Jonah 4:3 (WEB)

Passage

Therefore now, Yahweh, take, I beg you, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Nearby Context

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

Jonah 4:2 He prayed to Yahweh, and said, “Please, Yahweh, wasn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.

Jonah 4:3 Therefore now, Yahweh, take, I beg you, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah 4:4 Yahweh said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

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

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "He prayed to Yahweh and said Please..." into verse 4's "Yahweh said Is it right for you...", so "therefore" and "yahweh" 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 "yahweh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.