Jonah 4:6 kjv
And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.
Jonah 4:6 nkjv
And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
Jonah 4:6 niv
Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.
Jonah 4:6 esv
Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.
Jonah 4:6 nlt
And the LORD God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
Jonah 4 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jonah 4:6 | And the LORD God prepared a plant, and it came up over Jonah, to be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. | God's provision |
| Psalm 91:1 | He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. | Divine protection/shelter |
| Psalm 103:17 | But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children. | God's enduring mercy |
| Isaiah 41:2 | Who stirred up a righteous man from the east, calling him to his service? Who gave the nations before him and made him rule over kings? | God's sovereign actions |
| Isaiah 55:8 | “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD." | God's ways above human ways |
| Jeremiah 17:16 | Take no part in doing me harm. For my faithfulness and my salvation. | God's faithfulness to his people |
| Matthew 5:45 | to be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. | God's universal goodness |
| Matthew 6:28 | And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. | God's provision for creation |
| Matthew 13:31-32 | He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” | Growth and divine action |
| Luke 12:27 | Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. | God's provision for creation |
| John 3:8 | The wind blows where it wants, and you hear its sound, but do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” | Divine sovereignty |
| Romans 9:20 | But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” | God's sovereign prerogative |
| 1 Corinthians 1:27 | But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, but God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. | God's unexpected choices |
| 1 Corinthians 3:6 | I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. | God as the source of growth |
| Galatians 6:9 | Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give up. | Perseverance and reward |
| James 1:17 | Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. | God as giver of good gifts |
| Genesis 3:18 | thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat plants of the field. | The consequence of sin |
| Amos 4:9 | “I struck you with blight and with mildew; when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees multiplied, the locust devoured them. Yet you have not returned to me, declares the LORD. | God's judgment/correction |
| Deuteronomy 11:17 | Lest the LORD’s anger be kindled against you, and he shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, and the ground yield no produce, and you perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you. | Consequences of disobedience |
| Isaiah 25:4 | For you have been a stronghold to the weak, a stronghold to the poor in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade in the heat. | God as a refuge and shade |
| Psalm 121:5-6 | The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. | God as a protective shade |
Jonah 4 verses
Jonah 4 6 Meaning
The Lord God prepared a plant, and it came up over Jonah, and it was a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his discomfort. Jonah was exceedingly glad about the plant. This verse describes God's further action to teach Jonah a lesson about compassion, preparing a plant to shade Jonah and relieve his suffering, which Jonah readily accepted.
Jonah 4 6 Context
In the preceding narrative, Jonah has fled from God's command, been swallowed by a great fish, repented, and preached a message of repentance to Nineveh, which the Ninevites heeded. This repentance leads God to withhold the punishment He intended. Jonah, however, becomes angry because Nineveh was spared, revealing his preference for Nineveh's destruction over its salvation. Chapter 4 shows Jonah leaving the city, building a booth, and waiting to see its fate. God then supernaturally prepares a plant to shade Jonah, which provides him great comfort. This immediate comfort is then contrasted with God's compassion for Nineveh.
Jonah 4 6 Word Analysis
And (וְ - we): Conjunction connecting this verse to the previous actions of God.
the LORD (הַיהוה - haYahweh): Emphasizes God's personal covenant name, indicating His direct and deliberate action.
God (אֱלֹהִים - 'elohim): Generic term for God, used here in conjunction with His covenant name.
prepared (וַיְתַכֵּן - wayetakken): Hebrew imperfect verb, suggesting a continuous or future action that God actively brings about. It implies intentional arrangement and provision.
a plant (a plant): A single, distinct plant.
and (וְ - we): Conjunction.
it came up (וַתַּעַל - wat'al): Hebrew imperfect verb, showing the sudden and swift growth of the plant.
over Jonah (עַל־יוֹנָה - al-Yonah): Positioned directly above Jonah.
and it was (וַתְּהִי - wat'hi): Connects the plant to its function.
a shadow (צִלָּה - tsillah): Shade, protection from the sun's glare and heat.
over his head (לְרֹאשׁ־וֹ - lerosh-wo): Specifically to shield his head, the seat of thought and leadership, from discomfort.
to deliver him (לְהַצִּיל־לוֹ - lehatzil-lo): To save, rescue, or provide relief from the discomfort.
from his grief (מֵרָעָתוֹ - merā'āto): From his distress, misery, or evil state, referring to his physical discomfort from the sun.
group: "the LORD God prepared" highlights God's active and purposeful involvement.
group: "a plant, and it came up" signifies the miraculous and rapid nature of God's provision.
group: "a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief" explains the purpose and effect of the plant's provision for Jonah.
and Jonah (וַיִּישַׂם־יוֹנָה - wayyisam-Yonah): Indicates Jonah's positive emotional response.
was exceedingly glad (שָׂמַח־שִׂמְחָה גְדוֹלָה - samēkh-simḥāh gedolāh): Expresses great, overwhelming joy and happiness. The repetition of the root for "joy" emphasizes the intensity of his feeling.
Jonah 4 6 Bonus Section
The swift growth and effective shading of the plant by God serves as a direct analogy for God's undeserved kindness. Jonah's exceeding gladness over the plant underscores his focus on physical comfort and his inability to grasp divine compassion that extends beyond his own needs. This episode is a parabolic teaching tool, designed by God to illustrate His mercy not only to His servants but also to His enemies. The "grief" mentioned relates to Jonah's discomfort from the sun, which is an earthly, temporal concern, juxtaposed against God's concern for the eternal fate of Nineveh's people, which also included innocent children and animals, representing all of creation susceptible to God's judgment and in need of His mercy. The prepared plant can be seen as a foreshadowing of God's abundant provisions for His people and ultimately His supreme act of salvation through Jesus Christ, who provides eternal shelter and deliverance from sin's ultimate consequence.
Jonah 4 6 Commentary
God, demonstrating His multifaceted care and intent to teach, prepares a plant that grows rapidly and provides essential shade for Jonah, relieving his physical discomfort from the scorching sun. Jonah’s intense pleasure at this timely and welcome provision highlights his self-centered focus. He appreciates this tangible comfort for himself but fails to extend the same concern to the vast population of Nineveh. This immediate gratification over a plant starkly contrasts with his bitterness over God’s mercy on humanity, revealing the shallowness of his concern for spiritual matters. His joy is exclusively for what benefits him directly, without regard for God’s broader redemptive purposes or the well-being of others.