^4:7So God sent²⁴ a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so that it dried up. ^4:8When the sun began to shine, God sent²⁵ a hot²⁶ east wind. So the sun beat down²⁷ on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life,²⁸ and said, “I would rather die than live!”²⁹^4:9God said to Jonah, “Are you really so very angry³⁰ about the little plant?” And he said, “I am as angry³¹ as I could possibly be!”³²

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Footnotes

24 Or “appointed.” The verb מָנָה (manah) in the Piel stem means “to send, to appoint” (Ps 61:8; Jonah 2:1; 4:6–8; Dan 1:5, 10–11; מנה 2; 584 מָנָה).
25 Or “appointed.” See preceding note on v. .
26 The adjective חֲרִישִׁית (kharishit, “autumnal”) is a with an unclear meaning ( 362 חֲרִישִׁי); therefore, the editors propose a conjectural emendation to the adjective חֲרִיפִית (kharifit, “autumnal”) from the noun חֹרֶף (khoref, “autumn”; see 358 חרֶף). However, this emendation would also create a and it would be no more clear than relating the ’s חֲרִישִׁית to I חָרַשׁ (kharash, “to plough” [in autumn harvest]). Heb “autumnal” or “sultry.” The adjective חֲרִישִׁית is a whose meaning is unclear; it might mean “autumnal” (from I חָרַשׁ, kharash; “to plough” [in the autumn harvest-time]), “silent” = “sultry” (from IV. חרשׁ, “to be silent”; 362 חֲרִישִׁי). The form חֲרִישִׁית might be an alternate spelling of חֲרִיסִית (kharisit) from the noun חֶרֶס (kheres, “sun”) and so mean “hot” ( 362 ).
27 Heb “attacked” or “smote.”
28 Heb “he asked his soul to die.”
29 Heb “better my death than my life.” Jonah repeats his assessment, found also in 4:3.
30 Heb “Does it burn so thoroughly to you?” or “Does it burn rightly to you?” See note on this expression in v. .
31 Heb “It thoroughly burns to me” or “It rightly burns to me.”
32 Heb “unto death.” The phrase עַד־מָוֶת (’ad-mavet, “unto death”) is an idiomatic expression meaning “to the extreme” or simply “extremely [angry]” ( מָוֶת 1.c). The noun מָוֶת (“death”) is often used as an absolute superlative with a negative sense, similar to the English expression “bored to death” ( §14.5). For example, “his soul was vexed to death” (לָמוּת, lamut) means that he could no longer endure it (Judg 16:16), and “love is as strong as death” (כַמָּוֶת, kammavet) means love is irresistible or exceedingly strong (Song 8:6). Here the expression “I am angry unto death” (עַד־מָוֶת) means that Jonah could not be more angry. Unfortunately, this idiomatic expression has gone undetected by virtually every other major English version to date (, , , , , , , , , ). The only English version that comes close to representing the idiom correctly is : “I have a right to be truly angry.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.

As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head so much that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”

Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“Yes, it’s right!” he replied. “I’m angry enough to die!”

NLTNew Living Translation

But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.

Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”

“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

So God appointed a worm at daybreak the next day, and it attacked the plant, and it withered. And when the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head and he grew faint. And he asked that he could die and said, “My death is better than my life!” So God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry enough to die!”

KJV 1900King James Version

But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. 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.

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