jonah-4:4-8

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jonah 4:1-4

See here, I. How unjustly Jonah quarrelled with God for his mercy to Nineveh, upon their repentance. This gives us occasion to suspect that Jonah had only delivered the message of wrath against the Ninevites, and had not at all assisted or encouraged them in their repentance, as one would think he should have done; for when they did repent, and found mercy, 1. Jonah grudged them the mercy they found (Jonah 4:1): It displeased Jonah exceedingly; and (would you think it?) he was very angry, was... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jonah 4:5-11

Jonah persists here in his discontent; for the beginning of strife both with God and man is as the letting forth of waters, the breach grows wider and wider, and, when passion gets head, bad is made worse; it should therefore be silenced and suppressed at first. We have here, I. Jonah's sullen expectation of the fate of Nineveh. We may suppose that the Ninevites, giving credit to the message he brought, were ready to give entertainment to the messenger that brought it, and to show him respect,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:4

Then said the Lord, dost thou well to be angry? A mild and gentle reproof this; which shows him to be a God gracious and merciful, and slow to anger; he might have answered Jonah's passionate wish, and struck him dead at once, as Ananias and Sapphira were; but he only puts this question, and leaves it with him to consider of. Some render it, "is doing good displeasing to thee?" F25 ההיטב חרה לך "num benefacere ira est tibi?" Montanus. art thou angry at that, because I do good to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:5

So Jonah went out of the city ,.... Had not the inhabitants of it repented, he had done right to go out of it, and shake the dust of his feet against it; or, in such a case, had he gone out of it, as Lot out of Sodom, when just going to be overthrown; but Jonah went out in a sullen fit, because it was to be spared; though some render the words, "now Jonah had gone out of the city" F1 ויצא "exicrat autem", Mercerus; "exivit", Cocceius. ; that is, before all this passed, recorded in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:6

And the Lord God prepared a gourd ,.... So the Septuagint render the word; but some say that a worm will not touch that; Jerom renders it an ivy; but neither the gourd nor that rise upwards without some props to support them. The Hebrew word is "kikaion", the same with the "kiki", or "cici", of Herodotus F3 Euterpe, sive l. 2. c. 94. , Dioscorides F4 L. 4. c. 164. , Strabo F5 Geograph. l. 17. p. 566. , and Pliny F6 Nat. Hist. l. 15. c. 7. ; a plant frequent in Egypt,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:7

But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day ,.... That God that prepared this plant to rise so suddenly, almost as soon prepared a worm to destroy it; for it rose up one night, continued one whole day, to the great delight of Jonah; and by the morning of the following day this worm or grub was prepared in, it, or sent to it, to the root of it: this shows that God is the Creator of the least as well as the largest of creatures, of worms as well as whales, contrary to the notion... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:8

And it came to pass when the sun did arise ,.... After that the gourd was smitten and withered; when it was not only risen, but shone out with great force and heat: that God prepared a vehement east wind ; or, "a deafening east wind" F21 חרישית "surdefacientem", Munster; "ex surdentem", Montanus; "surdum", Drusius. ; which blew so strong, and so loud, as R. Marinus in Aben Ezra and Kimchi say, made people deaf that heard it: or, "a silencing east wind"; which when it blew, all... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jonah 4:4

Doest thou well to be angry? - לך הרה ההיטב haheitib harah lac , "Is anger good for thee?" No, anger is good for no man; but an angry preacher, minister, bishop, or prophet, is an abominable man. He who, in denouncing the word of God against sinners, joins his own passions with the Divine threatenings, is a cruel and bad man, and should not be an overseer in God's house. A surly bishop, a peevish, passionate preacher, will bring neither glory to God, nor good to man. Dr. Taylor renders... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jonah 4:5

So Jonah went out of the city - I believe this refers to what had already passed; and I therefore agree with Bp. Newcome, who translates, "Now Jonah Had gone out of the city, and Had sat," etc.; for there are many instances where verbs in the preterite form have this force, the ו vau here turning the future into the preterite. And the passage is here to be understood thus: When he had delivered his message he left the city, and went and made himself a tent, or got under some shelter on... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jonah 4:6

And the Lord God prepared a gourd - I believe this should be rendered in the preterpluperfect tense. The Lord Had prepared this plant, קיקיון kikayon . It had in the course of God's providence been planted and grown up in that place, though perhaps not yet in full leaf; and Jonah made that his tent. And its thick branches and large leaves made it an ample shelter for him, and because it was such, he rejoiced greatly on the account. But what was the kikayon ? The best judges say the ... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jonah 4:1-4

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jonah 4:5-11

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:4

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:5

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:8

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jonah 4:4

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jonah 4:5

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jonah 4:6

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