Jonah 4:7

New King James Version

But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.

Hebrew Names Version
But God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine, so that it withered.

King James Version (1611)
But God prepared a worme when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

King James Version
But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

English Standard Version
But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.

New American Standard Bible
But God designated a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered.

New Century Version
But the next day when the sun rose, God sent a worm to attack the plant so that it died.

Amplified Bible
But God prepared a worm when morning dawned the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But God prepared a worme when the morning rose the next day, & it smote the gourd, that it withered.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered.

Legacy Standard Bible
But God appointed a worm at the breaking of dawn the next day, and it struck the plant, and it dried up.

Berean Standard Bible
When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered.

Contemporary English Version
but early the next morning the Lord sent a worm to chew on the vine, and the vine dried up.

Complete Jewish Bible
But at dawn the next day God prepared a worm, which attacked the castor-bean plant, so that it dried up.

Darby Translation
But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered.

Easy-to-Read Version
The next morning, God sent a worm to eat part of the plant. The worm began eating the plant, and the plant died.

George Lamsa Translation
But the next day at dawn, God commanded a worm, and it smote the gourd so that it withered.

Good News Translation
But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died.

Lexham English Bible
So God appointed a worm at daybreak the next day, and it attacked the plant, and it withered.

Literal Translation
But God appointed a worm at the rising of the dawn of the next day, and it struck the plant, and it withered.

American Standard Version
But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered.

Bible in Basic English
But early on the morning after, God made ready a worm for the destruction of the vine, and it became dry and dead.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But God prepared a worme, when the morning rose the next day, which smote the gourde, that it withered.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And God commanded a worm the next morning, and it smote the gourd, and it withered away.

English Revised Version
But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered.

World English Bible
But God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine, so that it withered.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And God made redi a worm, in stiyng up of grei dai on the morewe; and it smoot the yuy, and it driede up.

Update Bible Version
But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered.

Webster's Bible Translation
But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

New English Translation
So God sent a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so that it dried up.

New Living Translation
But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away.

New Life Bible
But at the beginning of the next day, God sent a worm to destroy the plant and it dried up.

New Revised Standard
But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But God appointed a worm, at the uprisings of the dawn, the next day, - and it smote the gourd, that it withered.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But God prepared a worm, when the morning arose on the following day: and it struck the ivy and it withered.

Revised Standard Version
But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm which attacked the plant, so that it withered.

Young's Literal Translation
And God appointeth a worm at the going up of the dawn on the morrow, and it smiteth the gourd, and it drieth up.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But vpo the nexte morow agaynst the springe of the daye, the LORDE ordened a worme, which smote the wylde vyne, so that it wethered awaye.

THE MESSAGE
But then God sent a worm. By dawn of the next day, the worm had bored into the shade tree and it withered away. The sun came up and God sent a hot, blistering wind from the east. The sun beat down on Jonah's head and he started to faint. He prayed to die: "I'm better off dead!"

Contextual Overview

⁵ So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. ⁶ And the Lord God prepared a plant [fn] 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. ⁷ But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. ⁸ And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, "It is better for me to die than to live." ⁹ 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!" ¹⁰ But the LORD said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left--and much livestock?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

prepared: Job 1:21, Psalms 30:6, Psalms 30:7, Psalms 102:10

it withered: Psalms 90:5, Psalms 90:6, Isaiah 40:6-8, Joel 1:12

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 28:39 - for the worms Hosea 5:12 - rottenness Jonah 4:8 - that God James 1:11 - risen

Cross-References

Genesis 3:16
To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."

Genesis 4:6
So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

Genesis 4:8
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; [fn] and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Genesis 4:9
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

Genesis 4:10
And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.

Genesis 4:11
So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:12
When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."

Genesis 4:13
And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!

Genesis 19:21
And he said to him, "See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.

Numbers 32:23
But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day,.... That God that prepared this plant to rise so suddenly, almost as soon prepared a worm to destroy it; for it rose up one night, continued one whole day, to the great delight of Jonah; and by the morning of the following day this worm or grub was prepared in, it, or sent to it, to the root of it: this shows that God is the Creator of the least as well as the largest of creatures, of worms as well as whales, contrary to the notion of Valentinus, Marcion, and Apelles; who, as Jerom s says, introduce another creator of ants, worms, fleas, locusts, c. and another of the heavens, earth, sea, and angels: but it is much that. Arnobius t, an orthodox ancient Christian father, should deny such creatures to be the work of God, and profess his ignorance of the Maker of them. His words are,

"should we deny flies, beetles, worms, mice, weasels, and moths, to be the work of the King Omnipotent, it does not follow that it should be required of us to say who made and formed them for we may without blame be ignorant who gave them their original;''

whereas, in the miracle of the lice, the magicians of Egypt themselves owned that the finger of God was there, and were out of their power to effect; and to the Prophet Amos the great God was represented in a vision as making locusts or grasshoppers, Amos 7:1; and indeed the smallest insect or reptile is a display of the wisdom and power of God, and not at all below his dignity and greatness to produce; and for which there are wise reasons in nature and providence, as here for the production of this worm: the same God that prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and a gourd to shadow him, and an east wind to blow upon him, prepared this worm to destroy his shade, and try his patience:

and it smote the gourd, that it withered; it bit its root, and its moisture dried up, and it withered away at once, and became useless: that same hand that gives mercies can take them away, and that very suddenly, in a trice, in a few hours, as in the case of Job; and sometimes very secretly and invisibly, that men are not aware of; their substance wastes, and they fall to decay, and they can scarcely tell the reason of it; there is a worm at the root of their enjoyments, which kills them; God is as a moth and rottenness unto them; and he does this sometimes by small means, by little instruments, as he plagued Pharaoh and the Egyptians with lice and flies.

s Prooem. in Philemon. ad Paulam & Eustochium. t Adv. Gentes, l. 2. p. 95.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When the morning rose - , i. e., in the earliest dawn, before the actual sunrise. For one day Jonah enjoyed the refreshment of the palm-christ. In early dawn, it still promised the shadow; just ere it was most needed, at God’s command, it withered.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jonah 4:7. But God prepared a worm — By being eaten through the root, the plant, losing its nourishment, would soon wither; and this was the case in the present instance.