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:

KJV (with Strong's)

Then said {H559} the LORD {H3068}, Thou hast had pity {H2347} on the gourd {H7021}, for the which thou hast not laboured {H5998}, neither madest it grow {H1431}; which came up in a night {H1121}{H3915}, and perished {H6} in a night {H1121}{H3915}:

Complete Jewish Bible

ADONAI said, "You're concerned over the castor-bean plant, which cost you no effort; you didn't make it grow; it came up in a night and perished in a night.

Berean Standard Bible

But the LORD said, “You cared about the plant, which you neither tended nor made grow. It sprang up in a night and perished in a night.

American Standard Version

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:

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Jonah 4:10 presents the Lord's poignant rhetorical question to Jonah, exposing the prophet's narrow, self-centered compassion for a transient plant versus God's boundless, unmerited mercy for the vast, ignorant population of Nineveh. This divine interrogation highlights the stark contrast between human prejudice and the expansive nature of God's love, which extends even to those considered enemies, underscoring the divine prerogative to grant grace and the profound value God places on all human life.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is the climax of God's patient, pedagogical interaction with Jonah, following the prophet's profound displeasure over Nineveh's repentance and God's subsequent relenting from judgment. After reluctantly delivering God's message, Jonah retreats to a spot outside the city, hoping to witness its destruction. When God spares Nineveh due to their repentance ([Jonah 3:10](/jonah/3-10 "Jonah 3:10 - God Relents from Judgment")), Jonah's anger flares, leading him to wish for death ([Jonah 4:1-3](/jonah/4-1-3 "Jonah 4:1-3 - Jonah's Anger and Desire for Death")). In response, God provides a gourd for shade, which Jonah greatly appreciates. However, God then orchestrates the gourd's demise by a worm and sends a scorching east wind, causing Jonah immense discomfort and a renewed desire for death ([Jonah 4:7-8](/jonah/4-7-8 "Jonah 4:7-8 - The Gourd Withers and the Wind Blows")). It is within this immediate narrative of Jonah's self-pity and misplaced priorities that God poses the direct, challenging question of verse 10, setting the stage for the ultimate lesson in verse 11.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The city of Nineveh was the capital of the powerful Assyrian Empire, a formidable and often brutal adversary of Israel. For a prophet like Jonah, the idea of God showing mercy to such a people would have been deeply unsettling, likely seen as an affront to Israel's unique covenant relationship with Yahweh and a betrayal of justice for their enemies. In the arid climate of the ancient Near East, shade was a precious commodity, making Jonah's relief at the gourd's appearance and his subsequent distress at its loss entirely understandable from a human perspective. The rapid growth and decay of the "gourd" (likely a castor oil plant) were common knowledge, making it an apt illustration of transient comfort. This cultural understanding of the value of shade and the perceived threat of Nineveh amplifies the divine challenge to Jonah's ethnocentric and comfort-driven worldview.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Jonah. Foremost is the theme of **God's Universal Compassion and Sovereignty**, demonstrating that God's mercy is not limited by human boundaries or prejudices, but extends to all people, even the enemies of His covenant nation. God's control over creation—the gourd, the worm, the wind—underscores His absolute authority and His use of nature to achieve His redemptive purposes, as seen throughout the book from the great fish ([Jonah 1:17](/jonah/1-17 "Jonah 1:17 - The Great Fish")) to the gourd. The verse also highlights the profound **Contrast Between Human Self-Interest and Divine Love**, exposing how human compassion can be conditional and self-serving, rooted in personal comfort or nationalistic pride, while God's love is unconditional, seeking the repentance and salvation of all, regardless of their past. Finally, it emphasizes the **Value of All Life in God's Sight**, contrasting Jonah's disproportionate grief over a plant with God's immense concern for the spiritual and physical well-being of a vast human population and their livestock, a point further elaborated in [Jonah 4:11](/jonah/4-11 "Jonah 4:11 - God's Pity for Nineveh").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **pity (Hebrew, _chûwç'_):** This primitive root means "to cover," and figuratively, "to compassionate," "to pity," or "to spare." In this context, God uses Jonah's own feeling of sorrow and concern for the gourd, which brought him comfort, to highlight the hypocrisy of his lack of compassion for the people of Nineveh. It underscores the idea of showing mercy or sparing something from harm or destruction.
* **gourd (Hebrew, _qîyqâyôwn'_):** This word likely refers to the castor oil plant, known for its remarkably rapid growth and equally swift decay. Its transient nature is central to God's argument, as Jonah's deep attachment to something so temporary and unearned stands in stark contrast to God's enduring concern for the eternal souls of Nineveh. The word itself suggests something that "came up" quickly, reinforcing its ephemeral quality.
* **grow (Hebrew, _gâdal'_):** Derived from a primitive root meaning "to twist," this word signifies becoming or making large, increasing, or being nourished. In this verse, it emphasizes that Jonah had no part in the plant's development or flourishing. Its growth was entirely a divine act, highlighting Jonah's lack of investment in the plant's existence, further exposing the superficiality of his "pity" for it.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd,"**: This opening clause establishes the divine speaker and immediately confronts Jonah with his own emotional state. God directly points to Jonah's "pity" (or compassion/concern) for the plant, acknowledging Jonah's distress over its loss. This sets up the rhetorical comparison that follows, using Jonah's own experience as the basis for the divine lesson.
* **"for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow;"**: This part of the verse underscores the unearned nature of Jonah's attachment. God highlights that Jonah did not invest any effort in cultivating the gourd—he neither "laboured" (toiled with irksomeness) for it nor "madest it grow" (caused it to become large or flourish). This emphasizes that Jonah's pity was for something he received freely and effortlessly, contrasting sharply with the immense spiritual "labor" God had invested in Nineveh through His prophets and His desire for their repentance.
* **"which came up in a night, and perished in a night:"**: This final clause emphasizes the transient and ephemeral nature of the gourd. Its rapid emergence and equally swift demise within a single "night" (or short period) highlight its temporary existence. This temporal brevity serves as a powerful contrast to the eternal value of human souls in Nineveh, for whom God's compassion is boundless and enduring, not fleeting like Jonah's comfort.

