4:1And Jonah was grieved with great sorrow, and was troubled.

Theodore, Commentary on Jonah 4:1 “At this Jonah felt a great distress and was troubled. And logically so: he was alarmed at the thought that he was likely to gain the reputation for being a sham and a charlatan for threatening that destruction would occur in three days, whereas nothing happened” (Sprenger 187.13- 18; trans. Hill 203).

Jerome Commentary Jonah 4:1 'Jonah was saddened by a great sadness, and he was confounded. And he prayed to the Lord, and he said'. Seeing the crowd of gentiles enter[168], and that fulfils what is written in Deuteronomy: "they annoyed me with these gods who are not gods, so I will annoy them with a people that is not one; I shall anger them like a foolish nation"[169]. He despairs of Israel's safety and is hit by a great suffering which breaks out in words. He shows the signs of his suffering and more or less says this: 'I have been the only one of the prophets chosen to announce my people's ruin to them through the safety of others.' Thus he is not sad that the crowd of gentiles should be saved, as some people believe, but it is the destruction of Israel. Moreover our Lord wept for Jerusalem and refused to take bread away from the children to give to the dogs[170]. And the apostles preach firstly to Israel, and Paul wishes to be anathema for his brothers who are Israelites[171] and have adoption, glory, alliance, promises and law, and from whom the patriarchs come, and from them too according to the flesh came Christ.[172] But suffering in vain, which is interpreted as the word Jonah, he is smitten by suffering, and 'the spirit is sad until death'[173]. For lest the people of the Jews should die, he has suffered as much as he was in power. The name of the sufferer also is appropriate to the story, since it signifies the toil of the prophet, weighed down by the miseries of his journey and the shipwreck.

St. Jerome Against the Pelagians 3:3 “Jonah was troubled because at God’s command, he had spoken falsely; but his sorrow was proved to be ill founded, since he would rather speak truth and have a countless multitude perish than speak falsely and have them saved.”

St. Augustine Letter CII. 35 “The prophet was here in his own person the symbol of another fact. He prefigured the carnal people Israel. For he also was grieved at the salvation of the Ninevites, that is, at the redemption and deliverance of the Gentiles, from among Christ came to call, not righteous men, but sinners to repentance.”




4:2And he prayed to the Lord, and he said, “O Lord, was these not my words when I was still in my land? Therefore, I anticipated to escape into Tharsis because I knew that you are merciful and compassionate, and one who repents over wickedness. 4:3And now, Master, O Lord, take my soul from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

Theodoret, Commentary on Jonah 4:2-3 “Were these not my words, when I was still in my country? Because of this, I anticipated 135 fleeing to Tharsis.” Because I understood these things (For I saw you demonstrating much forbearance, also concerning Israel, because you are merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in mercy, and relenting from harm),136 I made that flight; then, having been handed over to the rough surf and the whale, I beseeched you to return to life again. But now I entreat the opposite. “Lord God, take my life from me, because it is better for me to die than it is for me to live.” 137 For I prefer death over a life of shame. {S 1474} I am dishonored138 and I hide my face in shame,139 _ _since I am being called a liar for so many reasons.145 But the good Lord answers and says to the prophet:

Theodore, Commentary on Jonah 4:2-3 “In other words, he clearly indicated that this was also responsible for his flight, the realization that if in his goodness he sees them repenting, he would change his own sentence, and that the upshot of it for him would be to gain a reputation with them for being a charlatan and a sham. Hence, he goes on, ‘Now Lord God, take my life from me, because it is better for me to die than to live.’ Through this, I have come to the conclusion that death is preferable to living with such a reputation among people” (Sprenger 187.24-188.1; trans. Hill, 203).

Ephrem, On the Repentance of Nineveh 7:104-109 “Why dost thou mourn, O conquerer, that thou hast triumphed among the penitent? This shall be thy lot, to be spoken of as a restorer and not a destroyer. Let this suffice for thy happiness, that thou has gladdened the angels on high. It becomes thee to rejoice on earth, for God rejoices in heaven.” (trans. Burgess, 90).

