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Jonah Chapter 4 (ASV)

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Jonah Chapter 4 – The Gourd and God's Compassion
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1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

2 And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

3 Therefore now, O Jehovah, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

4 And Jehovah said, Doest thou well to be angry?

5 Then Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

6 And Jehovah God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his evil case. So Jonah was exceeding glad because of the gourd.

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

8 And it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

9 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.

10 And Jehovah said, Thou hast had regard for the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

11 and should not I have regard for Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Jonah angry in chapter 4?
Because God spared Nineveh, Jonah admits this is exactly why he fled earlier: "I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness" (v.1-2) - the same description of God found in Exodus 34:6-7.
What is the point of the gourd in Jonah 4?
God prepares a gourd to shade Jonah, making him "exceeding glad," then sends a worm to destroy it the next day, leaving Jonah to swelter in the heat and wish to die (v.6-8).
How does the book of Jonah end?
With God's question contrasting Jonah's grief over the lost plant with his lack of concern for Nineveh's people: "should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more then sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand?" (v.10-11).

Today's Verse

Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

Ezekiel 17:2 | ASV

Verse Of The Day

God grows a gourd to shade Jonah, then sends a worm to wither it and a scorching east wind, prompting Jonah's death wish over a plant he never labored for - a rebuke echoing God's self-description in Exodus 34:6-7. The book ends on God's question about sparing a city of "more then sixscore thousand persons."