Bible Commentaries
Jonah 4

Verse 1

Jon 4:1. Anger is not necessarily a sin (Eph 4:26) unless one lets his feeling lead him into doing something that is wrong. Jonah did not do or say anything that was sinful in his anger, but was vexed over the turn of affairs. He seemed to think that the Ninevites should have been punished since he had gone through so much Inconvenience and humiliation on their account.

Verse 2

Jon 4:2. We do not know to whom Jonah addressed this saying, for it is not recorded elsewhere. It really means that he thought the Lord would be too merciful to bring such a severe correction upon the city when it came io the actual test. Perhaps we should not conclude that he was angry at any particular person, but was displeased in a general way with the whole situation.

Verse 3

Jon 4:3. This verse expresses the frantic wail of a man in despair. The whole, situation is so disappointing and confusing to Jonah that he lacks the courage to face the future. However. he does not manifest any of the spirit of a man who “threatens suicide,” for he is not that kind of man. When a man in his right mind tabes his own life, he is no less a murderer than the one who slays another. But Jonah was so willing to be released from the worries of the case that he turned to the Lord for relief. Since God is the giver of ail life, if He should see fit to relieve the prophet of the distress of living it would be right in his sight, hence his fervent prayer to the Lord to be separated from life in this world.

Verse 4

Jon 4:4. When the Lord asks a question it is never for the purpose of obtaining information for himself. This one means as if He said, “Do you think you have reason to be angry?" The statement implies that Jonah was not justified in giving way thus to hts feelingill, and the implication is that the Lord gave him to understand that his prayer would not be granted.

Verse 5

Jon 4:5. Having heen denied his request, and being given to understand that the Lord was determined to go through with His plan, Jonah wondered what the fate of Nineveh would be now that it had exhibited the signs of penitence and God had reversed his threat. So he went outside the city and took a position under a temporary shelter from the sun, there to maintain a season of "watchful waiting."

Verse 6

Jon 4:6. Gourd is from qtyqayown which Strong defines, “The gourd (as nauseous)." He also says it is derived from another Hebrew word that means “To vomit.” 1 shall quote from Smith’s Bible Dictionary on the subject. “The plant which ia intended by this word, and which afforded shade to the prophet Jonah before Nineveh, is the Ricinus communis, or castor-oil plant, which, a native of Asia, is now naturalized in America Africa and the south of Europe. This plant varies considerably in size, being in India a tree, hut in England seldom attaining a greater height than three or four feet. The leaves are large and palmate [shaped like a palm leaf), with serrated [notched) lobes, and would form an excellent shelter for the sun- stricken prophet. The seeds contain the oil so well known under the name of. 'castor oil,’ which has for ages been in high repute as a medicine. It is now thought by many that the plant meant is a vine of the cucumber family, a genuine gourd, which is much used for shade in the East.” I have quoted the entire paragraph which presents the two opinions as to the plant meant by the gourd, in order to give the reader “the benefit of the doubt.” The marginal rendering in the common Bible favors the first of the two descriptions, likewise the definition of Strong which refers to the feeling of nausea or act of vomiting, which would agree with one effect of the castor bean. However, in either case the plant would furnish additional protection from the strong rays of the sun which could penetrate through the booth that Jonah was enabled to make for the moment. The double arrangement for shade would provide the advantage of insulation between the booth and the plant somewhat like a tent under a tree. The situation accomplished the Lord’s pur-pose, for It, is stated that Jonah was exceeding glad of [because of] the gourd.

Verse 7

Jon 4:7, Physical experience is often the most effective way of impressing a lesson on the mind of a man. II is the same principle as corporal punishment Inflicted on the body of a child. He may not be capable of seeing the lesson with his reason alone, hence it is necessary to reach his mind through his body. It is the same in the case of an adult, except that a form of physical punishment may be used of such a character that the victim can understand as well as feel the force of the chastisement. In the present case God started the punishment by using a worm that destroyed the gourd.

Verse 8

Jon 4:8. After destroying the gourd the Lord left conditions as they had been by the normal heat of the sun. Next some additional distress was to be inflicted upon him by another miracle upon the elements. Vehement is from CHABiYSHiY and Strong defines it. "In the sense of silence; quiet, i. e. sultry (as noun feminine, the sirocco or hot east wind).” The idea is that it was not a rushing current of air, for that motion itself wouid have somewhat counteracted the desired effect. Instead, it was a quiet but intensely hot and sultry wave of air that was terribly depressing. Jonah's request to die was from a different cause described in verse 3, but his attitude toward death should have the same comments as are offered in that verse.

Verse 9

Jon 4:9. The Lord's question calls for the same comments as the ones on verse 4. Jonah will be sho.. n the reasons for which he had no valid cause for wishing death just because the gourd had withered and died.

Verse 10

Jon 4:10. The comparative unimportance of the gourd when considered with the importance of a city of people is the thought in this verse. Pity on the gourd means that Jonah would have spared it because of its usefulness to him. And all this in spite of the truth that he had put no time or effort into it to bring it Into existence, while God was the maker of the city and all things therein. If the personal interest of Jonah In the plant would justify his regret, at seeing it destroyed, he should have praised God for sparing a city that was destined in the near future to co-operate with Him in one of the great events concerning Israel .

Verse 11

Jon 4:11. The gourd was small even from the standpoint of mater'al volume, while the city contained 120,000 human beings. Cunnot discern between their right hand and their left hand is a figure of speech used to describe the ignorance of the people as to what is right and wrong. This does not contradict the comments on chapter 3; 8 as to the people's knowledge of right and wrong, for it is shown there that they knew it only after the Lord had informed them through the prophet.