Jonah 4 explained: Angry at God's Mercy

Why Jonah ran away (vv. 1-2)

Jonah is furious that God spared Nineveh, a great Assyrian city whose empire would later conquer northern Israel. He says this is why he first ran away: he knew God was gracious, merciful and slow to anger, words that echo an older description of God in Exodus 34:6.

Jonah asks to die (vv. 3-4)

Like the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4, Jonah asks God to take his life. God answers with a question that can be read 'Is it right for you to be angry?' or 'Are you very angry?', and translations differ.

Waiting outside the city (v. 5)

Jonah builds a rough shelter east of Nineveh and waits to see what will happen to it. The text does not say why; he may have hoped judgment would still fall, or doubted the reprieve would last.

A plant given and taken (vv. 6-9)

God gives Jonah a plant for shade, then takes it away with a worm and a scorching wind, and Jonah says he is angry enough to die. The Hebrew name, kikayon, is known, but which plant it means is uncertain (perhaps the castor-oil plant), so translations say gourd or leafy plant.

God's closing question (vv. 10-11)

God points out that Jonah cared about a short-lived plant he never planted, so should God not care about a great city full of people and animals? The book ends on that question, and Jonah's reply is never given.

Right hand from left (v. 11)

This phrase may mean young children, or it may describe the whole population as people who do not know God's ways, and scholars are divided. Either way, God's concern explicitly includes the animals too.

Key verse: Jonah 4:11

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on how to see Jonah himself: some read him mainly as a warning against resenting mercy shown to outsiders and enemies, while others see a more sympathetic figure, torn between God's mercy and his fear for his own people or his sense of justice.

Something to think about

Is there anyone you would struggle to see shown mercy, and what makes that hard?