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Jonah
Chapter Four
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JONAH 4
This
chapter gives us an account of Jonah's displeasure at the repentance of the
Ninevites
and at the Lord's showing mercy unto them
Jonah 4:1; the
angry prayer of Jonah upon it
Jonah 4:2; the
Lord's gentle reproof of him for it
Jonah 4:4; his
conduct upon that
Jonah 4:5; the
gourd prepared for him; its rise
usefulness
and destruction
which raised
different passions in Jonah
Jonah 4:6; the
improvement the Lord made of this to rebuke Jonah
for his displicency at the
mercy he showed to the Ninevites
and to convict him of his folly
Jonah 4:9.
Jonah 4:1 But
it displeased Jonah exceedingly
and he became angry.
YLT
1And it is grievous unto
Jonah -- a great evil -- and he is displeased at it;
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly
and he was very angry. Jonah was
"mirabilis homo"
as one calls him
an "amazing man"; the
strangest
oddest
and most out of the way man
for a good man and a prophet
as one shall ever hear or read of. Displeased he was at that
which one would
have thought he would have exceedingly rejoiced at
the success of his
ministry
as all good men
prophets
and ministers of the word
do; nothing
grieves them more than the hardness of men's hearts
and the failure of their labours;
and nothing more rejoices them than the conversion of sinners by them; but
Jonah is displeased at the repentance of the Ninevites through his preaching
and at the mercy of God showed unto them: displeased at that
on account of
which there is joy in heaven among the divine Persons
Father
Son
and Spirit
and among the holy angels
even over one repenting sinner; and much more over
many thousands
as in this case: displeased at that which is the grudge
the
envy
and spite of devils
and which they do all they can to hinder: and the
more strange it is that Jonah should act such a part at this time
when he
himself had just received mercy of the Lord in so extraordinary a manner as to
be delivered out of the fish's belly
even out of the belly of hell; which one
would think would have warmed his heart with love
not only to God
but to the
souls of men
and caused him to have rejoiced that others were sharers with him
in the same grace and mercy
reasons of this strange conduct
if they may be
called reasons
are supposed to be these: one reason was
his own honour
which
he thought lay at stake
and that he should be reckoned a false prophet if
Nineveh was not destroyed at the time he had fixed; but the proviso implied
though not expressed
"except
ye repent
'
secured
his character; which was the sense of the divine Being
and so the Ninevites
understood it
or at least hoped this was the case
and therefore repented
and
which the mercy shown them confirmed: nor had Jonah any reason to fear they would
have reproached him with such an imputation to his character; but
on the
contrary
would have caressed him as the most welcome person that ever came to
their city
and had been the instrument of showing them their sin and danger
and of bringing them to repentance
and so of saving them from threatened ruin;
and they did him honour by believing at once what he said
and by repenting at
his preaching; and which is testified by Christ
and stands recorded to his
honour
and will be transmitted to the latest posterity: another reason was his
prejudice to the Gentiles
which was unreasonable for
though this was the
foible of the Jewish nation
begrudging that any favours should be bestowed
upon the Gentiles
or prophesied of them; see Romans 10:19; yet a
prophet should have divested himself of such prejudices
as Isaiah and others
did; and
especially when he found his ministry was so blessed among them
he
should have been silent
and glorified God for his mercy
and said
as the
converted Jews did in Peter's time
"then God hath granted unto the
Gentiles repentance unto life"
Acts 11:18; to do
otherwise
and as Jonah did
was to act like the unbelieving Jews
who
"forbid" the apostles to "preach to the Gentiles
that they
might be saved"
1 Thessalonians 2:16.
A third reason supposed is the honour of his own countrymen
which he thought
would be reflected on
and might issue in their ruin
they not returning from
their evil ways
when the Heathens did: a poor weak reason this! with what
advantage might he have returned to his own country? with what force of
argument might he have accosted them
and upbraided them with their impenitence
and unbelief; that Gentiles at one sermon should repent in sackcloth and ashes
when they had the prophets one after another sent them
and without effect? and
who knows what might have been the issue of this? lastly
the glory of God
might be pretended; that he would be reckoned a liar
and his word a falsehood
and be derided as such by atheists and unbelievers; but here was no danger of
this from these penitent ones; and
besides
the proviso before mentioned
secured the truth and veracity of God; and who was honoured by these persons
by their immediate faith in him
and repentance towards him; and his grace and
mercy were as much glorified in the salvation of them as his justice would have
been in their destruction.