Jerome, Commentary on Jonah 4:1-2 O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still in my country? This is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish. For I know that you are rich in mercy and are kind, patient, and full of compassion, and ready to repent for the evils that you promised. But now all-powerful Lord, take my spirit, because it is better for me to die than to live.' What I have interpreted as 'I pray you' and which the Septuagint has translated as 'O indeed'[174] is read as anna in Hebrew, which seems to me to express the prayer with a kind of coaxing . For when he had said quite justly that he wanted to flee his prayer accuses the Lord of injustice in a certain manner, and he tempers his complaints by a suppliant and rhetorical speech. Was this not what I said when I was in my country? I knew that you would do this. I am not unaware that you are merciful: this is why I refused to denounce you as harsh and cruel. Therefore I wanted to flee to Tarshish, to be free to think, and I preferred the quiet and rest on the sea of this age. I abandoned my home and left my inheritance, I left your lap and came here. If I had said that you are merciful, gentle, that you pardon wickedness, no one would have repented. If I had denounced you as a cruel God only fit to judge, I should have know that such is not your nature. In this dilemma I preferred to flee, rather than to deceive the repenters with mildness, or to preach things about you that you are not. "Therefore Lord take my spirit for death is better for me than life."[175] "Take my spirit which has been sad even until death."[176] "Take my spirit. I place my spirit in your hands."[177] I was not able to save the whole nation of Israel by living, but I will die and the whole world will be saved. The story is clear and regarding the prophet's character, we can note as has often been said before that he is saddened and wants to die so that Israel should not be destroyed for ever after the conversion of such a multitude of gentiles.




4:4And the Lord said to Jonah, “Are you grieved very much?”

Theodoret, Commentary on Jonah 4:4 “Have you grieved excessively?” Symmachus translated this more clearly, for he says, “Did you grieve justly?” But the rest have said, “Did you grieve well?” Therefore, look at yourself, whether you have just causes146 for anger? And here, God exhorts him with reasoning to find consolation from his anger. But in the outcome of the prophecy, God also proves that Jonah’s anger is not good, and demonstrates the rationality of his own decree.

Cyril, Commentary on Jonah 4:4 (Pusey 1.594.14-16). God rebukes Jonah for his excessive grief because he does not understand the objective of God’s judgment.

Jerome, Commentary on Jonah 4:4 'The Lord replied to Jonah, are you so much afflicted?' The Hebrew word hara lach can be translated as 'are you annoyed?' and are you afflicted?'. And each one pertains to the prophet and to the Lord: either he is annoyed and fears appearing a liar to the inhabitants of Nineveh, or he is afflicted, knowing that Israel is going to be destroyed. And with reason God does not say to him: 'you are wrong to get angry' or 'to be afflicted', not wanting to reprehend one suffering, nor does he say, 'you have reason to be angry or afflicted', so as not to contradict his former sentence. But he asks him whether he is angry or afflicted so that he replies the causes of his anger or suffering, or even, if he remains quiet, so that God's truth can be proved by his silence.





4:5And Jonah went forth from the city and sat down *before the city. And he made for himself there a tent, and he sat down underneath it, until where he can fully see what would become of the city.

Theodoret, Commentary on Jonah 4:5 “And after he left the city, Jonah sat opposite of it, made a tent for himself, and sat under it until he could see what will happen to the city.” This event which took place first, the prophet has placed last. After he narrated the repentance of the_ Ninevites, he wanted to associate divine benevolence with this repentance and the dejection in him which resulted from this repentance. And here Jonah tells the things which happened in between—that after he preached, he went out of the city, and having pitched a tent, he waited for the outcome of the prophecy. And this clearly happened before the dejection.147 But after the completion of the determined days, when he saw that the city endured nothing, he offered the prayer to God with distress. 145 AnotherBut nevertheless, God again devises comfort for this one. By means of a certain gourd plant, (as he himself willed), which immediately sprouted, spread out, and grew as much foliage as possible so that it made shade, he offers him cooling refreshment.

Theodore, Commentary on Jonah 4:5 “The prophet left the city, sat down outside it, built himself a tent, and lived in it, waiting to see what would ensue at some point for the city. He pondered the magnitude of the event and suspected some development would occur afterwards” (Sprenger 188.8-12; trans. Hill, 204).

