Jonah 4:4

God did not rebuke Jonah nor did He ask what right he had to criticize God. Rather, He suggested that Jonah might not be viewing the situation correctly. God also confronted Job tenderly by asking him questions (cf. Jonah 4:9; Jonah 4:11; Job 38-39). The Jerusalem Bible translation, "Are you right to be angry?" captures the intent of the Hebrew text. Jonah had condemned God for not being angry (Jonah 4:2), but now God challenged Jonah for being angry. Jonah was feeling the frustration of not understanding God’s actions in the light of His character, which many others have felt (e.g., Job, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, et al.).

When God’s servants become angry because God is as He is, the Lord deals with them compassionately.