#### Literary Devices
Jonah 4:10 is rich in **Rhetorical Question** and **Contrast**. The entire verse, leading into verse 11, functions as a profound rhetorical question posed by God to Jonah, designed not for an answer but to provoke deep self-reflection and expose the prophet's flawed perspective. The primary device is **Contrast**, specifically between Jonah's misplaced compassion for a temporary plant and God's righteous compassion for a vast city of ignorant people. This contrast is further amplified by the opposition between Jonah's lack of **Labor** in cultivating the gourd and God's active, ongoing work in the lives of His creation. The **Irony** is palpable: Jonah, a prophet called to extend God's mercy, grieves over a plant more than he rejoices over the salvation of thousands. The gourd itself serves as **Symbolism**, representing transient comfort and the superficiality of human self-interest when contrasted with the enduring value of human life and God's eternal purposes.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jonah 4:10 serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of God's compassion and the human tendency toward self-centeredness. It reveals that God's mercy is not earned or deserved, nor is it limited by human prejudice or nationalistic boundaries. Unlike Jonah, whose pity was rooted in personal convenience and comfort, God's compassion flows from His inherent character, valuing every human life, even those who are spiritually ignorant ("did not know their right hand from their left"). This verse challenges believers to align their hearts with God's expansive love, moving beyond narrow self-interest or tribal loyalties to embrace a global vision of grace and salvation. It underscores the biblical truth that God desires all people to come to repentance and knowledge of the truth, demonstrating His patience and long-suffering even towards those who are His enemies.

