Jonah 4:3

So, God, please finish me up. I want to die, I don’t want to live and watch you be good to the Nineveh people.”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

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

In Context

2Jonah prayed to God. He said, “God, that first time you talked to me, when I was still at home in Israel country, you told me to go and talk to the Nineveh people. But I knew that if I told the Nineveh people your message, they might stop doing bad things, and you might not finish them up. But God, I want you to finish up those Nineveh people. That is the reason why I didn’t want to go to Nineveh and tell them your message, and why I ran away to Tarshish. I knew that you feel sorry for people, and you are always kind. You don’t get angry quickly, and you are really good to people. You don’t do payback to people that stop doing bad things.

4Then God said, “You are very angry. Are you thinking the right way?”

Read all of Jonah 4

Cross References

Jonah 4:8Then the sun came up, and God sent a really hot wind that came from the east. And the sun was really hot on Jonah’s head, so he felt sick. Then Jonah got angry, and he wanted to die. He said, “I don’t want to live any more. I want to die.”

Matthew Henry on Jonah 4:2-5

The Prophet's Discontent. ( b. c. 840.) 1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 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. 3 Therefore now, O Lord , take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. 4 Then said the Lord ,… Read the whole commentary →

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