Jonah 4:4
New International Version
But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

New Living Translation
The LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”

English Standard Version
And the LORD said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

Berean Standard Bible
But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”

King James Bible
Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

New King James Version
Then the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

New American Standard Bible
But the LORD said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”

NASB 1995
The LORD said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”

NASB 1977
And the LORD said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”

Amplified Bible
Then the LORD said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD asked, “Is it right for you to be angry? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said, Doest thou well to be angry?

Contemporary English Version
The LORD replied, "What right do you have to be angry?"

English Revised Version
And the LORD said, Doest thou well to be angry?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD asked, "What right do you have to be angry?"

Good News Translation
The LORD answered, "What right do you have to be angry?"

International Standard Version
The LORD replied, "Does being angry make you right?"

Majority Standard Bible
But the LORD replied, ?Have you any right to be angry??

NET Bible
The LORD said, "Are you really so very angry?"

New Heart English Bible
The LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

World English Bible
Yahweh said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And YHWH says, “Is doing good displeasing to you?”

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith, 'Is doing good displeasing to thee?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will say, Didst thou well for thee to be angry?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said: Dost thou think thou hast reason to be angry?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the Lord said, “Do you really think you are right to be angry?”

New American Bible
But the LORD asked, “Are you right to be angry?”

New Revised Standard Version
And the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then the LORD said to him, Are you very sorrowful?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH said to me: ”You are very grieved for yourself!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said: 'Art thou greatly angry?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jonah's Anger at the LORD's Compassion
3And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?” 5Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of it, where he made himself a shelter and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city.…

Cross References
Genesis 4:6-7
“Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen? / If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”

Matthew 20:15
Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

James 1:19-20
My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, / for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.

Luke 15:28-32
The older son became angry and refused to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. / But he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I have served you and never disobeyed a commandment of yours. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. / But when this son of yours returns from squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ...

Exodus 34:6
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,

Romans 9:20-21
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?” / Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

Job 40:2
“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.”

Matthew 5:22
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.

Ephesians 4:26
“Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger,

Proverbs 14:29
A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.

1 Kings 19:9-13
There Elijah entered a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” / “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.” / Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ...

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. / “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Romans 12:19
Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 12:9
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Psalm 103:8
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.


Treasury of Scripture

Then said the LORD, Do you well to be angry?

Jonah 4:9
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.

Numbers 20:11,12,24
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also

Psalm 106:32,33
They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: …

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














But the LORD replied
This phrase introduces the divine response to Jonah's anger. The Hebrew word for "LORD" here is "YHWH," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. This name is deeply rooted in the history of Israel, signifying God's faithfulness and His personal relationship with His people. The use of "replied" indicates a direct communication from God, highlighting His willingness to engage with Jonah despite Jonah's flawed perspective. This interaction underscores the personal nature of God, who is not distant but actively involved in the lives of His followers.

Have you any right
The phrase "Have you any right" challenges Jonah's sense of justice and entitlement. The Hebrew root for "right" here can be understood as "to be good" or "to be well," questioning the moral standing of Jonah's anger. This rhetorical question serves to provoke self-reflection in Jonah, urging him to consider the righteousness of his emotions and actions. It reflects a common biblical theme where God questions His people to lead them to greater understanding and repentance.

to be angry?
The focus on "to be angry" addresses Jonah's emotional state. The Hebrew word for "angry" is "charah," which conveys a burning or kindling of anger. This word is often used in the Old Testament to describe human anger, which is frequently contrasted with God's righteous indignation. Jonah's anger is portrayed as misguided, especially in light of God's mercy towards Nineveh. This question from God invites Jonah to examine the source and justification of his anger, encouraging a transformation of heart that aligns with God's compassionate character. The verse as a whole serves as a reminder of the importance of aligning our emotions with God's will, recognizing His sovereignty and grace.

(4) Doest thou well? . . .--This rendering may be supported by Deuteronomy 5:28; Jeremiah 1:12, and agrees better with the context than the marginal translation, which follows the LXX., and is undoubtedly a very likely rendering of the Hebrew idiom if taken by itself. Jonah apparently gave his own interpretation to the question, one that suited his mood, "Is thine anger just?" Such a question might imply that the doom of the city was only deferred, and that he had been too hasty in giving up the fulfilment of his prediction. Accordingly he went outside the walls, and sat down to watch what the issue would be. On the other hand, the rendering "Art thou so very angry?" suits best the reply in Jonah 4:9, "I am very angry, even to death." Probably the Hebrew word, like the French bien, kept both its original and derived meaning, and must be rendered well or very, according to the context.

Verse 4 - Doest thou well to be angry? Septuagint, Αἰ σφόδρα λελύπησαι σύ; "Hast thou been greatly grieved?" Vulgate, Putasne bene irasceris tu? The English Version is doubtless correct. God bids him consider with himself whether his anger is reasonable. The version of the LXX., however grammatically permissible, is somewhat pointless.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

replied,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Have you
לָֽךְ׃ (lāḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew

any right
הַהֵיטֵ֖ב (ha·hê·ṭêḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 3190: To be good, well, glad, or pleasing

to be angry?”
חָ֥רָה (ḥā·rāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2734: To glow, grow warm, to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy


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OT Prophets: Jonah 4:4 Yahweh said Is it right for you (Jon. Jh)
Jonah 4:3
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