Ephrem, The Repentance of Nineveh 6:1-10 “Jonah numbered up the days, and the Ninevites counted their sins. Jonah kept a reckoning of the nights, Nineveh wept for her offenses. She labored hard for six weeks, with tears, and watching, and groaning. While Jonah was in his bower, the Ninevites were weeping in the city. When Jonah saw their tears, he feared much at their fastings” (trans. Burgess, 72).

Ephrem, The Repentance of Nineveh 7:28 -32 “Jonah stood afar off and feared lest he should be a deceiver, for the earthquake and the trembling ceased. At the moment when hope was cut off, the good news of mercy was afforded” ( trans. Burgess, 87).

Ephrem, The Repentance of Nineveh 7:60-64; 68-70 “ The time when Jonah had expected that now the city would be overthrown, in that very day and hour it was delivered from destruction….Great vexation clothed Jonah, but the Ninevites had a cheerful countenance” (trans. Burgess, 88).

Cyril, Commentary on Jonah 4:5 “Jonah understood that God had pity on Nineveh, but still he does not give up hope, and thinks that a respite of the evil has been granted them on their wickedness to repent, but that some effect of his displeasure would come, since the pains of the repentance had not equaled their offences. So thinking in himself apparently, he departs from the city and waits to see what will become of them. He expected, apparently, that it would either fall by an earthquake or be burned with fire, like Sodom.”

Jerome, Commentary on Jonah 4:5 Cain who initiated civilisation by fratricide and homicide in killing his brother was the first to build a city, and he gave it the name of his son Enoch.[178] This is why the prophet Hosea declares, "I am God, and not a man, amongst you I am a saint, and I will not come into the city".[179] For the Lord, says the psalmist, is the charge of "the transition of the dead"[180]. This is why one of this cities of refuge is called Ramoth[181], which is translated as 'vision of death'. Therefore quite justly anyone who is a fugitive and on account of his sins does not merit living in Jerusalem lives in the city of death and is across the waves of the Jordan, which signifies 'descent'. The dove, or the suffering, comes out from such a town and lives in the east whence the sun rises. And it is there in his tent, where having contemplated every hour that passes, he hears what is going to happen to this city. Before Nineveh was saved and before the gourd dried up, before the Gospel of Christ becomes famous and the prophecy of Zechariah is realised: "here is a man whose name is East"[182], Jonah was under his shelter. And nor had Truth come, about which the apostle of the Gospel says: "God is truth"[183], and he adds elegantly, "and he made there a shelter" near to Nineveh. He makes it himself, for no inhabitant of Nineveh of that age would have been able to live with the prophet, and he was seated under the shade in the attitude of a judge or if you like, constrained by his majesty, "having pulled in vigorously his reins"[184], so that his robe did not fall upon his feet and upon us who are low down, but was held together by a straighter belt. More precisely with regard to what he says, "to see what would happen to the city", this uses the accustomed usage of recourse to Scriptures to preach to God about human feelings.

Pseudo Philo, Homily on Jonah 40-41 (trans. Siegert, 37-38). Jonah leaves the city after preaching his message of destruction, find a nice shady spot outside of the city, and waits for the city to fall. Instead, he sees the residents dancing and rejoicing over their deliverance, which makes him mad.

Targum Jonathan, Jonah 4:5 “And Jonah went out of the city and he sat down to the east of the city, and he made for himself a hut and sat under it in the shade until he would see what finally would become of the city” (trans. Levine, 93).





4:6And the Lord God commanded a gourd, and it ascended above the head of Jonah to be a shadow above his head, to shade him from his hurting; and Jonah rejoiced over the gourd with great joy.

Theodoret, Commentary on Jonah 4:6 “The Lord God commanded the gourd plant.” The prophet has put down the phrase, not signifying here a divine voice, {S 1475}, but teaching, that at the same time God willed it, the plant was also brought into being. Thus he says earlier, “God commanded the whale” (Jon 2:1), which does not say this happened by divine voice but by divine will. For he calls will “command.” Thus the blessed Jonah received good cheer instead of grief.

Theodore, Commentary on Jonah 4:6 “God ordered a gourd to sprout suddenly to provide shade for the whole tent where the prophet was, so that he seemed to have the shelter of a sort of house with the vast number of its leaves, as well as the fruit hanging down suddenly on all sides provided him with considerable comfort” (Sprenger 188.12-16, trans. Hill, 204).