Jonah 4:2 2 So
he prayed to the Lord
and said
“Ah
Lord
was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled
previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful
God
slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness
One who relents from doing
harm.
YLT
2and he prayeth unto
Jehovah
and he saith
`I pray Thee
O Jehovah
is not this my word while I was
in mine own land -- therefore I was beforehand to flee to Tarshish -- that I
have known that Thou [art] a God
gracious and merciful
slow to anger
and
abundant in kindness
and repenting of evil?
And he prayed unto the Lord
.... But in a very
different manner from his praying in the fish's belly: this was a very
disorderly prayer
put up in the hurry of his spirit
and in the heat of
passion: prayer should be fervent indeed
but not like that of a man in a
fever; there should be a warmth and ardour of affection in it
but it should be
without wrath
as well as without doubting: this is called a prayer
because
Jonah thought it to be so
and put it up to the Lord as one. It begins in the
form of a prayer; and it ends with a petition
though an unlawful one; and has
nothing of true and right prayer in it; no celebration of the divine Being
and
his perfections; no confession of sin
ore petition for any blessing of
providence or grace; but mere wrangling
contending
and quarrelling with God:
and said
I pray thee
O Lord
was not this my saying
when
I was yet in my country? in Judea
or in Galilee
at Gathhepher; was not this what I
thought and said within myself
and to thee
that this would be the issue and
consequence of going to the Ninevites; they would repent of their sins
and
thou wouldst forgive them; and so thou wouldst be reckoned a liar
and I a
false prophet? and now things are come to pass just as I thought and said they
would: and thus he suggests that he had a greater or better foresight of things
than God himself; and that it would have been better if his saying had been
attended unto
and not the order of him to Nineveh; how audacious and insolent
was this!
therefore I fled before unto Tarshish; before he
could have a second order to Nineveh: here he justifies his flight to Tarshish
as if he had good reason for it; and that it would have been better if he had
not been stopped in his flight
and had gone to Tarshish
and not have gone to
Nineveh. This is amazing
after such severe corrections for his flight
and
after such success at Nineveh:
for I know that thou art a gracious God
and merciful
slow
to anger
and of great kindness
and repentest thee of the evil; this he knew
from his own experience
for which he had reason to be thankful
and from the
proclamation of God
in Exodus 34:6; which
be seems to have respect unto; and a glorious one it is
though Jonah seems to
twit and upbraid the Lord with his grace and mercy to men
as if it was a
weakness and infirmity in him
whereas it is his highest glory
Exodus 33:18; he
seems to speak of him
and represent him
as if he was all mercy
and nothing
else; which is a wrong representation of him; for he is righteous as well as
merciful; and in the same place where he proclaims himself to be so
he
declares that he will "by no means clear the guilty"
Exodus 34:7
but
here we see that good men
and prophets
and ministers of the word
are men of
like passions with others
and some of greater passions; and here we have an
instance of the prevailing corruptions of good men
and how they break out
again
even after they have been scourged for them; for afflictions
though
they are corrections for sin
and do restrain it
and humble for it
and both purge
and prevent it
yet do not wholly remove it.
Jonah 4:3 3 Therefore
now
O Lord
please take my life from me
for it is better for me to die than to
live!”
YLT
3And now
O Jehovah
take
I
pray Thee
my soul from me
for better [is] my death than my life.'
