Jonah · Chapter 4

V. 1. It-The divine forbearance sparing Nineveh.

Verse 1. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly] This hasty, and indeed inconsiderate prophet, was vexed because his prediction was not fulfiled. He had more respect to his high sense of his own honour than he had to the goodness and mercy of God. He appeared to care little whether six hundred and twenty thousand persons were destroyed or not, so he might not pass for a deceiver, or one that denounced a falsity. And he was very angry.] Because the prediction was not literally fulfilled; for he totally lost sight of the condition.

Verses 1-3. But it — The divine forbearance in sparing Nineveh; displeased Jonah exceedingly — “Seeing that what he had foretold against the Ninevites did not happen, he was afraid lest he should pass for a false prophet and a deceiver, his ministry be despised, and his person exposed to the violence of the Ninevites. He was therefore very peevish and impatient, and he vents his complaints in the following verse.” And he prayed unto the Lord — He uttered expostulations and complaints in his prayer to God, wherein he pleaded an excuse for his former disobedience to God’s commands. O Lord, was not this my saying — Did I not think of this, and suppose that it would be the case, that thy pardon would contradict my preaching? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish — Namely, to avoid coming upon this message, for I knew that thou art a gracious God — I knew by the declarations thou madest to Moses, (Exodus 34:6,) and by several instances of thy mercy, that thou dost not always execute the punishments thou threatenest against sinners; being moved by thy essential goodness and mercifulness to spare them. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me — “I cannot survive the confusion of seeing my prediction vain and to no effect; I cannot bear to live under the imputation of being a false prophet.” For it is better for me to die than to live — We may learn from this, that Jonah was naturally a man of a hasty, impatient temper; for he here shows himself to have been exceedingly vexed without any just cause. For it does not appear that the Ninevites would have despised him, or looked upon him as a false prophet, though the city was not destroyed; because their having recourse to fasting, humiliation, and turning from their evil ways, was in order to avert the wrath of God, that he might repent and turn from his fierce anger, and they perish not; see Jonah 3:9; and therefore they would, in all probability, have attributed the city’s preservation to this their humiliation and repentance, and have still looked upon Jonah as one that was divinely commissioned. So that he was indeed moved to these passionate expressions and exclamations purely by his own hasty disposition, and not from any just cause given him.

JONAH’S COMPLAINT AND REBUKE, 1-11.

When Jonah found that his threat was not being fulfilled he became angry and prayed Jehovah to kill him, since life was no longer worth living (1-3). Jehovah remonstrated with him (4). The prophet left the city and, having prepared a booth, settled down to await developments (5). By an object lesson Jehovah taught Jonah the folly and sin of his displeasure over the salvation of Nineveh and showed that God was perfectly justified in averting the doom of the city.

1, 2. Displeased Jonah exceedingly,… was very angry — Since his message remained unfulfilled, he feared that his honor as a prophet was at stake; which would be of supreme moment to a selfish person. He prayed — Many commentators have considered the prayer an expression of pious devotion, but its contents make this impossible. Keil comes nearer the truth when he says, “He tried to quarrel with God by praying.” Was not this my saying — Not openly, perhaps, but in his heart he suspected that Jehovah would save the Ninevites, if they repented. Therefore — Because of this suspicion. I fled before — R.V., “I hasted to flee.” The Hebrew construction is peculiar (G.-K., 114n, note 3), and the exact meaning is doubtful. Either “I fled before,” that is, when thou didst call me the first time; or “I was beforehand in fleeing,” that is, I sought to avoid the commission because I knew the message would remain unfulfilled; or “I sought to prevent by fleeing,” the very thing that has now happened. Tarshish — See on 1:3. For I knew — His conviction as to what God would do arose from his knowledge of the divine character. For the rest of the verse see on Joel 2:13.

V. 2. Was not this-Did I not think of this? That thy pardon would contradict my preaching.

Verse 2. I know that thou art a gracious God] See Clarke’s note on “Exodus 34:6”.

Verses 1-3. But it — The divine forbearance in sparing Nineveh; displeased Jonah exceedingly — “Seeing that what he had foretold against the Ninevites did not happen, he was afraid lest he should pass for a false prophet and a deceiver, his ministry be despised, and his person exposed to the violence of the Ninevites. He was therefore very peevish and impatient, and he vents his complaints in the following verse.” And he prayed unto the Lord — He uttered expostulations and complaints in his prayer to God, wherein he pleaded an excuse for his former disobedience to God’s commands. O Lord, was not this my saying — Did I not think of this, and suppose that it would be the case, that thy pardon would contradict my preaching? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish — Namely, to avoid coming upon this message, for I knew that thou art a gracious God — I knew by the declarations thou madest to Moses, (Exodus 34:6,) and by several instances of thy mercy, that thou dost not always execute the punishments thou threatenest against sinners; being moved by thy essential goodness and mercifulness to spare them. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me — “I cannot survive the confusion of seeing my prediction vain and to no effect; I cannot bear to live under the imputation of being a false prophet.” For it is better for me to die than to live — We may learn from this, that Jonah was naturally a man of a hasty, impatient temper; for he here shows himself to have been exceedingly vexed without any just cause. For it does not appear that the Ninevites would have despised him, or looked upon him as a false prophet, though the city was not destroyed; because their having recourse to fasting, humiliation, and turning from their evil ways, was in order to avert the wrath of God, that he might repent and turn from his fierce anger, and they perish not; see Jonah 3:9; and therefore they would, in all probability, have attributed the city’s preservation to this their humiliation and repentance, and have still looked upon Jonah as one that was divinely commissioned. So that he was indeed moved to these passionate expressions and exclamations purely by his own hasty disposition, and not from any just cause given him.

JONAH’S COMPLAINT AND REBUKE, 1-11.

When Jonah found that his threat was not being fulfilled he became angry and prayed Jehovah to kill him, since life was no longer worth living (1-3). Jehovah remonstrated with him (4). The prophet left the city and, having prepared a booth, settled down to await developments (5). By an object lesson Jehovah taught Jonah the folly and sin of his displeasure over the salvation of Nineveh and showed that God was perfectly justified in averting the doom of the city.

1, 2. Displeased Jonah exceedingly,… was very angry — Since his message remained unfulfilled, he feared that his honor as a prophet was at stake; which would be of supreme moment to a selfish person. He prayed — Many commentators have considered the prayer an expression of pious devotion, but its contents make this impossible. Keil comes nearer the truth when he says, “He tried to quarrel with God by praying.” Was not this my saying — Not openly, perhaps, but in his heart he suspected that Jehovah would save the Ninevites, if they repented. Therefore — Because of this suspicion. I fled before — R.V., “I hasted to flee.” The Hebrew construction is peculiar (G.-K., 114n, note 3), and the exact meaning is doubtful. Either “I fled before,” that is, when thou didst call me the first time; or “I was beforehand in fleeing,” that is, I sought to avoid the commission because I knew the message would remain unfulfilled; or “I sought to prevent by fleeing,” the very thing that has now happened. Tarshish — See on 1:3. For I knew — His conviction as to what God would do arose from his knowledge of the divine character. For the rest of the verse see on Joel 2:13.

