Jonah 4 6

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 verses

Jonah 4 6 meaning

The LORD God, in an act of direct intervention and provision, caused a rapid-growing plant to sprout and provide shade over Jonah's head, thereby alleviating his physical discomfort and deep vexation from the scorching sun. Jonah, consumed by self-pity and anger over God's mercy towards Nineveh, found immense personal joy and satisfaction in this temporary comfort provided by the plant, highlighting his misplaced affections and spiritual blindness.

Jonah 4 6 Context

Chapter 4 finds Jonah in a state of deep anger and self-pity because God has shown mercy to Nineveh, contrary to Jonah's expectation and desire for their destruction. He leaves the city, makes a booth, and sits down to watch what will happen, still harboring a slim hope that God might yet bring judgment. The sun beats down on him intensely, adding to his misery. In this specific verse, God provides immediate, temporary relief to Jonah's physical discomfort and emotional distress as a prelude to a profound object lesson on compassion. The historical context reflects a harsh desert climate where shade was essential, and the cultural context involved divine intervention being attributed to specific actions rather than natural processes alone.

Jonah 4 6 Word analysis

• And the LORD God: (וַיהוָה אֱלֹהִים - Yahweh Elohim) This composite divine name emphasizes both God's covenant relationship (LORD - Yahweh) and His omnipotent power as creator and sustainer (God - Elohim). It highlights God's personal and powerful involvement.
• prepared: (וַיְמַן - vay'man) This verb, derived from מנה (manah), means "to appoint," "assign," or "designate." It is a key recurring verb in Jonah (1:17, 4:7, 4:8), showing God's specific and sovereign orchestration of events and even inanimate objects for His divine purposes, including for His teaching.
• a plant: (קִיקָיוֹן - qiqayon) Scholars identify this as a fast-growing, broad-leaved plant, most commonly a castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis) or a bottle gourd. Its significance lies in its rapid growth, providing ample shade quickly, and its transience. It represents temporary, material comfort.
• and made it to come up over Jonah: God's direct and miraculous action to provide immediate relief, not through natural growth but through divine acceleration.
• that it might be a shadow over his head: (לִהְיוֹת צֵל עַל-רֹאשׁוֹ - lihyot tzel al ro'sho) "Shadow" (tzel) here means protective shade, a crucial element in the scorching Middle Eastern sun. It offered physical comfort from the elements.
• to deliver him from his grief: (לְהַצִּיל לוֹ מֵרָעָתוֹ - l'hatzil lo mera'ato) "Grief" (רָעָה - ra'ah) here signifies his "evil," distress, misery, or deep vexation. This is the same root used for the "evil" that Nineveh did, and the "evil" (calamity) God threatened them with. It points to Jonah's personal suffering, whether physical discomfort or more profoundly, his bitterness at God's mercy.
• So Jonah was exceeding glad of the plant: (וַיִּשְׂמַח יוֹנָה עַל-הַקִּיקָיוֹן שִׂמְחָה גְדוֹלָה - vayismah Yonah al haqqiqayon simkhah gedolah) Jonah rejoiced with a "great rejoicing." His joy was disproportionate, entirely self-centered, and directed towards a material object providing temporary comfort, rather than toward God's compassion or the repentance of 120,000 people. This selfish joy serves as a stark contrast to God's immense compassion.

• "LORD God prepared a plant": This phrase highlights divine sovereignty, a direct, deliberate act of God in creating and positioning this specific plant for a particular purpose in Jonah's immediate circumstances.
• "a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief": This shows God's compassionate nature, providing relief for Jonah's suffering, both physical (heat) and emotional (vexation/displeasure), even though Jonah's anger was misplaced. It is a divine gesture of mercy before the instruction.
• "Jonah was exceeding glad of the plant": This crucial phrase reveals Jonah's shallow values. His "great joy" (a common Hebrew idiom for intense emotion) is directed not towards God's goodness or Nineveh's salvation, but selfishly towards a perishable object that offered him only temporary, physical ease. It sets up the central lesson of the chapter.

Jonah 4 6 Bonus section

The speed with which the qiqayon (plant) grew, only to wither just as quickly (mentioned in subsequent verses), reinforces its transient nature. This brevity underscores the temporary character of earthly comforts, possessions, and even human life itself, implicitly contrasting it with God's eternal compassion. The parallel between God "appointing" the fish, plant, worm, and wind demonstrates an absolute and meticulous divine sovereignty that governs not only the grand acts of judgment and salvation but also the minute details of nature to achieve His purposes, particularly in spiritual instruction. This specific instance is an example of divine condescension, where God adapts His teaching method to the hardened heart of His prophet, using tangible experiences to illustrate spiritual truths.

Jonah 4 6 Commentary

Jonah 4:6 serves as a pivotal setup for God's final, profound lesson to His reluctant prophet. God, with patient and deliberate intent, supernaturally causes a rapidly growing gourd-plant to sprout and offer shade from the relentless sun, assuaging Jonah's deep physical discomfort and bitter emotional vexation. The key lies in Jonah's response: his "exceeding gladness" over this fleeting, material comfort starkly reveals his skewed priorities and self-absorption. His joy is not rooted in God's mercy or the salvation of multitudes, but in a perishable created thing that caters purely to his own temporary well-being. This divine provision, far from being a simple comfort, is a carefully orchestrated pedagogical tool, laying the groundwork for God's concluding question in verses 9-11, which will challenge Jonah's misplaced compassion for a plant versus an entire city. It showcases God's grace extended even to His disobedient prophet, yet also sets up the moral dilemma perfectly.