Therefore now
O Lord
take
I beseech thee
my life from me
.... Or
"my soul"F24את נפשי "animam meam"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Junius & Tremellins
Piscator
Drusius
Cocceius. . This
as Drusius
remarks
may be observed against those that think the soul is not immortal; for
by this it appears that it my be taken from the body
and that it exists
separate from it
and does not die with it; and since the body dies upon its
removal
for "the body without the spirit is dead"
as James says;
death is expressed by this phrase
Job 27:8; here
Jonah allows that God is the God of life
the author and giver of it
and is
the sole disposer of it; it is in his own power to take it away
and not man's:
so far Jonah was right
that he did not in his passion attempt to take away his
own life; only desires the Lord to do it
though in that he is not to be
justified; for though it may be lawful for good men to desire to die
with
submission to the will of God; that they might be free from sin
and serve him
without it
and be with Christ
and in the enjoyment of the divine Presence
as
the Apostle Paul and others did
2 Corinthians 5:6;
but not through discontent
as Elijah
1 Kings 19:4; or
merely to be rid of troubles
and to be free from pain and afflictions
as Job
Job 6:1; and much
less in a pet and passion
as Jonah here
giving this reason for it
for it is better for me to die than to live; not being
able to bear the reproach of being a false prophet
which he imagined would be
cast upon him; or
as Aben Ezra and Kimchi
that he might not see the evil come
upon Israel
which he feared the repentance of the Ninevites would be the
occasion of
Jonah was in a very poor frame of spirit to die in; this would not
have been dying in faith and hope in God; which graces cannot be thought to be
in lively exercise in him when he was quarrelling with God; neither in love to
God
with whom he was angry; nor in love to men
at whose repentance
and
finding mercy with the Lord
he was displeased.
Jonah 4:4 4 Then
the Lord
said
“Is it right for you to be angry?”
YLT
4And Jehovah saith
`Is
doing good displeasing to thee?'
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?"F25ההיטב חרה
לך "num benefacere ira est tibi?" Montanus.
art thou angry at that
because I do good to whom I will? so R. Japhet
as Aben
Ezra observes
though he disapproves of it: according to this the sense is
is
doing good to the Ninevites
showing mercy to them upon their repentance
such
an eyesore to thee? is thine eye evil
because mine is good? so the Scribes and
Pharisees indeed were displeased with Christ for conversing with publicans and
sinners
which was for the good of their souls; and the elder brother was angry
with his father for receiving the prodigal; and of the same cast Jonah seems to
be
at least at this time
being under the power of his corruptions. There
seems to be an emphasis upon the word "thou"; dost "thou"
well to be angry? what
"thou"
a creature
be angry with his
Creator; a worm
a potsherd of the earth
with the God of heaven and earth?
what
"thou"
that hast received mercy thyself in such an
extraordinary manner
and so lately
and be angry at mercy shown to others?
what
"thou"
a prophet of the Lord
that should have at heart the
good of immortal souls
and be displeased that thy ministry has been the means
of the conversion and repentance of so many thousands? is there any just cause
for all this anger? no
it is a causeless one; and this is put to the
conscience of Jonah; he himself is made judge in his own cause; and it looks as
if
upon self-reflection and reconsideration
when his passions cooled and
subsided
that he was self-convicted and self-condemned
since no answer is
returned. The Targum is
"art
thou exceeding angry?'
and
so other interpreters
Jewish and ChristianF26"Nonne vehemens
ira est tibi?" Pagninus; "numquid vehementer indignaris
multumne
(valdene) iratus est?" Vatablus; so Kimchi and R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed
fol. 47. 2.
understand it of the vehemency of his anger.
Jonah 4:5 5 So
Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made
himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade
till he might see what would
become of the city.
YLT
5And Jonah goeth forth from
the city
and sitteth on the east of the city
and maketh to himself there a
booth
and sitteth under it in the shade
till that he seeth what is in the
city.
