SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:1
¶ Pero Jonás se apesadumbró en extremo, y se enojó.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Jonah 4:1
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 predicttion was not literally fulfilled; for he totally lost sight of the condition.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. 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 10:19,20); 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.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - What all the saints make matter of joy and praise, Jonah makes the subject of reflection upon God; as if showing mercy were a imperfection of the Divine nature, which is the greatest glory of it It is to his sparing, pardoning mercy, we all owe it that we are out of hell. He wishes for death: this was the language of folly, passion, an strong corruption. There appeared in Jonah remains of a proud uncharitable spirit; and that he neither expected nor desired the welfare of the Ninevites, but had only come to declare and witnes their destruction. He was not duly humbled for his own sins, and wa not willing to trust the Lord with his credit and safety. In this fram of mind, he overlooked the good of which he had been an instrument, an the glory of the Divine mercy. We should often ask ourselves, Is i well to say thus, to do thus? Can I justify it? Do I well to be so soo angry, so often angry, so long angry, and to give others ill languag in my anger? Do I well to be angry at the mercy of God to repentin sinners? That was Jonah's crime. Do we do well to be angry at tha which is for the glory of God, and the advancement of his kingdom? Le the conversion of sinners, which is the joy of heaven, be our joy, an never our grief.
Original Hebrew
וירע 7489 אל 413 יונה 3124 רעה 7451 גדולה 1419 ויחר׃ 2734
