GiveDownload the App
Book & Chapter
Version

Summary

Jonah 4:1–4 – Angry prophet, gracious God

What happens: Jonah is displeased and angry that God showed mercy. He prays, saying he fled because he knew God is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. He asks to die, and God asks, “Do you do well to be angry?”

What it means: Resentment at grace reveals a hard heart. God’s character is steady and good, and He gently questions us to restore love and mission.

Jonah 4:5–8 – Plant, worm, and wind

What happens: Jonah sits east of the city to see what will happen. God appoints a plant to give shade, then a worm to destroy it, and a scorching wind so the sun beats on Jonah and he faints.

What it means: God teaches through comforts given and taken away. He exposes how self-interest can matter more to us than people’s souls.

Jonah 4:9–11 – God’s final question

What happens: God asks if Jonah is right to be angry about the plant. He contrasts Jonah’s pity for a plant with God’s compassion for more than 120,000 people who do not know their right hand from their left, and much cattle.

What it means: God cares deeply for lost people and even for animals. His mercy is wider than our biases, calling us to share His heart for the nations.

Application

  • Ask God to replace bitterness with joy over others’ salvation.
  • Let God’s questions search your motives and reorder your loves.
  • Join God’s mission with compassion for all people, not just your own.

Bible

1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

2And 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.

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

4Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

5So 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.

6And 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.

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

8And 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.

9And 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.

10Then 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:

11And 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?

← Jonah 3Micah 1 →

Take Versely with you

Queue devotion plans, track progress, and unlock audio guides inside the Versely app.

Download the AppSupport Versely