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"F1ויצא
"exicrat autem"
Mercerus; "exivit"
Cocceius. ; that is
before all this passed
recorded in the preceding verses; and so Aben Ezra
observes
that the Scripture returns here to make mention of the affairs of
Jonah
and what happened before the accomplishment of the forty days:
and sat on the east side of the city; where he
might have very probably a good sight of it; and which lay the reverse of the
road to his own country; that
if the inhabitants should pursue him
they would
miss of him; which some suppose he might be in fear of
should their city be
destroyed:
and there made him a booth; of the boughs of trees
which he erected
not to continue in
but for a short time
expecting in a few
days the issue of his prediction:
and sat under it in the shadow; to shelter him from the
heat of the sun:
till he might see what would become of the city; or
"what would be done in" it
or "with" itF2מה יהיה בעיר
"quid esset futurum in civitate"
Montanus
Junius & Tremellius
Tarnovius; "quid fieret in ea urbe"
Vatablus. ; if this was after he
knew that the Lord had repented of the evil he threatened
and was disposed to
show mercy to the city; and which
as Kimchi thinks
was revealed to him by the
spirit of prophecy; then he sat here
expecting the repentance of the Ninevites
would be a short lived one; be like the goodness of Ephraim and Judah
as the
morning cloud
and early dew that passes away; and that then God would change
his dispensations towards them again
as he had done; or however he might expect
that though the city was not totally overthrown
yet that there would be
something done; some lesser judgment fall upon them
as a token of the divine
displeasure
and which might save his credit as a prophet
Jonah 4:6 6 And
the Lord
God prepared a plant[a] and made
it come up over Jonah
that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from
his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
YLT
6And Jehovah God appointeth
a gourd
and causeth it to come up over Jonah
to be a shade over his head
to
give deliverance to him from his affliction
and Jonah rejoiceth because of the
gourd [with] great joy.
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 HerodotusF3Euterpe
sive l. 2. c. 94.
DioscoridesF4L. 4. c. 164.
StraboF5Geograph. l. 17. p.
566.
and PlinyF6Nat. Hist. l. 15. c. 7. ; a plant frequent in
Egypt
of which the Egyptians made an oil; hence the TalmudistsF7Misa.
Sabbat
c. 2. sect. 1. T. Bab. Sabbat
fol. 21. 2. make mention of the oil of
"kik"
which Reshlakish says is the "kikaion" of Jonah; and
which is the same that the Arabians call "alcheroa" or
"alcherva"
according to Samuel ben HophniF8In Kimchi in
loc.
MaimonidesF9In Misna Sabbat
c. 2. sect. 1.
BartenoraF11In
ib.
and JeromF12In loc. ; and which is well known to be the
"ricinus"
or "palma Christi"; and which
by the
description of it
according to all the above writers
bids fairestF13Vid.
Weidlingt. Dissert. de Kikaion
apud Thesaur. Theolog. Phil. Dissert. vol. 1.
p. 989. & Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 2. c. 24. p. 293
294. & l. 4.
c. 27. p. 623. & Geograph. par. 1. Colossians 918
919.
& Liveleum in loc. to be here intended; it rising up to the height of a
tree
an olive tree
having very large broad leaves
like those of vines
or of
plantain; and springing up suddenly
as Pliny says it does in Spain; and
Clusius affirms he saw at the straits of Gibraltar a ricinus of the thickness
of a man
and of the height of three men; and Bellonius
who travelled through
Syria and Palestine
saw one in Crete of the size of a tree; and DietericusF14Antiqu.
Bibl. par. 1. p. 82.
who relates the above
says he saw himself
in a garden
at Leyden
well furnished and enriched with exotic plants
an American ricinus
the stalk of which was hollow
weak
and soft
and the leaves almost a foot and
a half; and which Adolphus Vorstius
he adds
took to be the same which Jonah
had for a shade; with which agrees what DioscoridesF15Apud Calmet's
Dictionary
in the word "Kikaion". says
that there is a sort of it
which grows large like a tree
and as high as a fig tree; the leaves of it are
like those of a palm tree
though broader
smoother
and blacker; the branches
and trunk of it are hollow like a reed: and what may seem more to confirm this
is
that a certain number of grains of the seed of the ricinus very much
provoke vomiting; which
if true
as MarinusF16Arca Noae
tom. 2.
fol. 135. observes
the word here used may be derived from קוא
which signifies to vomit; from whence is the word קיא
vomiting; and the first radical being here doubled may increase the
signification
and show it to be a great emetic; and the like virtue of the
ricinus is observed by othersF17Hillerus in Hierophytico
par. 1. p.
