Jonah 4:4 kjv
Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
Jonah 4:4 nkjv
Then the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"
Jonah 4:4 niv
But the LORD replied, "Is it right for you to be angry?"
Jonah 4:4 esv
And the LORD said, "Do you do well to be angry?"
Jonah 4:4 nlt
The LORD replied, "Is it right for you to be angry about this?"
Jonah 4 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jonah 4:4 | "And the LORD said, Doest thou well to be angry?" | Jonah 4:11 |
| Genesis 6:6 | "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on earth, and it grieved him at his heart." | God's sorrow over man's sin |
| Deuteronomy 32:36 | "For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself concerning his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is no standing nor abiding." | God's mercy and justice |
| Psalm 103:8 | "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." | God's compassionate nature |
| Psalm 145:8 | "The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy." | God's compassionate nature |
| Isaiah 30:18 | "And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may have mercy upon you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him." | God's patient mercy |
| Isaiah 49:15 | "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." | God's unfailing compassion |
| Isaiah 55:7 | "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." | God's abundant forgiveness |
| Jeremiah 18:7-10 | "At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, do turn from their wickedness, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it not obey my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them." | God's conditional repentance |
| Joel 2:13 | "And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil." | Call to repentance with God's mercy |
| John 3:16 | "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." | God's love for the world |
| Romans 9:20-21 | "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" | God's sovereignty and authority |
| 1 Corinthians 1:27 | "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;" | God's unconventional choices |
| Ephesians 2:4-5 | "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" | God's rich mercy and love |
| Colossians 1:13 | "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son;" | God's deliverance |
| Titus 3:4-5 | "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" | Salvation by God's mercy |
| 1 Peter 3:20 | "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." | God's long-suffering |
| Revelation 7:9 | "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palms in their hands;" | Inclusivity of God's salvation |
Jonah 4 verses
Jonah 4 4 Meaning
The Lord questions Jonah's anger about the plant, highlighting Jonah's focus on a perishable plant he did not cause to grow, while simultaneously demonstrating God's compassion for the vast city of Nineveh, which contains over one hundred twenty thousand people who cannot discern between their right and left hands (a sign of innocence or extreme immaturity). God emphasizes the injustice of valuing a plant over so many lives.
Jonah 4 4 Context
This verse is spoken by God to Jonah after Jonah's anger at the Ninevites' salvation and his subsequent desire to die. Jonah had been commanded to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh, but the city repented and was spared. Jonah, however, was displeased by this outcome. He built a booth and waited to see what would happen. God caused a plant to grow quickly to shade Jonah, which Jonah was glad about. Then God sent a worm to destroy the plant and a scorching east wind. Jonah became furious and wished to die, stating his anger was so great that death was preferable to life. It is within this setting that God confronts Jonah's emotional state and flawed perspective, contrasting his attachment to a fleeting plant with God's compassion for a large population.
Jonah 4 4 Word analysis
And (וְ, v') - A conjunction, indicating a continuation or addition to the previous statement.
the LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh) - The personal name of God, emphasizing His covenant relationship and sovereign authority.
said (אָמַר, amar) - To speak, declare, or command. God's speech here is rhetorical, meant to prompt reflection.
Dost (הַ, ha) - An interrogative particle, marking the sentence as a question.
thou (אַתָּה, atah) - Second person masculine singular pronoun, referring directly to Jonah.
well (הַטּוֹב, ha-tov) - "Is it good?" or "Is it right?". It challenges the morality or wisdom of Jonah's anger.
to be angry (לְהִתְרֹעַ, lehitro'a) - The infinitive form of the verb meaning to be vexed, angered, or displeased. Jonah’s emotion is the subject of the question.
About (עַל, al) - Preposition indicating cause, occasion, or concerning; here, the cause of Jonah's anger.
the gourd (הַקִּיקָיוֹן, ha-qiqayon) - The Hebrew word for the plant that shaded Jonah. The definite article "the" specifies this particular plant.
And (וְ, v') - Another conjunction.
hath (וַ, va and implicit through verb conjugation) - Indicates past tense action.
perished (אָבַד, avad) - To be lost, destroyed, or to pass away.
that (אֲשֶׁר, asher) - Relative pronoun introducing a subordinate clause describing the plant.
thou (אַתָּה, atah) - Again, directly addressing Jonah.
didst (יָצַרְתָּ, yatzarta) - The past tense conjugation of "to form" or "to make." God formed it.
not (לֹא, lo) - Negation. Jonah did not form or create it.
cause (בּוֹ, bo - literally "in it", modifying the previous statement implying effort in it, and also implicitly relating to the Lord causing it) - Implies effort or the active involvement of someone in its existence.
to come (בּוֹ, bo - literally "in it" or "through it", again signifying origin/creation, God caused its arrival and growth) - It refers to its growth or its coming into being.
up (This part of the thought is carried within the meaning of bo as causing to come forth/grow.) - Not a distinct Hebrew word here in the same sense.
Group Analysis:
- "Dost thou well to be angry?" - This rhetorical question from God directly challenges the validity and appropriateness of Jonah's anger. It's a probe into Jonah's perspective and moral reasoning. The focus is on the "rightness" or "goodness" of his emotional response.
- "about the gourd, and hast caused it to perish" - This highlights the contrast between Jonah's intense emotion and the object of his anger: a plant that he did nothing to create, only benefiting from its temporary shade, and then reacting drastically to its demise.
- "Didst not thou cause to come up" - This emphasizes God's role as the Creator and sustainer of life, in direct contrast to Jonah's passive experience with the plant. Jonah had no part in its origin or growth.
Jonah 4 4 Bonus section
The Hebrew word for "gourd" (קִיקָיוֹן, qiqayon) is a unique word in Scripture, appearing only in the book of Jonah. Its exact botanical identification is debated among scholars, with possibilities including the castor oil plant, gourd, or vine. Regardless of the precise species, its defining characteristic in this narrative is its rapid growth and rapid decay, symbolizing transience and the fickle nature of earthly comforts compared to God’s enduring concern for His creation, especially humanity. The text strongly suggests the plant grew overnight (Jonah 4:6), highlighting the miraculous nature of its growth, which was entirely the work of God. This further emphasizes Jonah’s lack of involvement in its origin.
Jonah 4 4 Commentary
God’s question is a masterful, yet gentle, challenge to Jonah’s self-centered grief. It implies that Jonah’s anger is misplaced. The plant was a temporary provision from God for Jonah’s comfort, not an achievement of Jonah’s own. Therefore, its demise, while perhaps causing discomfort, doesn’t warrant such profound anguish, especially when contrasted with a potentially repentant city. God is teaching Jonah about perspective, justice, and the true nature of His own compassion, which extends even to those who seem undeserving from a human viewpoint. This divine interjection reveals God’s mercy is far more extensive than human, or in this case, prophetic, understanding.