Jonah 4:4

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Then said Yahweh, Art thou rightly angry?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Hebrew Names Version
The LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"

King James Version (1611)
Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?

King James Version
Then said the Lord , Doest thou well to be angry?

English Standard Version
And the Lord said, "Do you do well to be angry?"

New American Standard Bible
But the LORD said, "Do you have a good reason to be angry?"

New Century Version
Then the Lord said, "Do you think it is right for you to be angry?"

Amplified Bible
Then the LORD said, "Do you have a good reason to be angry?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then saide the Lorde, Doest thou well to be angry?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The LORD said, "Do you have good reason to be angry?"

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh said, "Do you have good reason to be angry?"

Berean Standard Bible
But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?"

Contemporary English Version
The Lord replied, "What right do you have to be angry?"

Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai asked, "Is it right for you to be so angry?"

Darby Translation
And Jehovah said, Doest thou well to be angry?

Easy-to-Read Version
Then the Lord said, "Do you think it is right for you to be angry?"

George Lamsa Translation
Then the LORD said to him, Are you very sorrowful?

Good News Translation
The Lord answered, "What right do you have to be angry?"

Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"

Literal Translation
And Jehovah said, Is anger rightly kindled in you?

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said, Doest thou well to be angry?

Bible in Basic English
And the Lord said, Have you any right to be angry?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD said: 'Art thou greatly angry?'

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then saide the Lord, Doest thou wel to be angry?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved?

English Revised Version
And the LORD said, Doest thou well to be angry?

World English Bible
Yahweh said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord seide, Gessist thou, whether thou art wel wrooth?

Update Bible Version
And Yahweh said, Do you well to be angry?

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

New English Translation
The Lord said, "Are you really so very angry?"

New King James Version
Then the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"

New Living Translation
The Lord replied, "Is it right for you to be angry about this?"

New Life Bible
And the Lord said, "Have you any reason to be angry?"

New Revised Standard
And the Lord said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said: Dost thou think thou hast reason to be angry?

Revised Standard Version
And the LORD said, "Do you do well to be angry?"

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith, `Is doing good displeasing to thee?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde the LORDE: art thou so angrie?

THE MESSAGE
God said, "What do you have to be angry about?"

Contextual Overview

¹ And it was vexing unto Jonah, with a great vexation, - and it angered him. ² So he prayed unto Yahweh, and said - Ah now! Yahweh! Was not, this, my word, while I was yet upon mine own soil? For this cause, did I hasten to flee unto Tarshish, - because I knew that, thou, art a GOD of favour and compassion, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and art grieved over calamity. ³ Now, therefore, O Yahweh, take, I pray thee, my life from me, - for it were better for me, to die, than, to live. ⁴ Then said Yahweh, Art thou rightly angry?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Doest thou well to be angry: or, Art thou greatly angry, Jonah 4:9, Numbers 20:11, Numbers 20:12, Numbers 20:24, Psalms 106:32, Psalms 106:33, Micah 6:3, Matthew 20:15, James 1:19, James 1:20

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 13:11 - displeased Luke 15:28 - therefore Galatians 2:11 - because James 2:8 - ye do James 2:19 - thou doest 3 John 1:6 - do well

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
So Cain went forth from the presence of Yahweh, - and dwelt in the land of Nod, eastward of Eden.

Genesis 4:17
And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch, - Now it happened that he was building a city, so he called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Genesis 4:19
And Lamech took to himself two wives, - the name of the one, was Adah, and, the name of the second Zillah.

Genesis 4:20
And Adah bare Jabal, - he, was father of such as dwell in tents, and have cattle;

Genesis 15:17
So it came to pass when, the sun, had gone in, and Ira thick darkness, had come on, that lo there was a smoking hearth and torch of fire, which passed through between these pieces.

Exodus 13:12
that thou shalt set apart whatsoever is born first, to Yahweh; and, of all firstlings of beasts which thou shalt have, the males, shall pertain to Yahweh.

Leviticus 9:24
yea, there came forth fire from before Yahweh, and consumed upon the altar, the ascending-sacrifice and the portions of fat, - and all the people beheld and shouted, and fell down upon their faces.