453. apud Burkium in loc. . Jerom allegorizes it of the ceremonial law
under
the shadow of which Israel dwelt for a while; and then was abrogated by Christ
who says he was a worm
and no man: but it is better to apply it to outward mercies
and earthly enjoyments
which like this plant spring out of the earth
and have
their root in it
and are of the nature of it
and therefore minded by earthly
and carnal men above all others; they are thin
slight
and slender things;
there is no solidity and substance in them
like the kiki
whose stalk is
hollow as a reed
as Dioscorides says; they are light and empty things
vanity
and vexation of spirit; spring up suddenly sometimes
and are gone as soon;
some men come to riches and honour at once
and rise up to a very great pitch
of both
and quickly fall into poverty and disgrace again; for these are very
uncertain perishing things
like this herb or plant
or even as grass
which
soon withers away. They are indeed of God
who is the Father of mercies
and
are the gifts of his providence
and not the merit of men; they are disposed of
according to his will
and "prepared" by him in his purposes
and
given forth according to them
and in his covenant to his own special people
and are to them blessings indeed:
and made it to come up over Jonah; over his
head
as follows; and it may be over the booth he had built
which was become
in a manner useless; the leaves of the boughs of which it was made being
withered with the heat of the sun; it came over him so as to cover him all
over; which may denote both the necessity of outward mercies
as food and
raiment
which the Lord knows his people have need of; and the sufficiency of
them he grants
with which they should be content:
that it might be a shadow over his head
to deliver him from his
grief; either from the vexation of mind at the repentance of the
Ninevites
and the mercy shown them; this being a refreshment unto him
and
which he might take as a new token of the Lord's favourable regard to him
after
the offence he had given him
and gentle reproof for it; or from the headache
with which he was thought to have been afflicted
through his vexation; or by
the heat of the sun; or rather it was to shelter him from the heat of the sun
and the distress that gave him: so outward mercies
like a reviving and
refreshing shadow
exhilarate the spirits
and are a defence against the
injuries and insults of men
and a preservative from the grief and distress
which poverty brings with it:
so Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd; or
"rejoiced with a great joy"F18וישמח־שמחה
גדולה "et laetatus est----magna laetitia"
Pagninus
Montanus; "et laetabaturque laetitia magna"
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator; "gavisus est gaudio magno"
Burkius
; he was
excessively and above measure glad of it
because of its usefulness to him:
outward mercies are what we should be thankful for; and it is good for men to
rejoice in their labours
and enjoy the good of them; to eat their bread with a
merry heart and cheerfulness; but should not be elevated with them beyond
measure
lifted up with pride
and boast and glory of them
and rejoice in such
boastings
which is evil; or rejoice in them as their portion
placing their
happiness therein
which is to rejoice in a thing of naught; or to overrate
mercies
and show more affection for them than for God himself
the giver of
them
who only should be our "exceeding joy"; and
when this is the
case
it is much if they are not quickly taken away
as Jonah's gourd was
as
follows:
Jonah 4:7 7 But
as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm
and it so damaged
the plant that it withered.
YLT
7And God appointeth a worm
at the going up of the dawn on the morrow
and it smiteth the gourd
and it
drieth up.
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 of Valentinus
Marcion
and Apelles; who
as
JeromF19Prooem. in Philemon. ad Paulam & Eustochium. says
introduce another creator of ants
worms
fleas
locusts
&c. and another
of the heavens
earth
sea
and angels: but it is much that. ArnobiusF20Adv.