V. 3. Than to live-Disgraced and upbraided by hardened sinners, who will brand me for a liar.

Verse 3. Take, I beseech thee, my life from me] yvpn ta an jq kach na eth naphshi, “Take, I beseech thee, even my soul.” Do not let me survive this disgrace. Thou hast spared this city. I thought thou wouldst do so, because thou art merciful and gracious, and it was on this account that I refused to go at first, as I knew that thou mightest change thy purpose, though thou hadst commanded me to make an absolute denunciation of judgment. God has left this example on record to show that an inconsiderate man is not fit to be employed in his work; and he chose this one example that it might serve as an endless warning to his Church to employ no man in the work of the ministry that is not scripturally acquainted with God’s justice and mercy.

Verses 1-3. But it — The divine forbearance in sparing Nineveh; displeased Jonah exceedingly — “Seeing that what he had foretold against the Ninevites did not happen, he was afraid lest he should pass for a false prophet and a deceiver, his ministry be despised, and his person exposed to the violence of the Ninevites. He was therefore very peevish and impatient, and he vents his complaints in the following verse.” And he prayed unto the Lord — He uttered expostulations and complaints in his prayer to God, wherein he pleaded an excuse for his former disobedience to God’s commands. O Lord, was not this my saying — Did I not think of this, and suppose that it would be the case, that thy pardon would contradict my preaching? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish — Namely, to avoid coming upon this message, for I knew that thou art a gracious God — I knew by the declarations thou madest to Moses, (Exodus 34:6,) and by several instances of thy mercy, that thou dost not always execute the punishments thou threatenest against sinners; being moved by thy essential goodness and mercifulness to spare them. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me — “I cannot survive the confusion of seeing my prediction vain and to no effect; I cannot bear to live under the imputation of being a false prophet.” For it is better for me to die than to live — We may learn from this, that Jonah was naturally a man of a hasty, impatient temper; for he here shows himself to have been exceedingly vexed without any just cause. For it does not appear that the Ninevites would have despised him, or looked upon him as a false prophet, though the city was not destroyed; because their having recourse to fasting, humiliation, and turning from their evil ways, was in order to avert the wrath of God, that he might repent and turn from his fierce anger, and they perish not; see Jonah 3:9; and therefore they would, in all probability, have attributed the city’s preservation to this their humiliation and repentance, and have still looked upon Jonah as one that was divinely commissioned. So that he was indeed moved to these passionate expressions and exclamations purely by his own hasty disposition, and not from any just cause given him.

3, 4. Therefore now — Since he is discredited as a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:21, 22), life is no longer worth living; yet he does not think of taking his own life; he asks Him who gave it to take it away. It is better for me to die than to live — Elijah also (1 Kings 19:4) prayed God to take his life (compare Numbers 11:15), but his weariness of life was due to another cause. G.A. Smith points out the difference between the two prophets in these words: “Elijah was jealous for Jehovah, Jonah was jealous of him.” The former failed in his attempt to convert the people to whom he was sent; the latter did succeed, but was disappointed when the Ninevites were converted; he grudged them the divine pardon. Jonah was too narrow; he “could not bear to see the love which, as he thought, was promised to Israel alone, and cherished by her, bestowed equally on her heathen oppressor.” He would rather die than see this done. Jehovah does not condemn Jonah harshly for this unreasonable outbreak; he rather attempts to brings him to his senses. Doest thou well to be angry? — “It is the gentle question of suggested reproof, designed to still the tumult of passion and lead to consideration and reflection.”

Verse 4. Doest thou well to be angry?] Ël hrh bcyhh 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 the clause, “Art thou very much grieved?” A man may be very much grieved that a sinner is lost; but who but he who is of a fiendish nature will be grieved because God’s mercy triumphs over judgment?

Verses 4-9. Doest thou well to be angry? — What a mild reproof was this from God, for such a passionate behaviour as Jonah manifested! Here the prophet experienced that Jehovah was a gracious God, merciful, and slow to anger. Here we learn by the highest example, that of God himself, how mild and gentle we ought to be if we would be like him, even to those who carry themselves toward us in the most unreasonable and unjustifiable manner. So Jonah went out of the city — The words should rather have been rendered, Now Jonah had gone out of the city: for the particulars related in the foregoing verses took place after his departing out of the city, and sitting somewhere in view of it, expecting some extraordinary judgment to come upon it; but being disappointed, he broke out into that expostulation with God already mentioned. We may observe, in this book, several instances of facts related first, and then the manner how these facts were brought about explained afterward. And sat on the east side of the city — Probably in a place where he could best see the city; and there made him a booth — A little cot, or shed of twigs. Or, a shelter, as Bishop Newcome translates the word, observing, that it signifies both an artificial cover, such as a tent, or booth, and also a natural one, as Job 38:40; Jeremiah 25:38, where it is used of the covert of a lion. The LXX. render it skhnh, a tent; and the Vulgate, umbraculum, a little shed. And the Lord prepared a gourd — This is supposed to be spoken of a shrub growing in Palestine, bearing broad and very thick leaves, so that it affords a great shade. Bochart, Hiller, and Celsius say, that the ricinus, or palma-christi, is here meant; a supposition which is favoured by its height, which is that of the olive, the largeness of its leaves, which are like those of the vine, and the quickness of its growth: see Pliny, Nat. Hist., lib. 15. cap. 7. Whatever kind of plant it was that shaded Jonah, we may justly attribute a miraculous growth to it. Indeed the relation in the text evidently supposes that, saying that God made it to come up over Jonah: that it might be a shadow, &c., to deliver him from his grief — That is, from the inconvenience which he felt from the heat. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd — As vehement in his joy now as in his grief before. His passions were strong, and easily moved by trifling events, whether of an agreeable or disagreeable nature. We are not told that Jonah saw the hand of God in this plant’s rising up so suddenly to shelter him, or that he was thankful to God for it. But God prepared — That is, sent, or excited, a worm — By the same power which caused the gourd suddenly to spring up and spread itself. And it smote the gourd — Early next morning it bit the root, so that the whole gourd withered. And when the sun did arise — That is, when it was got to some height; for the day-break is spoken of before, and this seems to signify some space of time after that: besides, the sun’s being described as beating on the head of Jonah, shows that an advance in the day is here intended; God prepared a vehement east wind — The winds in the hot countries, when they blow from the sandy deserts, are oftentimes more suffocating than the heat of the sun, and they make the sun-beams give a more intense heat. The sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted — Was overpowered by the heat, and ready to faint. And wished himself to die — As he had done before; and said, It is better for me to die than to live — But Jonah must be made more wise, humble, and compassionate too, before it will be better for him to die than to live. And before God hath done with him, he will teach him to value his own life more, and to be more tender of the lives of others. And God said, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? — For an insignificant, short-lived plant? God adds this circumstance to the question before proposed, that Jonah might be his own judge, and at once condemn his own passions, justify God’s patience and mercy, and acquiesce with satisfaction in God’s merciful dealings with the inhabitants of Nineveh. And he said, I do well to be angry — When a similar question was asked before, he was silent; but now he is out of all patience, and quarrels openly and rudely with God, who had spared Nineveh, which Jonah thought ought to have been consumed as Sodom, or as the old world was. Even unto death — I have just cause to be angry, even to that degree as to wish myself dead. The prophet here records his own sin, without concealing any circumstance of it, as Moses and other holy writers have done.

