Jonah 4:2

He prayed to Yahweh, “O Yahweh, what you have done is what I thought that you would do, before I left home [RHQ]. That is why I decided immediately to run away, and go to Tarshish city, because I knew that you, O God, act very kindly and compassionately toward all people. You do not quickly become angry with people who do evil things. You love people very much, and you change your mind about punishing people who sin.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

1But Jonah was very distressed that God had not destroyed Nineveh. He became very angry. The people of Nineveh were non-Jews, and Jonah did not think that God should act mercifully toward anyone who was not a Jew.

3So now, O Yahweh, since you will not destroy Nineveh city as you said you would, allow me to die, because it would be better for me to die than to continue to live.”

Read all of Jonah 4

Cross References

Exodus 32:14So Yahweh changed his mind. He did not do to his people the terrible thing that he said he would do.

Numbers 14:18‘I do not quickly become angry; instead, I love people very much, and I forgive people for having sinned and having disobeyed my laws. But I will always punish [LIT] people who are guilty of doing what is wrong. When parents sin, I will punish them, but I will also punish their children and their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren and their great-great-grandchildren.’

Psalms 78:38But God was merciful to his people. He forgave them for having sinned and did not get rid of them. Many times he refrained from becoming angry with them and restrained from furiously/severely punishing them [MTY].

Psalms 86:15But Lord, you always are mercifully and kind; you do not become angry quickly, you faithfully love us very much and always do for us what you have promised to do.

Psalms 145:8Yahweh, you are kind and merciful to us; you do not quickly become angry; you faithfully love us very much.

Jeremiah 20:7One day I said this to Yahweh: “Yahweh, when you chose me to be a prophet,you deceived me, and I allowed you to deceive me. You insisted that I become a prophet and you are stronger than I am. And now everyone [HYP] ridicules me. They make fun of me all the day.

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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