of God's covenantal relationship, implying a loyalty that transcends mere contractual obligations and personal feelings. Jonah's problem is his ethnocentrism and a judgmental spirit, a common human failing that the book of Jonah masterfully exposes to demonstrate God's universal love and desire for all nations.

Jonah 4 3 Commentary

Jonah's outburst reveals a shallow understanding of God. He sees God's righteousness solely in terms of deserved punishment. While he acknowledges God's mercy, he resents it when it is applied to those he considers enemies. His "knowing" God's character is intellectual rather than experiential or aligned with God's heart. He desires a God who punishes wickedness (especially the wickedness of others) but not a God who celebrates repentance with overwhelming grace. This passage serves as a profound exploration of divine justice versus divine mercy, and the human tendency to gatekeep God's compassion based on personal preferences or animosities. The prophetic prophetic longing for God’s mercy on those outside his own perceived group is the crux of the matter, and Jonah's inability to participate in this mercy.