Jonah 4:2

Context

In Jonah 3, after Jonah proclaims judgment against Nineveh, the king and the people fast and repent, and God does not bring the disaster he had said he would bring (Jonah 3:10). In 4:1 Jonah is greatly displeased and becomes angry. In this verse he prays to God and discloses the reason for his flight, which he had not given in chapter 1: he fled to Tarshish because he knew that God would forgive Nineveh. In verse 3 he goes on to say that it would be better for him to die.

Jonah lists five attributes of God: he is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, of great kindness (Hebrew hesed, covenant-faithful love), and one who relents from bringing disaster. The first four closely match the language of Exodus 34:6, where God revealed himself to Moses after the golden calf incident. The final phrase, "repentest thee of the evil," appears in the same form in Joel 2:12–14.

Interpretation

• As resistance to sparing an enemy nation: Many commentators note that Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, which threatened Israel. On this reading, Jonah did not want his enemies to be forgiven, and the Book of Jonah as a whole is read as a story about God's mercy extending beyond Israel.
• As concern for the prophet's reputation: Some interpreters suggest that Jonah worried he would appear to be a false prophet if the judgment he proclaimed did not come to pass. Jewish rabbinic tradition is also reported to include the view that Jonah feared the swift repentance of the Gentiles would put Israel to shame.
• As the irony of a confession: This reading focuses on the fact that Israel's central confession of faith is used here not as a reason for thanksgiving but as grounds for complaint. Jonah rightly understands God's grace, yet he cannot accept that grace being extended to others. The remainder of chapter 4, the episode of the gourd, continues to address this problem.

Debates and Issues

The expression "repentest" (Hebrew nicham) raises the question of whether God changes his mind.

• The Reformed tradition: This tradition, including John Calvin, regards the expression as language accommodated to human understanding. It holds that God's decree (his predetermined will) does not change and that the proclamation of judgment carried from the outset an implicit condition of repentance (Jeremiah 18:1–10; Malachi 3:6).
• Arminianism and Wesleyan theology: These traditions also accept the explanation of a conditional proclamation, but they tend to place greater emphasis on the relational dimension in which God genuinely responds to human repentance.

This question is connected to the broader discussion of predestination and free will.

In the Korean Church

In sermons and Bible studies on the Book of Jonah, this verse is treated as the passage that reveals Jonah's motive for fleeing. It is often cited in discussions of God's heart, which embraces even enemies, and of missions.

Related Passages

• Exodus 34:6
• Joel 2:13
• Nahum 1:3 (the same confession of God's character, used in the context of judgment on Nineveh)
• Jonah 4:10–11
• Jeremiah 18:7–8