Cyril, Commentary on Jonah 4:6 (Pusey 1.595.11-13). the plant which hangs down over Jonah’s tent is beautiful and flowery.

Jerome, Commentary on Jonah 4:6 and the Lord commanded a gourd to grow up over the head of Jonah to form a shade to protect him from his evils. And Jonah was very glad of the gourd indeed. In this place a certain Canterius from the ancient family of Cornelii, (or as he himself says from the lineage of Asinius Pollion), has accused me recently, it seems, of sacrilege for having translated 'ivy' instead of 'gourd'. Apparently he feared that if ivy were taken instead of gourds that there would not be anything to drink in his secret place and his shade. And justly on the veins of this gourd, which are called saucomariae in general, it is customary to paint the image of the Apostles from which this individual has borrowed his name, which is not his own. If it is this easy to change ones name, (after having been the Cornelii, seditious consuls, they renamed themselves Paul Emile consuls), I ask myself why in surprise I should not be allowed to translate ivy instead of gourd. But let us return to more serious matters. For gourd or ivy in Hebrew we read qiqaion, which is also written qiqaia in the Syriac and Punic languages. It is a type of shrub or sapling with wide leaves like a vine, and which casts a large shadow and is supported by a trunk and often is found growing in Palestine especially in sandy areas. It is interesting to note that if the seed is cast on the ground it germinates quickly and in a few days it can be seen to have grown from a seedling to a bush. For my part when I was translating the prophets I wanted to just transliterate the Hebrew word seeing that Latin has no word for this kind of tree. But I feared that the men of letters would find in this some argument, imagining those animals of India or the mountains of Boeotia or even other marvels of this type. I have also followed the example of the former translators who translated it as ivy, in Greek chissos, because they had no other word to use. let us now look carefully at the story, and having looked at the mythical meaning then go on to study each word individually. The gourd and the ivy creep along the ground by their nature, and if they have no restraints or ladders as support they do not try to climb. How is it possible then that a gourd could grow up without the prophet knowing in one night to provide shade, if its nature is not to climb unless it has some supports, reeds or pegs to hold on to? Although the gourd, offering a miracle in its sudden appearance, and showing the power of God in the protection of a leafy shade, was only following its own nature. Even this though can refer to the person of the Lord Saviour, let us not completely abandon our gourd on account of our philocholochunthon, so that we remember that passage of Isaiah, which says, "and the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, or as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city."[185] And because we do not find a gourd mentioned elsewhere in the Scriptures let us say then that where the cucumber grows gourds usually grow too. And Israel is compared to this kind of plant because, at a certain time, it protected Jonah with its shadow whilst he was waiting the conversion of the gentiles and made him feel greatly happy. It made more a shady shelter for him rather than a house, and that suggests a roof of some kind but not having the foundations of a house. Moreover the gourd, our little bush, which grows quickly and dries quickly, could be compared to Israel, pushing its little roots into the ground and trying to raise itself up, but is not able to equal the height of cedars[186] and cypress trees[187] of God. It seems to me that one could interpret the locusts that were food for John similarly, who said symbolising Israel, "It must grow but I must die"[188]. The locust, a small animal with weak wings managing to rise up from the ground but not able to fly very high so that it is better called a reptile yet not similar either to birds.

St. Jerome Letter LXXV “In this passage, where the Septuagint has ‘gourd (KOLOKUNTHE),’ and Aquila and the others have rendered the word ‘ivy’ (KISSOS), the Hebrew manuscript has ‘ciceion,’ which is in the Aramaic tongue, as now spoken, ‘ciceia.’ It is a kind of shrub having large leaves like a vine, and when planted it quickly springs up to the size of a small tree, standing upright by its own stem, without requiring any support of canes or poles, as both gourds and ivy do.”

St. Augustine Letter CII. 35 “The shadow of that gourd over his head prefigured the promises of the Old Testament, or rather the privileges already enjoyed in it, in which there was, as the Apostle says, ‘a shadow of things to come (Col. 2:17; Hebrews 10:1), furnishing as it were, a refuge from the heat of temporal calamites in the land of promise.”