* [Psalm 145:9](/psalms/145-9 "Psalm 145:9 - The Lord is good to all")
* [Luke 6:35-36](/luke/6-35-36 "Luke 6:35-36 - Love Your Enemies")
* [2 Peter 3:9](/2_peter/3-9 "2 Peter 3:9 - God's Patience and Desire for All to Repent")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jonah 4:10 is a mirror reflecting the often-unacknowledged prejudices and self-serving nature of our own compassion. It forces us to ask: For whom do we truly feel pity, and what is the basis of that pity? Is our concern limited to those who benefit us, those we deem "worthy," or those who look and think like us? Or does our compassion extend to the marginalized, the difficult, the unlovely, and even our perceived enemies, reflecting the boundless heart of God? This verse calls us to a radical reorientation of our affections, urging us to mourn what God mourns and rejoice in what God rejoices—namely, the repentance and salvation of lost souls. It challenges us to surrender our personal comforts, prejudices, and desires for retribution, embracing instead God's mission of grace and reconciliation for all people, recognizing the immeasurable value of every life in His sight.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of my life do I exhibit "pity" for things that serve my comfort, while neglecting the true needs of others?**
* **How does my compassion compare to God's boundless mercy, especially towards those I find difficult or undeserving?**
* **What prejudices or self-interests might be hindering me from fully embracing God's heart for all people, even my "Ninevehs"?**
* **How can I actively participate in God's mission of extending grace and reconciliation to those outside my immediate circle?**

### FAQ
**Why did God use a gourd to teach Jonah this lesson?**

Answer: God used the gourd as a tangible, relatable object lesson because it directly impacted Jonah's physical comfort. The gourd's rapid growth and equally swift decay within a "night" ([Jonah 4:10](/jonah/4-10 "Jonah 4:10 - The Gourd's Transient Nature")) perfectly illustrated the transient nature of Jonah's self-centered comfort and contrasted it with the enduring value of human souls. Jonah's disproportionate grief over a plant he did not labor for highlighted the absurdity of his anger over God's mercy towards a vast city of people, whom God had indeed "labored" to create and desired to redeem.

**What is the significance of the phrase "came up in a night, and perished in a night"?**

Answer: This phrase emphasizes the extreme transience and ephemerality of the gourd. It highlights that the plant was not something Jonah had invested time, effort, or resources into cultivating; it was a gift that appeared and disappeared quickly. This fleeting nature of the gourd serves as a powerful contrast to the eternal value of human lives in Nineveh. God's point is that if Jonah could feel such intense pity for something so temporary and unearned, how much more should God, the Creator and Sustainer of all life, have compassion for a city of over 120,000 people who were spiritually lost, along with their animals ([Jonah 4:11](/jonah/4-11 "Jonah 4:11 - God's Pity for Nineveh"))?

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jonah 4:10, with its divine interrogation of Jonah's limited compassion, powerfully foreshadows the expansive and sacrificial compassion of Jesus Christ. While Jonah begrudged God's mercy to Nineveh, Jesus embodies the very heart of God's universal love, extending salvation to all who believe, regardless of their past or origin. The Lord's pity for the vast, ignorant population of Nineveh, who "did not know their right hand from their left," finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ's mission to seek and save the lost ([Luke 19:10](/luke/19-10 "Luke 19:10 - The Son of Man Came to Seek and to Save the Lost")). Unlike Jonah, who desired destruction for his enemies, Jesus commanded His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them ([Matthew 5:44](/matthew/5-44 "Matthew 5:44 - Love Your Enemies")). The temporary gourd that Jonah valued for his own comfort contrasts sharply with Christ, who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich ([2 Corinthians 8:9](/2_corinthians/8-9 "2 Corinthians 8:9 - Christ's Sacrifice")). Christ's ultimate act of compassion on the cross, where He bore the sins of the world ([John 1:29](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God")), demonstrates a love that "laboured" and "grew" salvation for humanity, a love infinitely greater than any fleeting comfort, offering eternal life to all who call upon His name ([Romans 10:13](/romans/10-13 "Romans 10:13 - Call Upon the Name of the Lord")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

1 Samuel 20:31

For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.

Genesis 17:12

And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which [is] not of thy seed.