3, 4. Therefore now — Since he is discredited as a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:21, 22), life is no longer worth living; yet he does not think of taking his own life; he asks Him who gave it to take it away. It is better for me to die than to live — Elijah also (1 Kings 19:4) prayed God to take his life (compare Numbers 11:15), but his weariness of life was due to another cause. G.A. Smith points out the difference between the two prophets in these words: “Elijah was jealous for Jehovah, Jonah was jealous of him.” The former failed in his attempt to convert the people to whom he was sent; the latter did succeed, but was disappointed when the Ninevites were converted; he grudged them the divine pardon. Jonah was too narrow; he “could not bear to see the love which, as he thought, was promised to Israel alone, and cherished by her, bestowed equally on her heathen oppressor.” He would rather die than see this done. Jehovah does not condemn Jonah harshly for this unreasonable outbreak; he rather attempts to brings him to his senses. Doest thou well to be angry? — “It is the gentle question of suggested reproof, designed to still the tumult of passion and lead to consideration and reflection.”

V. 5. A booth-Some small and mean shed, probably of green boughs. ‘Till he might see-It seems the forty days were not fully expired.

Verse 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,” &c.; for there are many instances where verbs in the preterite form have this force, the w 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 the east side of the city, and there he was determined to remain till he should see what would become of the city. But when the forty days had expired, and he saw no evidence of the Divine wrath, he became angry, and expostulated with God as above. The fifth verse should be read in a parenthesis, or be considered as beginning the chapter.

Verses 4-9. Doest thou well to be angry? — What a mild reproof was this from God, for such a passionate behaviour as Jonah manifested! Here the prophet experienced that Jehovah was a gracious God, merciful, and slow to anger. Here we learn by the highest example, that of God himself, how mild and gentle we ought to be if we would be like him, even to those who carry themselves toward us in the most unreasonable and unjustifiable manner. So Jonah went out of the city — The words should rather have been rendered, Now Jonah had gone out of the city: for the particulars related in the foregoing verses took place after his departing out of the city, and sitting somewhere in view of it, expecting some extraordinary judgment to come upon it; but being disappointed, he broke out into that expostulation with God already mentioned. We may observe, in this book, several instances of facts related first, and then the manner how these facts were brought about explained afterward. And sat on the east side of the city — Probably in a place where he could best see the city; and there made him a booth — A little cot, or shed of twigs. Or, a shelter, as Bishop Newcome translates the word, observing, that it signifies both an artificial cover, such as a tent, or booth, and also a natural one, as Job 38:40; Jeremiah 25:38, where it is used of the covert of a lion. The LXX. render it skhnh, a tent; and the Vulgate, umbraculum, a little shed. And the Lord prepared a gourd — This is supposed to be spoken of a shrub growing in Palestine, bearing broad and very thick leaves, so that it affords a great shade. Bochart, Hiller, and Celsius say, that the ricinus, or palma-christi, is here meant; a supposition which is favoured by its height, which is that of the olive, the largeness of its leaves, which are like those of the vine, and the quickness of its growth: see Pliny, Nat. Hist., lib. 15. cap. 7. Whatever kind of plant it was that shaded Jonah, we may justly attribute a miraculous growth to it. Indeed the relation in the text evidently supposes that, saying that God made it to come up over Jonah: that it might be a shadow, &c., to deliver him from his grief — That is, from the inconvenience which he felt from the heat. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd — As vehement in his joy now as in his grief before. His passions were strong, and easily moved by trifling events, whether of an agreeable or disagreeable nature. We are not told that Jonah saw the hand of God in this plant’s rising up so suddenly to shelter him, or that he was thankful to God for it. But God prepared — That is, sent, or excited, a worm — By the same power which caused the gourd suddenly to spring up and spread itself. And it smote the gourd — Early next morning it bit the root, so that the whole gourd withered. And when the sun did arise — That is, when it was got to some height; for the day-break is spoken of before, and this seems to signify some space of time after that: besides, the sun’s being described as beating on the head of Jonah, shows that an advance in the day is here intended; God prepared a vehement east wind — The winds in the hot countries, when they blow from the sandy deserts, are oftentimes more suffocating than the heat of the sun, and they make the sun-beams give a more intense heat. The sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted — Was overpowered by the heat, and ready to faint. And wished himself to die — As he had done before; and said, It is better for me to die than to live — But Jonah must be made more wise, humble, and compassionate too, before it will be better for him to die than to live. And before God hath done with him, he will teach him to value his own life more, and to be more tender of the lives of others. And God said, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? — For an insignificant, short-lived plant? God adds this circumstance to the question before proposed, that Jonah might be his own judge, and at once condemn his own passions, justify God’s patience and mercy, and acquiesce with satisfaction in God’s merciful dealings with the inhabitants of Nineveh. And he said, I do well to be angry — When a similar question was asked before, he was silent; but now he is out of all patience, and quarrels openly and rudely with God, who had spared Nineveh, which Jonah thought ought to have been consumed as Sodom, or as the old world was. Even unto death — I have just cause to be angry, even to that degree as to wish myself dead. The prophet here records his own sin, without concealing any circumstance of it, as Moses and other holy writers have done.

5. Jonah’s reply is not given, but evidently he continued to sulk. He would have nothing more to do with the city; hence he withdrew and determined to watch further developments, hoping, perhaps, that his announcement of destruction would yet be fulfilled. East side — Probably on some elevation from which he might overlook the city. Made him a booth — He evidently intended to remain for some time. Till he might see — Von Orelli supposes that when Jonah left the city the forty days had not yet expired, and that the prophet determined to wait for the expiration of the fixed period to see whether judgment would be executed. It is more likely, however, that Jonah discovered the will of God to save the city from the nonfulfillment of the prophecy at the end of the forty days. Only then his anger was aroused; nevertheless he hoped in his heart that the judgment was not withdrawn, but only postponed.

In this hope he was again disappointed; instead he was taught another lesson of the divine mercy. 6. Jehovah God — As in Genesis 2:4. Both names are used to indicate that God, mentioned as supreme so frequently in the book, and Jehovah, the God of Jonah, are identical. Prepared — See on Jonah 1:17 (compare verse 7). Gourd — This translation of the Hebrew word, which occurs only here (6-10), is based upon LXX. The plant meant is the Palma Christi, or castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis). It is described by Jerome as being very abundant in Palestine, growing especially in sandy places. The same author (so also Pliny) calls attention to its rapid growth: “In a very few days what you saw as nothing but a herb you now look upon as a small tree.” Its broad leaves are admirably adapted to protect against the sun. Made it to come up — Or, it came up — over the booth erected by Jonah; thus it protected the prophet’s head against the rays of the sun. To deliver him from his grief — R.V., “from his evil case.” A.V. seems to have in mind the displeasure of Jonah (verse 1), as if the offered shade could remove the irritation and displeasure. But his trouble was so deep-seated that the “gourd” could hardly do away with it. It is better to think of the heat of the sun beating upon the prophet’s head. This affliction (so the Hebrew might be rendered), which may have increased the bitterness of his spirit, the plant was to remove. Most commentators consider the words a later interpolation. Jonah was exceeding glad — When the sun burned him no longer. It is not unlikely that with the heat went some of his bitterness.

