King James Version

What Does Jonah 4:11 Mean?

“And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”

Context

And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Doest: or, Art thou greatly angry? I do well: or, I am greatly angry

Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night , and perished in a night : had pity: or, spared came: Heb. was the son of the night

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

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Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **More than** . . .—This number of infants, 120,000, according to the usual reckoning, gives a population of 600,000. **And also much cattle.**—This, which at first reads like an anti-climax, is really, perhaps, the most striking thing in the whole of this marvellous book. Already the idea that a sympathy could exist between Jonah and the gourd has seemed to anticipate by thousands of years the feeling of modern poetry expressed in the lines, “To me the meanest flower that blows can give Thoughts that too often lie too deep for tears;” and now the final touch, laying especial emphasis on the thought that even the cattle are an interest and care to God, seems at once to leap to the truth which even our own age has been slow to learn. “He prayeth best who loveth best, All creatures great and small, For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.” Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. Bible Hub

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Jonah. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Jonah 4:11 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.