Jehovah's Appeal to Jonah
Samuel Clift Burn. Jonah 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Do you well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even to death. I. JONAH'S THEN MOOD. "God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry?" 1. Observe the point of this appeal. To be grieved for the gourd was to be grieved for himself. 2. The compliment involved in this Divine appeal. God made Jonah judge in his own case. 3. Note the response of the prophet to this appeal. "I do well to be grieved, even unto death." Candid, if somewhat passionate. II. THE PROPRIETY OF THE DIVINE PROCEDURE. Note the correspondence between the words "pity" and "spare." God did not contradict the prophet. There is a double contrast presented in this branch of the appeal. The contrast between Jonah and Jehovah; and between the gourd and the city. 1. The labour expended on the city was one reason why God should spare it. 2. The growth of Nineveh was another reason. 3. The antiquity of Nineveh was another. 4. The commodiousness and magnitude of Nineveh was another. 5. The presence of the children and cattle was another. (Samuel Clift Burn.) Parallel Verses KJV: And 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. WEB: God 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."