Useful Bible Studies > Jonah Commentary > chapter 4
Jonah had become fiercely angry. In the original language (Hebrew), the word for this anger can mean to burn like fire. The same word appears in many places, including Psalm 37:1. That Psalm urges God’s people not to become so angry against evil people, because God himself will act against them (Psalm 37:8-9).
God asked Jonah whether it was right or good for him to become so fiercely angry. So, we must ask when it is right for anyone to be fiercely angry.
The answer is that the Bible gives many examples of this type of anger. Some of these show wrong anger (for example, Cain in Genesis 4:6); but some show a right kind of anger. Sometimes even God shows this right kind of anger (for example, Numbers 32:13; Deuteronomy 29:27). He is angry when people refuse on purpose to obey his laws; he is angry when people constantly choose to behave in a wicked manner.
In other words, God’s anger is like the way that a judge expresses anger against a guilty person. The judge wants that criminal to know that his actions were shameful and wrong. So, that judge is right to express anger against that criminal’s wicked behaviour.
God’s question was whether it was right for Jonah to be angry like that. Jonah did not answer yet; he will not try to defend himself until verse 9. However, clearly he did believe that he was right.
It is also clear that God considered Jonah to be wrong. God sent Jonah to Nineveh to declare God’s message (3:2). God did not send him there to act as a judge. Rather, God is the judge of Nineveh’s people, and the judge of all people.
Next part: Jonah waits to see if God will punish Nineveh's people (Jonah 4:5)
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