Jonah 4:3 (DBY)

Passage

And now, Jehovah, take, I beseech thee, my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.

Nearby Context

Jonah 4:1 And it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

Jonah 4:2 And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, Ah, Jehovah, was not this my saying when I was yet in my country? Therefore I was minded to flee at first unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

Jonah 4:3 And now, Jehovah, take, I beseech thee, my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.

Jonah 4:4 And Jehovah said, Doest thou well to be angry?

Jonah 4:5 And Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "take", "beseech", "thee", "life", "better", "than", and "live". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "take", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And he prayed unto Jehovah and said..." into verse 4's "And Jehovah said Doest thou well to...", so "jehovah" and "take" belong inside that flow. In Jonah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jehovah" and "take" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.