Gentes
l. 2. p. 95.
an orthodox ancient Christian father
should deny such
creatures to be the work of God
and profess his ignorance of the Maker of
them. His words are
"should
we deny flies
beetles
worms
mice
weasels
and moths
to be the work of the
King Omnipotent
it does not follow that it should be required of us to say who
made and formed them; for we may without blame be ignorant who gave them their
original;'
whereas
in the miracle of the lice
the magicians of Egypt themselves owned that the
finger of God was there
and were out of their power to effect; and to the
Prophet Amos the great God was represented in a vision as making locusts or
grasshoppers
Amos 7:1; and
indeed the smallest insect or reptile is a display of the wisdom and power of
God
and not at all below his dignity and greatness to produce; and for which
there are wise reasons in nature and providence
as here for the production of
this worm: the same God that prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah
and a
gourd to shadow him
and an east wind to blow upon him
prepared this worm to
destroy his shade
and try his patience:
and it smote the gourd
that it withered; it bit its
root
and its moisture dried up
and it withered away at once
and became
useless: that same hand that gives mercies can take them away
and that very
suddenly
in a trice
in a few hours
as in the case of Job; and sometimes very
secretly and invisibly
that men are not aware of; their substance wastes
and
they fall to decay
and they can scarcely tell the reason of it; there is a
worm at the root of their enjoyments
which kills them; God is as a moth and
rottenness unto them; and he does this sometimes by small means
by little
instruments
as he plagued Pharaoh and the Egyptians with lice and flies.
Jonah 4:8 8 And
it happened
when the sun arose
that God prepared a vehement east wind; and
the sun beat on Jonah’s head
so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for
himself
and said
“It is better for me to die than to live.”
YLT
8And it cometh to pass
about the rising of the sun
that God appointeth a cutting east wind
and the
sun smiteth on the head of Jonah
and he wrappeth himself up
and asketh his
soul to die
and saith
`Better [is] my death than my life.'
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"F21חרישית
"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 other winds were silent
as
Jarchi: or it made men silent
not being to be heard for it: or
"a
silent"F23"Silentem"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Mercerus
Grotius
Tarnovius; so Stockius
p. 397. and Burkius.
that is
a still quiet wind
as the Targum; which blew so gently and slowly
that it increased the heat
instead of lessening it: or rather "a
ploughing east wind"F24"Aratorium"
Hyde. ; such as
are frequentF25Via. Petitsol. Itinera Mundi
p. 146. & Hyde
Not. in ib. in the eastern countries
which plough up the dry land
cause the
sand to arise and cover men and camels
and bury them in it. Of these winds
Monsieur ThevenotF26Travels
par. 1. B. 2. p. 162. speaks more than
once; in sandy deserts
between Cairo and Suez
he says
"it
blew so furiously
that I thought all the tents would have been carried away
with the wind; which drove before it such clouds of sand
that we were almost
buried under it; for seeing nobody could stay outside
without having mouth and
eyes immediately filled with sand
we lay under the tents
where the wind drove
in the sand above a foot deep round about us;'
and
in another place he observesF1Travels
par. 1. B. 2. ch. 34. p. 177.
.
"from
Suez to Cairo
for a day's time or more
we had so hot a wind
that we were
forced to turn our backs to it
to take a little breath
and so soon as we
opened our mouths they were full of sand;'
such
an one was here raised
which blew the sand and dust into the face of Jonah
and almost suffocated him; which
with the heat of the sun
was very afflictive
to him:
and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah
that he fainted; the boughs of
trees
of which the booth was made
being withered
and his gourd
or whatever
plant it was
also
he had nothing to shelter him from the heat of the sun; but
the beams of it darted directly upon him
so that he was not able to sustain
them; they quite overwhelmed him
and caused him to faint
and just ready to
die away:
and wished in himself to die; or
"desired his
soul might die"F2את נפשו "animae suae"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Cocceius; "animam suam"
Burkius. ; not his rational soul
which was
immortal; by this animal or sensitive soul
which he had in common with
animals; he wished his animal life might be taken from him
because the
distress through the wind and sun was intolerable to him:
and said
it is better for me to die than to live; in so much
pain and misery; see Jonah 4:3.
Jonah 4:9 9 Then
God said to Jonah
“Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And
he said
“It is right for me to be angry
even to death!”
YLT
9And God saith unto Jonah:
`Is doing good displeasing to thee
because of the gourd?' and he saith
`To do
good is displeasing to me -- unto death.'
