Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jonah 4

Introduction

1  Jonah repining at God's mercy,
4  is reproved by the type of a gourd.

Verse 1

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
4:9, Matthew 20:15, Luke 7:39, 15:28, Acts 13:46, James 4:5,6

Verse 2

And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
he prayed
1 Kings 19:4, Jeremiah 20:7
I fled
1:3, Luke 10:29
thou art
Exodus 34:6,7, Numbers 14:18,19, Psalms 78:38, 86:5,15, 145:8, Hosea 11:8,9, Joel 2:13,14, Micah 7:18
and of
3:10, Exodus 32:14, Psalms 90:13, Jeremiah 18:8, Amos 7:3,6

Verse 3

Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
take
Numbers 11:15, 20:3, 1 Kings 19:4, Job 3:20,21, 6:8,9, Jeremiah 20:14-18, Philippians 1:21-25
for
8, Job 7:15,16, Ecclesiastes 7:1, 1 Corinthians 9:15

Verse 4

Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
9, Numbers 20:11,12,24, Psalms 106:32,33, Micah 6:3, Matthew 20:15, James 1:19,20

Verse 5

So 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 shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
Jonah
1:5, 1 Kings 19:9,13, Isaiah 57:17, Jeremiah 20:9
till
Genesis 19:27,28, Jeremiah 17:15,16, Luke 19:41-44

Verse 6

And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.
the Lord
1:17, Psalms 103:10-14
gourd
or, palmcrist. Heb. Kikajon. Probably the palma Christi, called kiki, or kouki, by the Egyptians, and Elkherod by the Arabs, from which caster oil is extracted. It is as large as the olive tree, has leaves like those of a vine, sometimes as broad as the brim of a hat, and is of very quick growth.
So
Esther 5:9, Proverbs 23:5, Isaiah 39:2, Amos 6:13, Luke 10:20, 1 Corinthians 7:30
was exceeding glad
Heb. rejoiced with great joy.

Verse 7

But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
prepared
Job 1:21, Psalms 30:6,7, 102:10
it withered
Psalms 90:5,6, Isaiah 40:6-8, Joel 1:12

Verse 8

And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
that God
6,7, 1:4,17, Ezekiel 19:12, Revelation 3:19
vehement
or, silent. and the sun.
Psalms 121:6, Song of Solomon 1:6, Isaiah 49:10, Revelation 7:16
and wished
3, Leviticus 10:3, 1 Samuel 3:18, 2 Samuel 15:25,26, Job 2:10, Psalms 39:9

Verse 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.
I do well to be angry
or, I am greatly angry.
Genesis 4:5-14, Job 18:4, 40:4,5
even
Judges 16:16, Job 5:2, Matthew 26:38, 2 Corinthians 7:10, Revelation 9:6

Verse 10

Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
had pity on
or, spared. came up in a night. Heb. was the son of the night.
1 Samuel 20:31, Genesis 17:12; *marg:

Verse 11

And should not I spare 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?
should
1, Isaiah 1:18, Matthew 18:33, Luke 15:28-32
Nineveh
1:2, 3:2,3
sixscore
It is generally calculated that the young children of any place are a fifth of the inhabitants, and consequently the whole population of Nineveh would amount to about 600,000; which is very inferior to that of London and Paris, though they occupy not one quarter of the ground. In eastern cities there are large vacant spaces for gardens and pasturages, so that there might be very "much cattle."
that cannot
Deuteronomy 1:39
and also
Psalms 36:6, 104:14,27,28, 145:8,9,15,16

Comments



Back to Top

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first!

Add Comment

* Required information
Powered by Commentics
Back to Top