St. Caesarius of Arles Sermon 142.2 “Jonah could not stand the heat of the sun; they were unable to endure their burning anxiety. Jonah sought a covering of grass and shade from a gourd; they extinguished the fire of their sins with their tears. Behold, the green shelter over the head of Jonah withered, while mercy flourished and piety sprang up above the cruel Ninevites.”




4:7And God commanded a worm early in the morning the next day; and it struck down the gourd, and it dried it up.

Theodoret, Commentary on Jonah 4:7 But again at dawn, God, having destroyed the root of the gourd plant by means of a certain worm, caused it to wither by the assault of the sun. And when this happened, and the sun’s rays were striking against his head more excessively than usual,

Theodore, Commentary on Jonah 4:7 “By divine command a grub emerged from the plant and suddenly consumed it all and completely dried it up, the phrase early morning grub meaning that by divine command early in the morning a grub suddenly appeared on the plant and consumed it all” (Sprenger 188.22-24; trans. Hill, 204).

Cyril, Commentary on Jonah 4:7-8 (Pusey 1. 596. 10-15). The searing heat of the sun ultimately destroys the plant already weakened by the worm infestation.

Jerome, Commentary on Jonah 4:7 'and God commanded a worm early the next morning, which smote the gourd that it withered. When the sun had risen the Lord immediately commanded a hot and burning wind. The sun hit upon Jonah's head in his distress and suddenly became very exhausted and he said, it is better for me to die than to live.' Before the sun of justice[189] rose the shade was verdant and Israel was not dry. But after it rose, and when the darkness of Nineveh had been dispersed by its light, a worm obtained for the first light of the next day smote the gourd, (the worm, which is mentioned in the title to psalm twenty-one: "in honour of the morning incarnation", and which was born from the earth without any seed, can say, 'I am a worm and not a man'[190]. And Jonah, abandoned by God's aid, loses all his strength. The Lord ordered a hot and burning wind, which was prophesied by Hosea: "the Lord will bring a wind out of the desert, which will dry up the rivers and abandon his fountain"[191]. And Jonah began to get hot and once again he wants to die in the baptism of Israel to receive in this basin the moisture which he lost in his refusal to do God's word. This is why Peter speaks to the Jews who are parched, saying, "Repent, and let each of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for payment for your sins, so that you might receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"[192]. There are those for whom the worm and the burning wind represent the Roman generals who, after the resurrection of Christ, completely destroyed Israel.

Ephrem, Hymns on Virginity and the Symbols of the Lord 50:18-19 “Jonah rejoiced at the young gourd plant, but he grieved over the vine bearing exploits. The young plant was cut off; Jonah was irritated. The fruits of the vineyard made the Watchers rejoice. Give thanks to the one who sent his anger to Nineveh, that his anger might be a merchant of mercy” (trans. McVey, 459).

St. Augustine Letter CII. 35-36 “Let us therefore acknowledge Christ to be the worm, because, moreover, in the Psalm, ‘I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people (Psalm 21:7).” He is a Worm because of the lowliness of the flesh which He assumed- perhaps, also because of His being born of a virgin; for the worm is generally not begotten, but spontaneously originated in flesh.” The worm, which by its gnawing tooth made the gourd wither away, Christ Himself is again prefigured, such as, by the publication of the Gospel from His mouth, all those things which flourished among the Israelites for a time, or with the shadowy symbolical meaning in that earlier time, are now deprived of their significance, and have withered away. And now that nation, having lost the kingdom, the priesthood, and the sacrifices formerly established in Jerusalem, all which privileges were a shadow of things to come.”




4:8And it came to be at the same time the rising of the sun, and God commanded a hot wind to burn; and the sun struck down upon the head of Jonah. And he became discouraged, and lost hope for his soul, and said, “Better for me to die than live.”

Theodore, Commentary on Jonah 4:8 “Far from the heat being normal, by divine command it affected him with a very severe blast such that the prophet got a keener sense of what was happening and was even more distressed, well nigh expiring from the effect of the heat, the meaning of ‘he renounced his life’ (Sprenger 188.29-189.3; trans. Hill, 204).

Cyril, Commentary on Jonah 4:8 (Pusey 1.596.15-19). The heat is as a hot flame for the one who is already distressed. The intense heat causes Jonah to become even more melancholy and desire death.

