Jonah 4:3 (GNV)

Passage

Therefore nowe O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me: for it is better for me to die then to liue.

Nearby Context

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

Jonah 4:2 And he prayed vnto the Lord, and saide, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my countrey? therefore I preuented it to flee vnto Tarshish: for I knewe that thou art a gratious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindnes, and repentest thee of the euill.

Jonah 4:3 Therefore nowe O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me: for it is better for me to die then to liue.

Jonah 4:4 Then saide the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?

Jonah 4:5 So Ionah went out of the citie and sate on the East side of the citie, and there made him a boothe, and sate vnder it in the shadowe till he might see what should be done in the citie.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And he prayed vnto the Lord and..." into verse 4's "Then saide the Lord Doest thou well...", so "therefore" and "nowe" 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 "therefore" and "nowe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.