But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
Parallel translations
- WEB But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
- BSB Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, and he became angry.
- NKJV But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.
- NASB But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry.
- NLT This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jonah is greatly displeased and angry that God spared Nineveh. It matters because it exposes the prophet's hard heart over the very mercy he himself had received.
Overview
The salvation of Israel's enemy provokes not joy but fury in Jonah, revealing a heart at odds with God's compassion. The contrast is sharp: God rejoices in mercy while His prophet resents it. Jonah's anger holds up a mirror to all who gladly receive grace yet begrudge it to others, exposing the need for a heart shaped by God's love.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Jonah 4:9And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
- Luke 15:28And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
- Matt 20:15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
- Jonah 4:4Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
- Jas 4:5–6Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
- Luke 7:39Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
- Acts 13:46Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Three days in the belly of the fish is the sign Jesus gave of his own death and resurrection (Matt 12:40); and God's mercy on pagan Nineveh foreshadows the gospel going to the nations.
How Jonah 4:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.