V. 6. Prepared-Commanded that in the place where Jonah’s booth stood, this spreading plant should spring up to be a shade when the gathered boughs were withered. To deliver-To give some ease to his mind.

Verse 6. And the Lord God prepared a gourd] I believe this should be rendered in the preterpluperfect tense. The Lord HAD prepared—this plant, ˆwyqyq 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 ricinus or palma Christi, from which we get what is vulgarly called castor oil, is meant. It is a tree as large as the olive, has leaves which are like those of the vine, and is also quick of growth. This in all probability was the plant in question, which had been already planted, though it had not attained its proper growth, and was not then in full leaf. Celsus, in his Hierobot., says it grows to the height of an olive tree; the trunk and branches are hollow like a kex, and the leaves sometimes as broad as the rim of a hat. It must be of a soft or spongy substance, for it is said to grow surprisingly fast. See Taylor under the root qyq, 1670. But it is evident there was something supernatural in the growth of this plant, for it is stated to have come up in a night; though the Chaldee understands the passage thus: “It was here last night, and it withered this night.” In one night it might have blown and expanded its leaves considerably, though the plant had existed before, but not in full bloom till the time that Jonah required it for a shelter.

Verses 4-9. Doest thou well to be angry? — What a mild reproof was this from God, for such a passionate behaviour as Jonah manifested! Here the prophet experienced that Jehovah was a gracious God, merciful, and slow to anger. Here we learn by the highest example, that of God himself, how mild and gentle we ought to be if we would be like him, even to those who carry themselves toward us in the most unreasonable and unjustifiable manner. So Jonah went out of the city — The words should rather have been rendered, Now Jonah had gone out of the city: for the particulars related in the foregoing verses took place after his departing out of the city, and sitting somewhere in view of it, expecting some extraordinary judgment to come upon it; but being disappointed, he broke out into that expostulation with God already mentioned. We may observe, in this book, several instances of facts related first, and then the manner how these facts were brought about explained afterward. And sat on the east side of the city — Probably in a place where he could best see the city; and there made him a booth — A little cot, or shed of twigs. Or, a shelter, as Bishop Newcome translates the word, observing, that it signifies both an artificial cover, such as a tent, or booth, and also a natural one, as Job 38:40; Jeremiah 25:38, where it is used of the covert of a lion. The LXX. render it skhnh, a tent; and the Vulgate, umbraculum, a little shed. And the Lord prepared a gourd — This is supposed to be spoken of a shrub growing in Palestine, bearing broad and very thick leaves, so that it affords a great shade. Bochart, Hiller, and Celsius say, that the ricinus, or palma-christi, is here meant; a supposition which is favoured by its height, which is that of the olive, the largeness of its leaves, which are like those of the vine, and the quickness of its growth: see Pliny, Nat. Hist., lib. 15. cap. 7. Whatever kind of plant it was that shaded Jonah, we may justly attribute a miraculous growth to it. Indeed the relation in the text evidently supposes that, saying that God made it to come up over Jonah: that it might be a shadow, &c., to deliver him from his grief — That is, from the inconvenience which he felt from the heat. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd — As vehement in his joy now as in his grief before. His passions were strong, and easily moved by trifling events, whether of an agreeable or disagreeable nature. We are not told that Jonah saw the hand of God in this plant’s rising up so suddenly to shelter him, or that he was thankful to God for it. But God prepared — That is, sent, or excited, a worm — By the same power which caused the gourd suddenly to spring up and spread itself. And it smote the gourd — Early next morning it bit the root, so that the whole gourd withered. And when the sun did arise — That is, when it was got to some height; for the day-break is spoken of before, and this seems to signify some space of time after that: besides, the sun’s being described as beating on the head of Jonah, shows that an advance in the day is here intended; God prepared a vehement east wind — The winds in the hot countries, when they blow from the sandy deserts, are oftentimes more suffocating than the heat of the sun, and they make the sun-beams give a more intense heat. The sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted — Was overpowered by the heat, and ready to faint. And wished himself to die — As he had done before; and said, It is better for me to die than to live — But Jonah must be made more wise, humble, and compassionate too, before it will be better for him to die than to live. And before God hath done with him, he will teach him to value his own life more, and to be more tender of the lives of others. And God said, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? — For an insignificant, short-lived plant? God adds this circumstance to the question before proposed, that Jonah might be his own judge, and at once condemn his own passions, justify God’s patience and mercy, and acquiesce with satisfaction in God’s merciful dealings with the inhabitants of Nineveh. And he said, I do well to be angry — When a similar question was asked before, he was silent; but now he is out of all patience, and quarrels openly and rudely with God, who had spared Nineveh, which Jonah thought ought to have been consumed as Sodom, or as the old world was. Even unto death — I have just cause to be angry, even to that degree as to wish myself dead. The prophet here records his own sin, without concealing any circumstance of it, as Moses and other holy writers have done.

Verse 6. A gourd. Plants of this genera exceed all others in the rapidity of their growth.

JONAH’S COMPLAINT AND REBUKE, 1-11.

When Jonah found that his threat was not being fulfilled he became angry and prayed Jehovah to kill him, since life was no longer worth living (1-3). Jehovah remonstrated with him (4). The prophet left the city and, having prepared a booth, settled down to await developments (5). By an object lesson Jehovah taught Jonah the folly and sin of his displeasure over the salvation of Nineveh and showed that God was perfectly justified in averting the doom of the city.

1, 2. Displeased Jonah exceedingly,… was very angry — Since his message remained unfulfilled, he feared that his honor as a prophet was at stake; which would be of supreme moment to a selfish person. He prayed — Many commentators have considered the prayer an expression of pious devotion, but its contents make this impossible. Keil comes nearer the truth when he says, “He tried to quarrel with God by praying.” Was not this my saying — Not openly, perhaps, but in his heart he suspected that Jehovah would save the Ninevites, if they repented. Therefore — Because of this suspicion. I fled before — R.V., “I hasted to flee.” The Hebrew construction is peculiar (G.-K., 114n, note 3), and the exact meaning is doubtful. Either “I fled before,” that is, when thou didst call me the first time; or “I was beforehand in fleeing,” that is, I sought to avoid the commission because I knew the message would remain unfulfilled; or “I sought to prevent by fleeing,” the very thing that has now happened. Tarshish — See on 1:3. For I knew — His conviction as to what God would do arose from his knowledge of the divine character. For the rest of the verse see on Joel 2:13.

