And he prayed to the Lord, and said: I beseech thee, O Lord, is not this what I said, when I was yet in my own country? therefore I went before to flee into Tharsis: for I know that thou art a gracious and merciful God, patient, and of much compassion, and easy to forgive evil.
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֨ל אֶל־יְהוָ֜ה וַיֹּאמַ֗ר אָנָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ הֲלוֹא־זֶ֣ה דְבָרִ֗י עַד־הֱיוֹתִי֙ עַל־אַדְמָתִ֔י עַל־כֵּ֥ן קִדַּ֖מְתִּי לִבְרֹ֣חַ תַּרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה כִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ אֵֽל־חַנּ֣וּן וְרַח֔וּם אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד וְנִחָ֖ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה׃
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Following Jonah's attempt to escape and God's restoration of the Ninevites, he became despondent and anxiously succumbed to the frailty of human nature when he observed that his warnings went unheeded. A message for those who are struggling with the afflictions that have occurred, and the oppression and suffering of the people and many clergy, along with the bewildering circumstances faced by the Jews.
When the Lord had extended grace to those who, through repentance, had mitigated the effects of divine judgment, and as the appointed time concluded—with prophecies yet unfulfilled—the prophet was filled with deep sorrow. His distress was not due to the city’s deliverance from ruin, an emotion only fitting for a malicious and jealous individual, and certainly not for a saint. Rather, he mourned for the fear that he was a deceiver, one who had alarmed the people unnecessarily, speaking from personal reasoning rather than relaying God’s words as documented in scripture.
Some suggest that the prophet's grief stemmed from an unspecified concern in the text; upon realizing that Israel, along with the calling of the Gentiles, would lose their faith in God, he was troubled as if that time had already arrived, lamenting for his fellow countrymen as if they were already condemned. Nonetheless, he clarifies his stance, stating he fled to Tarshish not out of defiance, but from the understanding of God's character as merciful and gracious, repenting from judgment. “Since You are such,” he questions, “why have You commanded me to proclaim their imminent destruction in vain?” In a moment of human weakness, he reiterates these sentiments while in Judah, even pleading for death, seeming to cast unfounded judgment on divine providence. Such thoughts present a perilous and unworthy attitude for a holy spirit. For while no wise individual would criticize physicians for adjusting remedies to suit the nature of wounds, how can one accuse the all-knowing God, who provides a remedy that aligns with the condition of our souls and is truly beneficial? Indeed, He is the healer of our souls, calming the tumult of our desires through either suffering or the abundance of grace.
Jonah 4:2-3. "I pray You, O Lord, wasn't this what I expressed when I was still in my homeland? That is why I took flight to Tarshish. For I know that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity; and now, I earnestly plead with You, O Lord, to take my life, for it is better for me to die than to continue living." The Septuagint reads: "O Lord, was this not what I said while I was still in my country? Therefore I fled to Tarshish. For I know You are merciful and gracious, slow to anger and full of compassion, and You relent from bringing disaster; and now, O Lord God, please take my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."
The phrase translated as "I pray" and the LXX rendering of "ῶ᾿ δὴ" corresponds to the Hebrew term "anna," an interjection that signifies a plea for alleviation. In his prayer, Jonah implies that he wished to escape justly, which seemingly accuses God of wrongdoing; however, he mitigates his grievances by beginning his statements with a term that indicates supplication. He expresses, “Did I not say this while I was in my homeland? I understood that You would act in this manner; I recognized Your mercy; hence, I did not intend to declare You as harsh and unyielding. Instead, I chose to flee to Tarshish to immerse myself in contemplation and to find peace and idleness amidst the tumult of this age. I left my home, renounced my inheritance, and distanced myself from Your presence.
Had I spoken of You as gracious and forgiving, no one would have turned back from their sins; yet if I described You purely as a judge devoid of mercy, I knew that this was not reflective of Your true nature. Thus, faced with this dilemma, I preferred flight to misleading the repentant by presenting a false depiction of Your goodness or misrepresenting Your character. Therefore, O Lord, take my life, for it is more favorable for me to die than to live. Take my soul, which bears a heavy burden of sorrow. I entrust my spirit into Your hands (Luke 23:46), for it is indeed better for me to die than to live. While I was alive, I could not save even one nation, the nation of Israel; yet in death, the world may find salvation. The historical significance is clear, and with respect to the prophet, it can be interpreted—as we have previously mentioned—as his deep sorrow and desire to die stemming from the fear that the conversion of many Gentiles could lead to the eternal destruction of Israel.
I recognized it, and I witnessed that You displayed tremendous patience toward Israel. For You are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy, turning from iniquity. That is why I sought refuge, and then, ensnared by the tempest and the great fish, I pleaded with You to restore my life, yet now I request something different.
"Turn away from the wickedness of humanity, meaning the trials and adversities that befall us due to our transgressions."
Jonah escaped to Tarshish upon witnessing the repentance of the Ninevites, for as a prophet, he recognized the mercy of God. However, he was determined not to falsify the prophecy.
The new resistance to God arises from this: Lord, was this not what I expressed when I was still in my homeland?... For I understood that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and that You take no pleasure in calamity. The conflict between God's will and Jonah's perspective rests in the fact that God chose to extend mercy to the Ninevites for the sake of their repentance; however, Jonah wished to see the punishment he proclaimed actually inflicted upon them, thinking it futile to threaten them with consequences that would not come to pass since God might quickly show them mercy.
Rather than celebrating God's grace extended to the repentant people of Nineveh, Jonah was deeply distressed and troubled. He believed that failing to carry out God's judgment would tarnish God's reputation among the nations and that the messenger of such a pronouncement would be regarded as a false prophet. Additionally, he feared that the Assyrians, having received forgiveness from the Lord, would become a threat to the Israelites, potentially inflicting great harm upon his homeland. Jonah conveyed his sorrow and confusion, along with his complaints against God, in a prayer. In this prayer, he even attempted to rationalize his flight to distant Tarshish, feeling that preaching was unnecessary in any case. He expressed to the Lord, “I knew, saith he unto the Lord, that Thou art merciful, and repentest of the wickedness of men” (Exodus 34:6), meaning that God does not intend to punish humanity for their wicked acts.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS