But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.
Parallel translations
- WEB But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
- KJV But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
- BSB Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, 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 4:9God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?” He said, “I am right to be angry, even to death.”
- Luke 15:28But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him.
- Matt 20:15Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’
- Jonah 4:4Yahweh said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
- Jas 4:5–6Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”?
- Luke 7:39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner.”
- Acts 13:46Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, “It was necessary that God’s word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.