V. 7. Prepared-By the same power which caused the gourd suddenly to spring, and spread itself. It smote-Which early next morning, bit the root, so that the whole gourd withered.

Verse 7. But God prepared a worm] By being eaten through the root, the plant, losing its nourishment, would soon wither; and this was the case in the present instance.

Verses 4-9. Doest thou well to be angry? — What a mild reproof was this from God, for such a passionate behaviour as Jonah manifested! Here the prophet experienced that Jehovah was a gracious God, merciful, and slow to anger. Here we learn by the highest example, that of God himself, how mild and gentle we ought to be if we would be like him, even to those who carry themselves toward us in the most unreasonable and unjustifiable manner. So Jonah went out of the city — The words should rather have been rendered, Now Jonah had gone out of the city: for the particulars related in the foregoing verses took place after his departing out of the city, and sitting somewhere in view of it, expecting some extraordinary judgment to come upon it; but being disappointed, he broke out into that expostulation with God already mentioned. We may observe, in this book, several instances of facts related first, and then the manner how these facts were brought about explained afterward. And sat on the east side of the city — Probably in a place where he could best see the city; and there made him a booth — A little cot, or shed of twigs. Or, a shelter, as Bishop Newcome translates the word, observing, that it signifies both an artificial cover, such as a tent, or booth, and also a natural one, as Job 38:40; Jeremiah 25:38, where it is used of the covert of a lion. The LXX. render it skhnh, a tent; and the Vulgate, umbraculum, a little shed. And the Lord prepared a gourd — This is supposed to be spoken of a shrub growing in Palestine, bearing broad and very thick leaves, so that it affords a great shade. Bochart, Hiller, and Celsius say, that the ricinus, or palma-christi, is here meant; a supposition which is favoured by its height, which is that of the olive, the largeness of its leaves, which are like those of the vine, and the quickness of its growth: see Pliny, Nat. Hist., lib. 15. cap. 7. Whatever kind of plant it was that shaded Jonah, we may justly attribute a miraculous growth to it. Indeed the relation in the text evidently supposes that, saying that God made it to come up over Jonah: that it might be a shadow, &c., to deliver him from his grief — That is, from the inconvenience which he felt from the heat. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd — As vehement in his joy now as in his grief before. His passions were strong, and easily moved by trifling events, whether of an agreeable or disagreeable nature. We are not told that Jonah saw the hand of God in this plant’s rising up so suddenly to shelter him, or that he was thankful to God for it. But God prepared — That is, sent, or excited, a worm — By the same power which caused the gourd suddenly to spring up and spread itself. And it smote the gourd — Early next morning it bit the root, so that the whole gourd withered. And when the sun did arise — That is, when it was got to some height; for the day-break is spoken of before, and this seems to signify some space of time after that: besides, the sun’s being described as beating on the head of Jonah, shows that an advance in the day is here intended; God prepared a vehement east wind — The winds in the hot countries, when they blow from the sandy deserts, are oftentimes more suffocating than the heat of the sun, and they make the sun-beams give a more intense heat. The sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted — Was overpowered by the heat, and ready to faint. And wished himself to die — As he had done before; and said, It is better for me to die than to live — But Jonah must be made more wise, humble, and compassionate too, before it will be better for him to die than to live. And before God hath done with him, he will teach him to value his own life more, and to be more tender of the lives of others. And God said, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? — For an insignificant, short-lived plant? God adds this circumstance to the question before proposed, that Jonah might be his own judge, and at once condemn his own passions, justify God’s patience and mercy, and acquiesce with satisfaction in God’s merciful dealings with the inhabitants of Nineveh. And he said, I do well to be angry — When a similar question was asked before, he was silent; but now he is out of all patience, and quarrels openly and rudely with God, who had spared Nineveh, which Jonah thought ought to have been consumed as Sodom, or as the old world was. Even unto death — I have just cause to be angry, even to that degree as to wish myself dead. The prophet here records his own sin, without concealing any circumstance of it, as Moses and other holy writers have done.

7. The joy was short-lived. At the divine command a worm came which gnawed the roots of the “gourd,” so that it perished. Smote — As in verse 8, to indicate the suddenness of the effect. Concerning the suddenness with which the castor-oil plant perishes Dr. Pusey says: “On warm days when a small rain falls, black caterpillars are generated in great numbers on this plant, which in one night so suddenly and so often cut off its leaves that only their bare ribs remain; which I have often observed with much wonder, as if it were a copy of that destruction of old at Nineveh.” 8. With the “gourd” dead, the hot rays of the sun could again beat mercilessly upon the head of Jonah. Vehement [“sultry”] east wind — See on Hosea 12:1. When these east winds are blowing the temperature rises very rapidly (G.A. Smith, Historical Geography, p. 67). The exact meaning of the word translated “vehement” or “sultry” is not known; but it is clear that the author intends to describe the wind as extraordinarily intense and disagreeable. Jonah soon became aware of the change. He fainted — Not necessarily, “he became unconscious,” for he retained his senses sufficiently to wish for death; but, “he became completely exhausted” (Amos 8:13). The old despondency returned, increased by the intense heat, and once more he prayed for death (verse 3).

V. 8. A east wind-A dry, scorching, blasting wind. Fainted-Overcome by the heat. Better to die-But Jonah must be wiser, and humbler, and more merciful too, e’er he die. Before God hath done with him, he will teach him to value his own life more, and to be more tender of the life of others.

Verse 8. A vehement east wind] Which was of itself of a parching, withering nature; and the sun, in addition, made it intolerable. These winds are both scorching and suffocating in the East, for deserts of burning sand lay to the east or south-east; and the easterly winds often brought such a multitude of minute particles of sand on their wings, as to add greatly to the mischief. I believe these, and the sands they carry, are the cause of the ophthalmia which prevails so much both in Egypt and India.

