The Meaning of Jonah 4:10 Explained

Jonah 4:10

KJV: Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

YLT: And Jehovah saith, 'Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou didst not labour, neither didst thou nourish it, which a son of a night was, and a son of a night perished,

Darby: And Jehovah said, Thou hast pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

ASV: And Jehovah said, Thou hast had regard for the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

Discover Jonah 4:10

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Jonah 4:10?

MEANING: What does Jonah 4:10 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Jonah 4:10 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Jonah 4:10?

What is the context of Jonah 4:10?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

What does Jonah 4:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Compassion (Heb. hus, concern ^[1], be sorry for ^[2], pity ^[3]) is the key attitude. Jonah had become completely indifferent to the fate of the Ninevites. He knew His God well ( Jonah 4:2). Nevertheless his appreciation for God"s love for Israel had evidently so pervaded his life that it crowded out any compassion for these people who lacked knowledge of and relationship with Yahweh. Furthermore, Jonah had announced that Israel"s borders would expand under King Jeroboam II ( 2 Kings 14:25). To reveal his lack of compassion to him God dealt with him as any ordinary person. He exposed him to the pleasures and discomforts that everyone faces and made him see that his theology made him no more compassionate than anyone else. It should have. Knowledge of a sovereign, compassionate God whom He feared should have made Jonah more submissive to God"s will, more compassionate toward other people, and more respectful of God.

Context Summary

Jonah 4:1-11 - The Prophet's Narrowness Rebuked

This chapter marks an era in the development of the outlook of the Hebrew people. Here, upon its repentance, a heathen city was pardoned. Clearly Jehovah was the God, not of the Jews only but of the Gentiles also. Jonah, however, had no pleasure in the revelation. He clung to the bitter narrowness of national prejudice fearing that when his own people received tidings of Nineveh's repentance and deliverance, they would be encouraged in their obstinate refusal of God's law.

How often God puts gourds into our lives to refresh us with their exquisite greenery, and to remind us of His thoughtful love! Our fretfulness and petulance are no barriers to His tender mercy. The withering of the gourd extorted bitter reproaches from the prophet who would have beheld the destruction of Nineveh without a tear. He did not realize that to God Nineveh was all, and much more, than the gourd was to him. Notice the extreme beauty of the concluding verse: The permanence of the city contrasted with the frailty of the gourd! The responsibility of God for Nineveh, which He had made to grow! The preciousness to Him, not only of the mature, but of babes and cattle [source]

Chapter Summary: Jonah 4

¹ Jonah repining at God's mercy,
⁴ is reproved by the type of a withering vine

What do the individual words in Jonah 4:10 mean?

But said Yahweh You have had pity on the plant for which not you have labored in nor made it grow which in a night came up and in a night perished

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה אַתָּ֥ה חַ֙סְתָּ֙ עַל־ הַקִּ֣יקָי֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־ עָמַ֥לְתָּ בּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֣א גִדַּלְתּ֑וֹ שֶׁבִּן־ לַ֥יְלָה הָיָ֖ה וּבִן־ לַ֥יְלָה אָבָֽד

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר	But said
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: אָמַר Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֔ה	Yahweh
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יהוה Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
חַ֙סְתָּ֙	have had pity
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular Root: חוּס Sense: (Qal) to pity, have compassion, spare, look upon with compassion.
הַקִּ֣יקָי֔וֹן	the plant
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular Root: קִיקָיׄון Sense: a plant.
אֲשֶׁ֛ר	for which
Parse: Pronoun, relative Root: אֲשֶׁר Sense: (relative part.).
עָמַ֥לְתָּ	you have labored
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular Root: עָמַל Sense: to labour, toil.
וְלֹ֣א	nor
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle Root: הֲלֹא Sense: not, no.
גִדַּלְתּ֑וֹ	made it grow
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person masculine singular, third person masculine singular Root: גָּדַל Sense: to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things.
שֶׁבִּן־	which in
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Noun, masculine singular construct Root: בֵּן Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
לַ֥יְלָה	a night
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: לַיִל Sense: night.
הָיָ֖ה	came up
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular Root: אֶהְיֶה Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
וּבִן־	and in
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct Root: בֵּן Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
לַ֥יְלָה	a night
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: לַיִל Sense: night.
אָבָֽד	perished
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular Root: אָבַד Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.

What are the major concepts related to Jonah 4:10?

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Similar Scriptures for Jonah 4:10

		1 Samuel 20:31 [-3]
		Genesis 17:12 [-4]