Theodoret, Commentary on Jonah 4:8 “God commanded a wind burning with heat, and the sun beat down upon Jonah’s head.” Again the prophet returned to great mean spiritedness155 and distress, and was put in the position of preferring death over life.




4:9And God said to Jonah, “Are you grieved very much over the gourd?” And he said, “I am grieved very much, even to death.”

Theodoret, Commentary on Jonah 4:9 But again, the one who cares for sinners and shows consideration for the just, asked the prophet, whether he has grieved excessively for the gourd plant?

Theodore, Commentary on Jonah 4:9 “.....so desirable had God made the plant appear to him, and had caused greater grief to develop in him at the loss of the plant such as to establish by comparison the wrongness of his greater grief at the salvation of the city…”( Sprenger 189.12-16; trans. Hill, 205).

Jerome, Commentary on Jonah 4:9 'and the Lord God said to Jonah, are you so afflicted for a gourd? He replied, 'I am very afflicted even to the point of death'. When he was asked about the repentance of the inhabitants of Nineveh and the safety of the city of the gentiles, 'do you well to be angry?', the prophet replied nothing, yet justified God's question by his silence. For he knew that God is kind, merciful, patient, and full of pity[193], pardoning wickedness and he did not feel sad for the safety of the gentiles; but once the gourd, (Israel) had dried up, when he is asked, 'do you well to be angry for the gourd?', he replies with assurance, 'I do well to be angry and to suffer even unto death. I did not want to save one only to see the others perish, to gain foreigners only to lose my own'. And in truth up until this day Christ weeps for Jerusalem and he weeps until death; not his own death, but that of the Jews, so that they die refusing and rise up again confessing the Son of God.

St. Caesarius of Arles Sermon 142.2 “Do you imagine that the citizens then went out to the prophet and addressed to him words of sort? ‘Rejoice with us, O blessed prophet, because when miserable, through you we found the key of repentance. Exult, O doctor, because the one you took care of has been healed. You did not lie to us at all, believe it, for you brought us to life from the danger of death. Who would think you deceitful, since if you had not been believed surely no one would have done penance? Behold, pray for the little children who were saved by your preaching, and may your spirit console you, friend of God. May this day likewise be sacred to us, for on it we have begun to acknowledge your God. Now the angels rejoice in Heaven because of you, since through you men are saved on earth.”




4:10And the Lord said, “You indeed spared for the gourd, for which you suffered no hardship over it, nor made it grow; which it came up during night, and during night it perished. 4:11But shall I not spare for Nineveh, the great city, in which dwells in it more than a hundred and twenty-thousand people, who do not know their right from their left, and much cattle?”

Theodoret, Commentary on Jonah 4:10-And when he acknowledged that he felt this way, so as to prefer death over life on account of this, God says, “Let me put you in the position of judge. Now consider if it is right that you grieve for the gourd plant, over which you had not been a cultivator, (for neither did you grow it, nor did you water it, but it came into being at dawn. On the next day it became a victim of the worm and sun),158 but I treat so great a city without clemency, a city which took its existence from me, in which more than 120,000 people dwell, who do not know their right hand from their left, and many cattle.” Therefore, considering this, be amazed at the benevolence, how it is reasonable. Some have understood the phrase, “they did not know their right hand from their left,” {S 1476} with reference to their ignorance. But it seems to me that it hints at the multitude of young inhabitants. And, the subject matter159 of the things just said leads us to this thought. For if it were not necessary, it says, to receive the repentance of sinners, then at least it would have been necessary to take some pity on so many thousands, in whom the knowledge of right and left was not yet placed because of the youth of their age. And in addition to these youth, the city possesses an exceeding number of cattle, who themselves do not owe any penalty for their sins. So just as he adds “cattle,” for this reason he adds the “underaged,” since the penalty for sins cannot be exacted160 fairly from either the former or the latter. 158So this is the end of the prophecy. And let us sing hymns about our good Lord, who, not wishing death for the sinner so that he might turn and live,161 sometimes allows the holy men to suffer, and extends his mercy when they do not feel like it. So when Elijah withholds the rainy weather completely, God himself, just as some ambassador, a certain ambassador,162 approaches his servant saying, “Go and appear to Ahab, and I will give the rain upon the face of the earth” (1 Kgs 18:1). 163 Therefore, since we benefit from such great gentleness, let us display a character that befits good deeds, and let us conduct ourselves according to his divine laws, so that we might pluck the good and desirable fruits of these. By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father belongs glory, along with the Holy Spirit, now and forevermore. Amen.