Verses 4-9. Doest thou well to be angry? — What a mild reproof was this from God, for such a passionate behaviour as Jonah manifested! Here the prophet experienced that Jehovah was a gracious God, merciful, and slow to anger. Here we learn by the highest example, that of God himself, how mild and gentle we ought to be if we would be like him, even to those who carry themselves toward us in the most unreasonable and unjustifiable manner. So Jonah went out of the city — The words should rather have been rendered, Now Jonah had gone out of the city: for the particulars related in the foregoing verses took place after his departing out of the city, and sitting somewhere in view of it, expecting some extraordinary judgment to come upon it; but being disappointed, he broke out into that expostulation with God already mentioned. We may observe, in this book, several instances of facts related first, and then the manner how these facts were brought about explained afterward. And sat on the east side of the city — Probably in a place where he could best see the city; and there made him a booth — A little cot, or shed of twigs. Or, a shelter, as Bishop Newcome translates the word, observing, that it signifies both an artificial cover, such as a tent, or booth, and also a natural one, as Job 38:40; Jeremiah 25:38, where it is used of the covert of a lion. The LXX. render it skhnh, a tent; and the Vulgate, umbraculum, a little shed. And the Lord prepared a gourd — This is supposed to be spoken of a shrub growing in Palestine, bearing broad and very thick leaves, so that it affords a great shade. Bochart, Hiller, and Celsius say, that the ricinus, or palma-christi, is here meant; a supposition which is favoured by its height, which is that of the olive, the largeness of its leaves, which are like those of the vine, and the quickness of its growth: see Pliny, Nat. Hist., lib. 15. cap. 7. Whatever kind of plant it was that shaded Jonah, we may justly attribute a miraculous growth to it. Indeed the relation in the text evidently supposes that, saying that God made it to come up over Jonah: that it might be a shadow, &c., to deliver him from his grief — That is, from the inconvenience which he felt from the heat. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd — As vehement in his joy now as in his grief before. His passions were strong, and easily moved by trifling events, whether of an agreeable or disagreeable nature. We are not told that Jonah saw the hand of God in this plant’s rising up so suddenly to shelter him, or that he was thankful to God for it. But God prepared — That is, sent, or excited, a worm — By the same power which caused the gourd suddenly to spring up and spread itself. And it smote the gourd — Early next morning it bit the root, so that the whole gourd withered. And when the sun did arise — That is, when it was got to some height; for the day-break is spoken of before, and this seems to signify some space of time after that: besides, the sun’s being described as beating on the head of Jonah, shows that an advance in the day is here intended; God prepared a vehement east wind — The winds in the hot countries, when they blow from the sandy deserts, are oftentimes more suffocating than the heat of the sun, and they make the sun-beams give a more intense heat. The sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted — Was overpowered by the heat, and ready to faint. And wished himself to die — As he had done before; and said, It is better for me to die than to live — But Jonah must be made more wise, humble, and compassionate too, before it will be better for him to die than to live. And before God hath done with him, he will teach him to value his own life more, and to be more tender of the lives of others. And God said, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? — For an insignificant, short-lived plant? God adds this circumstance to the question before proposed, that Jonah might be his own judge, and at once condemn his own passions, justify God’s patience and mercy, and acquiesce with satisfaction in God’s merciful dealings with the inhabitants of Nineveh. And he said, I do well to be angry — When a similar question was asked before, he was silent; but now he is out of all patience, and quarrels openly and rudely with God, who had spared Nineveh, which Jonah thought ought to have been consumed as Sodom, or as the old world was. Even unto death — I have just cause to be angry, even to that degree as to wish myself dead. The prophet here records his own sin, without concealing any circumstance of it, as Moses and other holy writers have done.

JONAH’S COMPLAINT AND REBUKE, 1-11.

When Jonah found that his threat was not being fulfilled he became angry and prayed Jehovah to kill him, since life was no longer worth living (1-3). Jehovah remonstrated with him (4). The prophet left the city and, having prepared a booth, settled down to await developments (5). By an object lesson Jehovah taught Jonah the folly and sin of his displeasure over the salvation of Nineveh and showed that God was perfectly justified in averting the doom of the city.

1, 2. Displeased Jonah exceedingly,… was very angry — Since his message remained unfulfilled, he feared that his honor as a prophet was at stake; which would be of supreme moment to a selfish person. He prayed — Many commentators have considered the prayer an expression of pious devotion, but its contents make this impossible. Keil comes nearer the truth when he says, “He tried to quarrel with God by praying.” Was not this my saying — Not openly, perhaps, but in his heart he suspected that Jehovah would save the Ninevites, if they repented. Therefore — Because of this suspicion. I fled before — R.V., “I hasted to flee.” The Hebrew construction is peculiar (G.-K., 114n, note 3), and the exact meaning is doubtful. Either “I fled before,” that is, when thou didst call me the first time; or “I was beforehand in fleeing,” that is, I sought to avoid the commission because I knew the message would remain unfulfilled; or “I sought to prevent by fleeing,” the very thing that has now happened. Tarshish — See on 1:3. For I knew — His conviction as to what God would do arose from his knowledge of the divine character. For the rest of the verse see on Joel 2:13.

V. 9. I do well to be angry-If in the violence of this passion I should die (as some have) yet were I not to blame. What a speech! Verily the law made nothing perfect!

Verse 9. I do well to be angry, even unto death.] Many persons suppose that the gifts of prophecy and working miracles are the highest that can be conferred on man; but they are widely mistaken, for the gifts change not the heart. Jonah had the gift of prophecy, but had not received that grace which destroys the old man and creates the soul anew in Christ Jesus. This is the love of which St. Paul speaks, which if a man have not, though he had the gift of prophecy, and could miraculously remove mountains, yet in the sight of God, and for any good himself might reap from it, it would be as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. Jonah was a prophet, and yet had all his old bad tempers about him, in a shameful predominancy. Balaam was of the same kind. So we find that God gave the gift of prophecy even to graceless men. But many of the prophets were sanctified in their nature before their call to the prophetic office, and were the most excellent of men.

Verses 4-9. Doest thou well to be angry? — What a mild reproof was this from God, for such a passionate behaviour as Jonah manifested! Here the prophet experienced that Jehovah was a gracious God, merciful, and slow to anger. Here we learn by the highest example, that of God himself, how mild and gentle we ought to be if we would be like him, even to those who carry themselves toward us in the most unreasonable and unjustifiable manner. So Jonah went out of the city — The words should rather have been rendered, Now Jonah had gone out of the city: for the particulars related in the foregoing verses took place after his departing out of the city, and sitting somewhere in view of it, expecting some extraordinary judgment to come upon it; but being disappointed, he broke out into that expostulation with God already mentioned. We may observe, in this book, several instances of facts related first, and then the manner how these facts were brought about explained afterward. And sat on the east side of the city — Probably in a place where he could best see the city; and there made him a booth — A little cot, or shed of twigs. Or, a shelter, as Bishop Newcome translates the word, observing, that it signifies both an artificial cover, such as a tent, or booth, and also a natural one, as Job 38:40; Jeremiah 25:38, where it is used of the covert of a lion. The LXX. render it skhnh, a tent; and the Vulgate, umbraculum, a little shed. And the Lord prepared a gourd — This is supposed to be spoken of a shrub growing in Palestine, bearing broad and very thick leaves, so that it affords a great shade. Bochart, Hiller, and Celsius say, that the ricinus, or palma-christi, is here meant; a supposition which is favoured by its height, which is that of the olive, the largeness of its leaves, which are like those of the vine, and the quickness of its growth: see Pliny, Nat. Hist., lib. 15. cap. 7. Whatever kind of plant it was that shaded Jonah, we may justly attribute a miraculous growth to it. Indeed the relation in the text evidently supposes that, saying that God made it to come up over Jonah: that it might be a shadow, &c., to deliver him from his grief — That is, from the inconvenience which he felt from the heat. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd — As vehement in his joy now as in his grief before. His passions were strong, and easily moved by trifling events, whether of an agreeable or disagreeable nature. We are not told that Jonah saw the hand of God in this plant’s rising up so suddenly to shelter him, or that he was thankful to God for it. But God prepared — That is, sent, or excited, a worm — By the same power which caused the gourd suddenly to spring up and spread itself. And it smote the gourd — Early next morning it bit the root, so that the whole gourd withered. And when the sun did arise — That is, when it was got to some height; for the day-break is spoken of before, and this seems to signify some space of time after that: besides, the sun’s being described as beating on the head of Jonah, shows that an advance in the day is here intended; God prepared a vehement east wind — The winds in the hot countries, when they blow from the sandy deserts, are oftentimes more suffocating than the heat of the sun, and they make the sun-beams give a more intense heat. The sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted — Was overpowered by the heat, and ready to faint. And wished himself to die — As he had done before; and said, It is better for me to die than to live — But Jonah must be made more wise, humble, and compassionate too, before it will be better for him to die than to live. And before God hath done with him, he will teach him to value his own life more, and to be more tender of the lives of others. And God said, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? — For an insignificant, short-lived plant? God adds this circumstance to the question before proposed, that Jonah might be his own judge, and at once condemn his own passions, justify God’s patience and mercy, and acquiesce with satisfaction in God’s merciful dealings with the inhabitants of Nineveh. And he said, I do well to be angry — When a similar question was asked before, he was silent; but now he is out of all patience, and quarrels openly and rudely with God, who had spared Nineveh, which Jonah thought ought to have been consumed as Sodom, or as the old world was. Even unto death — I have just cause to be angry, even to that degree as to wish myself dead. The prophet here records his own sin, without concealing any circumstance of it, as Moses and other holy writers have done.