And God said to Jonah
dost thou well to be angry for the gourd?.... Or
"art thou very angry for it?" as the Targum: no mention is made of
the blustering wind and scorching sun
because the gourd or plant raised up
over him would have protected him from the injuries of both
had it continued;
and it was for the loss of that that Jonah was so displeased
and in such a
passion. This question is put in order to draw out the following answer
and so
give an opportunity of improving this affair to the end for which it was
designed:
and he said
I do well to be angry
even unto death; or
"I
am very angry unto death"
as the Targum; I am so very angry that I cannot
live under it for fretting and vexing; and it is right for me to be so
though
I die with the passion of it: how ungovernable are the passions of men
and to
what insolence do they rise when under the power of them!
Jonah 4:10 10 But
the Lord
said
“You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored
nor made
it grow
which came up in a night and perished in a night.
YLT
10And Jehovah saith
`Thou
hast had pity on the gourd
for which thou didst not labour
neither didst thou
nourish it
which a son of a night was
and a son of a night perished
Then said the Lord
thou hast had pity on the gourd
.... Or
"hast spared it"F3חסת
"pepercisiti"
Pagninus
Montanus
Mercerus
Burkius;
"pepercisses"
Piscator. ; that is
would have spared it
had it lain
in his power
though but a weeds and worthless thing:
for the which thou hast not laboured; in digging
the ground
and by sowing or planting it; it being raised up at once by the
Lord himself
and not by any
human art and industry; nor by any of his:
neither madest it grow; by dunging the earth
about it
or by watering and pruning it:
which came up in a night
and perished in a night; not in the
same night; for it sprung up one night
continued a whole any
and then
perished the next night. The Targum is more explicit
"which
was in this (or one) night
and perished in another night;'
by
all which the Lord suggests to Jonah the vast difference between the gourd he
would have spared
and for the loss of which he was so angry
and the city of
Nineveh the Lord spared
which so highly displeased him; the one was but an
herb
a plant
the other a great city; that a single plant
but the city
consisted of thousands of persons; the plant was not the effect of his toil and
labour
but the inhabitants of this city were the works of God's hands. In the
building of this city
according to historiansF4Eustathius in
Dionys. Perieg. p. 125. a million and a half of men were employed eight years
together; the plant was liken mushroom
it sprung up in a night
and perished
in one; whereas this was a very ancient city
that had stood ever since the
days of Nimrod.
Jonah 4:11 11 And
should I not pity Nineveh
that great city
in which are more than one hundred
and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and
their left—and much livestock?”
YLT
11and I -- have not I pity on
Nineveh
the great city
in which there are more than twelve myriads of human
beings
who have not known between their right hand and their left -- and much
cattle!'
And should not I spare Nineveh
that great city?.... See Jonah 1:2; what is
such a gourd or plant to that?
wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons; or twelve
myriads; that is
twelve times ten thousand
or a hundred and twenty thousand;
meaning not all the inhabitants of Nineveh; for then it would not have appeared
to be so great a city; but infants only
as next described:
that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; do not know
one from another; cannot distinguish between good and evil
right and wrong;
are not come to years of maturity and discretion; and therefore there were room
and reason for pity and sparing mercy; especially since they had not been
guilty of actual transgressions
at least not very manifest; and yet must have
perished with their parents had Nineveh been overthrown. The number of infants
in this city is a proof of the greatness of it
though not so as to render the
account incredible; for
admitting these to be a fifth part of its inhabitants
as they usually are of any place
as BochartF5Phaleg. l. 4. c. 20.
p. 253. observes
it makes the number of its inhabitants to be but six or seven
hundred thousand; and as many there were in Seleucia and Thebes
as PlinyF6Nat.
Hist. l. 6. c. 26. relates of the one
and TacitusF7Annal. l. 2. c.
60. of the other:
and also much cattle; and these more valuable
than goods
as animals are preferable to
and more useful than
vegetables; and
yet these must have perished in the common calamity. Jarchi understands by
these grown up persons
whose knowledge is like the beasts that know not their
Creator. No answer being returned
it may be reasonably supposed Jonah
was
convinced of his sin and folly; and
to show his repentance for it
penned
this
narrative
which records his infirmities and weaknesses
for the good of
the church
and the instruction of saints in succeeding ages.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)