Numbers 16:35
Fire also came forth, from Yahweh, - and consumed the two hundred and fifty men, who offered the incense.

Numbers 18:12
All the best of oil, and all the best of new-wine and corn, - the firstfruits thereof which they shall give unto Yahweh, unto thee, have I given them.

Numbers 18:17
Only a firstling ox or a firstling sheep or a firstling goat, shalt thou not redeem, hallowed, they are, - their blood, shalt thou dash against the altar and of their fat, shalt thou make a perfume, an altar-flame, for a satisfying odour unto Yahweh:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said the Lord, dost thou well to be angry?] A mild and gentle reproof this; which shows him to be a God gracious and merciful, and slow to anger; he might have answered Jonah's passionate wish, and struck him dead at once, as Ananias and Sapphira were; but he only puts this question, and leaves it with him to consider of. Some render it, "is doing good displeasing to thee?" y art thou angry at that, because I do good to whom I will? so R. Japhet, as Aben Ezra observes, though he disapproves of it: according to this the sense is, is doing good to the Ninevites, showing mercy to them upon their repentance, such an eyesore to thee? is thine eye evil, because mine is good? so the Scribes and Pharisees indeed were displeased with Christ for conversing with publicans and sinners, which was for the good of their souls; and the elder brother was angry with his father for receiving the prodigal; and of the same cast Jonah seems to be, at least at this time, being under the power of his corruptions. There seems to be an emphasis upon the word "thou"; dost "thou" well to be angry? what, "thou", a creature, be angry with his Creator; a worm, a potsherd of the earth, with the God of heaven and earth? what, "thou", that hast received mercy thyself in such an extraordinary manner, and so lately, and be angry at mercy shown to others? what, "thou", a prophet of the Lord, that should have at heart the good of immortal souls, and be displeased that thy ministry has been the means of the conversion and repentance of so many thousands? is there any just cause for all this anger? no, it is a causeless one; and this is put to the conscience of Jonah; he himself is made judge in his own cause; and it looks as if, upon self-reflection and reconsideration, when his passions cooled and subsided, that he was self-convicted and self-condemned, since no answer is returned. The Targum is,

"art thou exceeding angry?''

and so other interpreters, Jewish and Christian z, understand it of the vehemency of his anger.

y ההיטב חרה לך "num benefacere ira est tibi?" Montanus. z "Nonne vehemens ira est tibi?" Pagninus; "numquid vehementer indignaris, multumne (valdene) iratus est?" Vatablus; so Kimchi and R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 47. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the Lord said, Doest thou well to be angry? - ^o God, being appealed to, answers the appeal. So does He often in prayer, by some secret voice, answer the inquirer. There is right anger against the sin. Moses’ anger was right, when he broke the tables. Exodus 32:19. God secretly suggests to Jonah that his anger was not right, as our Lord instructed Luke 9:55. James and John that “theirs” was not. The question relates to the quality, not to the greatness of his anger. It was not the vehemence of his passionate desire for Israel, which God reproves, but that it was turned against the Ninevites . “What the Lord says to Jonah, he says to all, who in their office of the cure of souls are angry. They must, as to this same anger, be recalled into themselves, to regard the cause or object of their anger, and weigh warily and attentively whether they “do well to be angry.” For if they are angry, not with men but with the sins of men, if they hate and persecute, not men, but the vices of men, they are rightly angry, their zeal is good. But if they are angry, not with sins but with men, if they hate, not vices but men, they are angered amiss, their zeal is bad. This then which was said to one, is to be watchfully looked to and decided by all, ‘Doest thou well to be angry? ‘“

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jonah 4:4. Doest thou well to be angry? — ההיטב הרה לך haheitib harah lac, "Is anger good for thee?" No, anger is good for no man; but an angry preacher, minister, bishop, or prophet, is an abominable man. He who, in denouncing the word of God against sinners, joins his own passions with the Divine threatenings, is a cruel and bad man, and should not be an overseer in God's house. A surly bishop, a peevish, passionate preacher, will bring neither glory to God, nor good to man. Dr. Taylor renders the clause, "Art thou very much grieved?" A man may be very much grieved that a sinner is lost; but who but he who is of a fiendish nature will be grieved because God's mercy triumphs over judgment?