9. God again deals very patiently with Jonah. He addresses him as in verse 4: “Doest thou well to be angry?” To which the prophet replies that he has every reason to be exceedingly angry, even so far as to desire death (Judges 16:16; Matthew 26:38). “The reply betrays a strange degree of willfulness; it shows the prophet in the attitude of a sullen child toward a loving father who is remonstrating with it.”

V. 10. Laboured-Thou didst not set it. Grow-Nor didst thou water or give growth to it.

Verse 10. Which came up in a night] St. Jerome, speaking of this plant, the kikayon, assigns to it an extraordinary rapidity of growth. It delights in a sandy soil, and in a few days what was a plant grows into a large shrub. But he does not appear to have meant the ricinus; this however is the most likely. The expressions coming up in a night and perishing in a night are only metaphorical to express speedy growth and speedy decay; and so, as we have seen, the Chaldee interprets it, אבד anrjwa ובליליא הוה הדינ בליליא yd “which existed this night but in the next night perished;” and this I am satisfied is the true import of the Hebrew phrase.

Verse 10. Then said the Lord — Jonah having thus showed his love and pity for the gourd, God proceeds to judge him out of his own mouth; Thou hast had pity on the gourd, &c. — Thou deplorest the loss of the gourd, and thinkest it a severe misfortune to thee, and hard that thou shouldest be deprived of it, though it was not made by thee, came up without any labour of thine, and was by its nature of a short duration: — if this is the case with thee in regard to a mean, short-lived plant, think how unjustly thou judgest, when thou condemnest my mercy toward the Ninevites! How much more severe would it have been to have destroyed a whole city, in the ruin of which many innocent creatures, as children and brute animals, must necessarily have been involved; and, what is still more awful, many immortal beings have been plunged into everlasting misery! If thou supposest I ought to have spared or preserved the gourd, because it shaded thee from the heat; think how much more my essential goodness and kindness toward my creatures, the work of my hands, must incline me to spare them whenever it can be done any way consistently with my justice or the laws of my government.

10, 11. By his answer Jonah unwittingly offers Jehovah the opportunity to put him to shame. The prophet’s attitude is absurd. He grieves over the destruction of an insignificant plant, in which he could have no vital interest; he had expended no labor upon it, nor had he caused its growth. How absurd to find fault with Jehovah for sparing Nineveh with its thousands of inhabitants! The two verses are full of marked contrasts. Thou… I — The pronouns are emphatic in Hebrew. Gourd… Nineveh — The former small and insignificant, the latter great and magnificent. The superiority of the latter’s claim upon the divine mercy is further indicated: That cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand — Children of the tenderest age. They have as yet done no wrong; surely for their sake alone God would be justified in saving the city. The age limit to which this expression may be applied is variously estimated. Some think of three years, others of seven. The latter is favored by the fact that among Orientals seven years seems to be a favorite period by which to reckon childhood. Since, as commonly estimated, children under seven years of age constitute about one fifth of the entire population, the number given here would make the population of Nineveh about six hundred thousand. If the other estimate is accepted the number would be considerably increased. Nineveh proper cannot have contained such a large population; the city in its widest extent must be in the mind of the author (see on Jonah 3:3). Much cattle — The animals also were guiltless. Besides, as Calvin remarks, “Oxen were certainly superior to shrubs. If Jonah was right in grieving over one withered shrub, it would surely be a harder and more cruel thing for so many innocent animals to perish.” An additional reason for the divine mercy is at least implied. Jonah had expended no labor upon the plant, but how much effort and care had Jehovah bestowed upon the population of Nineveh! The fact that he sent a prophet to preach there (Jonah 1:2; 3:2) was evidence of his interest in the city. Could he cast off the inhabitants when they turned to him?

What an insight these words give into the divine love and mercy, into the very heart of God! Jonah had condemned himself; “he was obliged to keep silent, defeated, as it were, by his own sentence.”

V. 11. I-The God of infinite compassions and goodness. That great city-Wouldest thou have me less merciful to such a goodly city, than thou art to a weed? Who cannot discern-Here are more than six-score innocents who are infants. Much cattle-Beside men, women and children who are in Nineveh, there are many other of my creatures that are not sinful, and my tender mercies are and shall be over all my works. If thou wouldest be their butcher, yet I will be their God. Go Jonah, rest thyself content and be thankful: that goodness, which spared Nineveh, hath spared thee in this thy inexcusable frowardness. I will be to repenting Nineveh what I am to thee, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and I will turn from the evil which thou and they deserve.

Verse 11. And should not I spare Nineveh] In Jonah 4:10 it is said, thou hast had pity on the gourd, tsj hta attah CHASTA; and here the Lord uses the same word, swja al ynaw veani lo ACHUS, “And shall not I have pity upon Nineveh?” How much is the city better than the shrub? But besides this there are in it one hundred and twenty thousand persons! And shall I destroy them, rather than thy shade should be withered or thy word apparently fail? And besides, these persons are young, and have not offended, (for they knew not the difference between their right hand and their left,) and should not I feel more pity for those innocents than thou dost for the fine flowering plant which is withered in a night, being itself exceedingly short-lived? Add to all this, they have now turned from those sins which induced me to denounce judgment against them. And should I destroy them who are now fasting and afflicting their souls; and, covered with sackcloth, are lying in the dust before me, bewailing their offenses and supplicating for mercy? Learn, then, from this, that it is the incorrigibly wicked on whom my judgments must fall, and against whom they are threatened. And know, that to that man will I look who is of a broken and contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word. Even the dumb beasts are objects of my compassion; I will spare them for the sake of their penitent owners; and remember with the rest, That the Lord careth for oxen. The great number of cattle to which reference is here made were for the support of the inhabitants; and probably at this time the Ninevites gathered in their cattle from the champaign pasture, expecting that some foe coming to besiege them might seize upon them for their forage, while they within might suffer the lack of all things.

