Jonah 4:9 kjv
And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
Jonah 4:9 nkjv
Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!"
Jonah 4:9 niv
But God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" "It is," he said. "And I'm so angry I wish I were dead."
Jonah 4:9 esv
But God said to Jonah, "Do you do well to be angry for the plant?" And he said, "Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die."
Jonah 4:9 nlt
Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?" "Yes," Jonah retorted, "even angry enough to die!"
Jonah 4 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jonah 4:1 | But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. | |
| Jonah 4:2 | And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. | Shows Jonah’s prior knowledge of God’s character and his discontent. |
| Jonah 4:3 | Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. | Jonah’s extreme reaction to God's mercy. |
| Jonah 4:7 | But when the morning was come, God prepared a worm, and it smote the gourd that it withered. | The plant’s rapid decay, mirroring Jonah’s disappointment. |
| Jonah 4:8 | And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind: and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. | The plant’s withering parallels Jonah's own wilting and despair. |
| Jonah 4:10 | And the LORD said, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: | God’s initial question, setting up the core comparison. |
| Exodus 34:6 | And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, | Echoes God’s description of His own nature, which Jonah knew. |
| Psalm 103:8 | The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plentiful in mercy. | Reinforces God’s characteristic of mercy. |
| Psalm 145:8 | The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. | Further testament to God’s compassionate nature. |
| Isaiah 30:18 | And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may have grace unto 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 anticipation of showing grace and mercy. |
| Matthew 5:7 | Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. | New Testament parallel on the virtue of mercy. |
| Luke 10:29-37 | The parable of the Good Samaritan. | Demonstrates God’s expansive definition of neighborly love and compassion. |
| Luke 15:10 | Likewise, I say unto you, is there joy in the presence of the God over one sinner that repenteth. | God’s joy over repentance highlights His merciful disposition. |
| Acts 14:17 | Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. | God’s general beneficence to humanity. |
| Romans 2:4 | Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? | God’s kindness leads to repentance. |
| Romans 11:33 | O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! | God’s ways are mysterious and higher than human understanding. |
| 1 John 4:8 | He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. | God’s nature is love, which inherently includes mercy. |
| 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 abundant mercy is a key attribute in salvation. |
| Philippians 2:3-4 | Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. | Calls believers to selfless consideration of others. |
Jonah 4 verses
Jonah 4 9 Meaning
The prophet Jonah is upset because God showed compassion to Nineveh, sparing the city after its repentance. Jonah's anger is justified in his own eyes because of God's mercy towards a people who were enemies of Israel. God, however, points out the faulty reasoning: Jonah cares about a plant that withered and died, a plant he did not labor for, but God's concern extends to hundreds of thousands of people who don't know right from wrong. The verse is a profound statement about God's mercy and a rebuke to Jonah's narrow-mindedness.
Jonah 4 9 Context
Jonah has just witnessed the entire city of Nineveh repent after his preaching. Despite this genuine turning from their wicked ways, Jonah is furious. His anger stems from a deep-seated resentment towards the Assyrians, who were enemies of Israel and known for their cruelty. Jonah's personal stake was high, and he clearly wished for God's judgment upon them, not forgiveness. God's preparation of a plant to provide shade for Jonah highlights God's condescending approach. After Jonah takes comfort from the plant, God immediately causes a worm to destroy it, then sends a scorching east wind. Jonah's emotional turmoil over the plant—which he did not cause but simply benefited from—sets the stage for God's pointed question. The context is the aftermath of Nineveh's revival, and Jonah's personal grievance against God's mercy.
Jonah 4 9 Word analysis
- "And said": Hebrew: וַיֹּאמַר (vay-yo-mar). Conjunction "and" (וַיֹּאמַר) connecting to God's previous action (preparing the worm and wind). The verb "said" (אָמַר - amar) indicates God's speech directly to Jonah.
- "Is it": Hebrew: הֲטוֹב (ha-tov). The interrogative particle "hath" (הֲ - ha) marks a question. "Good" (טוֹב - tov) refers to what is morally right or pleasing. God is questioning the rightness of Jonah’s anger.
- "Right for": Hebrew: לְךָ (lə-kha). Preposition "to/for" (לְ - le) followed by the second-person masculine singular pronoun "thee/you" (ךָ - kha). It signifies that the goodness or badness is concerning Jonah.
- "anger": Hebrew: הַחֵמָה (ha-chemah). "The" definite article (הַ - ha) indicating this specific anger. The noun "anger" (חֵמָה - chemah) implies heat, wrath, fury, and often denotes passionate or burning anger. This refers to Jonah's displeasure expressed in the previous verses.
- "even to death?": Hebrew: עַד־מָוֶת (ad-mavet). Preposition "unto/until/to" (עַד - ad) indicating the extent or limit. Noun "death" (מָוֶת - mavet). God is asking if Jonah’s anger is so severe that he desires death over it, referencing Jonah’s earlier statement in Jonah 4:3.
Jonah 4 9 Bonus section
The Hebrew word for anger, chemah (חֵמָה), is particularly strong, suggesting a burning or fiery wrath. Jonah’s anger is not a fleeting annoyance but a deep, consuming emotion that leads him to wish for his own death. This highlights the severity of his discontent. Furthermore, God’s approach in this final dialogue is profoundly pedagogical. By using the plant and the subsequent hardships (worm, scorching wind), God crafts a relatable analogy that even a human mind, consumed by emotion, can grasp. This mirrors God’s methods throughout scripture, where He often uses tangible situations to teach profound spiritual truths. The question implicitly rebukes Jonah's understanding of God's character as revealed in Exodus 34:6-7, where God declares Himself "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love." Jonah knew this about God, and his anger was precisely because God acted consistently with His declared nature, a nature Jonah failed to embrace or extend.
Jonah 4 9 Commentary
This verse serves as the climax of the book, revealing God's compassionate nature and contrasting it with Jonah's limited perspective. God's question, "Is it right for you to be angry, even to death?" challenges the prophet’s emotional response. Jonah’s indignation over the withering of a plant he merely benefited from highlights his self-centeredness. He values the comfort provided by a temporary plant more than the eternal souls of thousands. This underscores God's infinite value for human life and His desire for universal salvation. God’s rhetorical question implies that Jonah’s anger is not right, and His subsequent explanation further validates His merciful act towards Nineveh. It is a divine lesson on the nature of true righteousness, which must encompass compassion.
Practical implication: Believers should examine their anger. Is it rooted in self-interest or in love for others? God’s mercy extends to all who repent, and our hearts should echo that same expansive compassion, rather than judging others with narrow-mindedness. We are called to have compassion, not to uphold personal grievances or judgments against those whom God shows grace.