No doubt that ancient Nineveh was like ancient Babylon, of which Quintus Curtius says the buildings were not close to the walls, there being the space of an acre left between them; and in several parts there were within the walls portions of cultivated land, that, if besieged, they might have provisions to sustain the inhabitants.

And I suppose this to be true of all large ancient cities. They were rather cantons or districts than cities such as now are, only all the different inhabitants had joined together to wall in the districts for the sake of mutual defence.

This last expostulation of God, it is to be hoped, produced its proper effect on the mind of this irritable prophet; and that he was fully convinced that in this, as in all other cases, God had done all things well. FROM this short prophecy many useful lessons may be derived. The Ninevites were on the verge of destruction, but on their repentance were respited. They did not, however, continue under the influence of good resolutions. They relapsed, and about one hundred and fifty years afterwards, the Prophet Nahum was sent to predict the miraculous discomfiture of the Assyrian king under Sennacherib, an event which took place about 710 B.C., and also the total destruction of Nineveh by Cyaxares and his allies which happened about 606 B.C. Several of the ancients, by allegorizing this book, have made Jonah declare the divinity, humanity, death, and resurrection of Christ. These points may be found in the Gospel history, their true repository; but fancy can find them any where it pleases to seek them; but he who seeks not for them will never find them here. Jonah was a type of the resurrection of Christ; nothing farther seems revealed in this prophet relative to the mysteries of Christianity. In conclusion: while I have done the best I could to illustrate the very difficult prophet through whose work the reader has just passed, I do not pretend to say I have removed every difficulty. I am satisfied only of one thing, that I have conscientiously endeavoured to do it, and believe that I have generally succeeded; but am still fearful that several are left behind, which, though they may be accounted for from the briefness of the narrative of a great transaction, in which so many surprising particulars are included, yet, for general apprehension, might appear to have required a more distinct and circumstantial statement. I have only to add, that as several of the facts are evidently miraculous, and by the prophet stated as such, others may be probably of the same kind. On this ground all difficulty is removed; for God can do what he pleases. As his power is unlimited, it can meet with no impossibilities. He who gave the commission to Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites, and prepared the great fish to swallow the disobedient prophet, could maintain his life for three days and three nights in the belly of this marine monster; and cause it to eject him at the termination of the appointed time, on any sea-coast he might choose; and afterwards the Divine power could carry the deeply contrite and now faithful prophet over the intervening distance between that and Nineveh, be that distance greater or less. Whatever, therefore, cannot be accounted for on mere natural principles in this book, may be referred to this supernatural agency; and this, on the ostensible principle of the prophecy itself, is at once a mode of interpretation as easy as it is rational. God gave the commission; he raised the storm, he prepared the fish which swallowed the prophet; he caused it to cast him forth on the dry land; he gave him a fresh commission, carried him to the place of his destination, and miraculously produced the sheltering gourd, that came to perfection in a night and withered in a night. This God therefore performed the other facts for which we cannot naturally account, as he did those already specified. This concession, for the admission of which both common sense and reason plead, at once solves all the real or seeming difficulties to be found in the Book of the Prophet Jonah.

Verse 11. And should not I — The God of infinite compassion; spare Nineveh, that great city? — Wouldest thou have me to be less merciful to such a large and populous city as Nineveh, than thou art to a shrub? Surely the lives of so many thousand men, to say nothing of their immortal souls, are much more valuable than the life of a single contemptible plant. Wherein (in which city) are more than six-score thousand persons that cannot discern, &c. — That is, infants, who have no knowledge between good and evil, as it is expressed Deuteronomy 1:39. If we compute these as a fifth part of the inhabitants of Nineveh, the whole sum will amount to six hundred thousand persons, which are as few as can well be supposed to have inhabited a city of such large dimensions. And also much cattle — Besides men, women, and children in Nineveh, there are many other of my creatures that are not sinful, and my tender mercies are, and shall be, over all my works. If thou wouldest be their destroyer, yet I will be their saviour. Go, Jonah, rest thyself content, and be thankful that the goodness which spared Nineveh hath spared thee, in this thy inexcusable frowardness, peevishness, and impatience. I will be to repenting Nineveh what I am to thee, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and I will turn from the evil which thou and they deserve. This reasoning seems to have silenced Jonah’s complaints, and made him sensible of his fault in repining at God’s mercy. It has been observed, that the book of Jonah ends as abruptly as it begins. It begins with a conjunction copulative, And the word came unto Jonah, &c., which has made some commentators think that it was but an appendix to some of his other writings: and it ends without giving us any manner of account, either of what became of the Ninevites, or of Jonah himself after this expedition. It is likely, indeed, from the compassionate expressions which God makes use of toward the Ninevites, that for this time he reversed their doom; and it is not improbable that Jonah, when he had executed his commission, and been satisfied by God concerning his merciful procedure, returned into Judea. We may presume, however, that the repentance of the Ninevites was of no long continuance; for, not many years after, we find the Prophet Nahum foretelling the total destruction of that city. See Calmet and Bishop Newton.

Ver. 11. Six score thousand infants. By consequence, the elder children and adults, must have swelled the population to far more than half a million of people.

10, 11. By his answer Jonah unwittingly offers Jehovah the opportunity to put him to shame. The prophet’s attitude is absurd. He grieves over the destruction of an insignificant plant, in which he could have no vital interest; he had expended no labor upon it, nor had he caused its growth. How absurd to find fault with Jehovah for sparing Nineveh with its thousands of inhabitants! The two verses are full of marked contrasts. Thou… I — The pronouns are emphatic in Hebrew. Gourd… Nineveh — The former small and insignificant, the latter great and magnificent. The superiority of the latter’s claim upon the divine mercy is further indicated: That cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand — Children of the tenderest age. They have as yet done no wrong; surely for their sake alone God would be justified in saving the city. The age limit to which this expression may be applied is variously estimated. Some think of three years, others of seven. The latter is favored by the fact that among Orientals seven years seems to be a favorite period by which to reckon childhood. Since, as commonly estimated, children under seven years of age constitute about one fifth of the entire population, the number given here would make the population of Nineveh about six hundred thousand. If the other estimate is accepted the number would be considerably increased. Nineveh proper cannot have contained such a large population; the city in its widest extent must be in the mind of the author (see on Jonah 3:3). Much cattle — The animals also were guiltless. Besides, as Calvin remarks, “Oxen were certainly superior to shrubs. If Jonah was right in grieving over one withered shrub, it would surely be a harder and more cruel thing for so many innocent animals to perish.” An additional reason for the divine mercy is at least implied. Jonah had expended no labor upon the plant, but how much effort and care had Jehovah bestowed upon the population of Nineveh! The fact that he sent a prophet to preach there (Jonah 1:2; 3:2) was evidence of his interest in the city. Could he cast off the inhabitants when they turned to him?

What an insight these words give into the divine love and mercy, into the very heart of God! Jonah had condemned himself; “he was obliged to keep silent, defeated, as it were, by his own sentence.”