Theodore, Commentary on Jonah 4: 10-11 “He mentions this, in fact, as a demonstration of the vast number of the city’s inhabitants: Where the number of infants was so large, how great was the number of adults?” He adds the phrase, ‘and many cattle’ since they should rightly be kept unharmed for those of the citizens who were being saved” (Sprenger 190.5-6; trans. Hill, 205)

Cyril, Commentary on Jonah 4:10-11 (Pusey 1.598.3-7). Instead of greeting such divine benevolence with anger such as Jonah, the Christian should join in songs of thanksgiving, praising God for his compassion and goodness. Therefore, God who is also just has compassion for the animals.

Jerome, Commentary on Jonah 4:10-11 'and the Lord said, 'you wanted to keep safe a gourd which has done you no wickedness, that you have not cared for, which was born in one night and died in one night. But should I not spare Nineveh the great city in which live over three thousand people who are unknowing of their right and their left, and an equal number of cattle?' It is too difficult to explain how according to tropology this is said to the Son of man: 'you worry for a gourd that has done you no harm, that you did not plant'[194], since all has been done by him and with him absent nothing has been done. This is why someone interpreting this passage and wanting to resolve the question which he asked himself, fell into blasphemy. For, if we look at the text of the Gospel, which says, "why do you call me good? Nothing is good except God himself."[195] He interprets the Father as good and places the Son one place lower, in a comparison with one who is perfectly and completely good. And he has not seen that this opinion made him fall into the heresy of Marcion, who proposes a God that is uniquely good, with another for judging and for creating, rather than the opinion of Arius who proposed a superior Father and an inferior Son yet admits the Son as creator. We must be indulgent therefore for that which we are about to say, and our attempts ought to be encouraged with good criticism and prayer, rather than declaimed by an argumentative audience. Criticism and declamation are easy for those who are most ignorant, but one must be learned and know the labours of workers to stretch out ones hand to those weaker or to show the way to those who are lost. Our Lord and Saviour did not work for Israel as for the people of the gentiles. In this instance Israel declares in faith, "Look these many years do I serve you, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, you have killed for him the fatted calf."[196] And in spite of all he is not reprimanded by the Father, but he says to him kindly, "Son, you art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." The fat calf has been slaughtered for the people of the gentiles, and its precious blood has been spread about, about which Paul to the Hebrews (9 and 10) explains in great detail. And David in the psalm says, "the brother does not redeem, man will redeem"[197]. Christ decided that this people would be great and he died so that they might live; he went down to the underworld so that this people might rise up to heaven. For Israel there is no comparable toil. This is why he is jealous of his young brother, seeing that after having spent his fortune on his prostitutes and pimps, he receives the ring and the robe and recovers his former dignity. The phrase 'which was born in one night' can be applied to the time just before the arrival of Christ, who was the light of the world[198], about which is said, "the night has passed, and the day is near"[199]. And this people died in one night when the sun of righteousness[200] set for them, and they lost the word of God. The city of Nineveh which is great and very beautiful, prefigures the Church in which there is a greater number of inhabitants than the ten tribes of Israel: this is what the rest of the twelve baskets in the desert represent[201]. "they do not know the difference between their right and their left", either on account of their innocence and their simplicity (to show first childhood and let it be known what the number of those is who have reached an older age, when the very young are so numerous), or even, (because the city was great, and "in a great house there are not only golden and silver objects but also some made of wood and pottery"[202]) because there was a great crowd that needed to repent and was ignorant of the difference between good and bad, between their right and left. And there is a great number of animals and of men who do not possess the faculty of reason and who can be compared to mad animals to whom they are similar.[203]

Ephrem, The Repentance of Nineveh 2. 114-119 “Thus also the Ninevites acted. While studying to satisfy their children, they proceeded in the middle of weeping, to speak in this manner to their beloved ones. God is good and gracious, and will not destroy the image he hath made” (trans. Burgess, 20-21).

John Chrysostom, Homily on 2 Corinthians, 2:5 “ For oftentimes also God is abashed by a multitude praying with one mind and mouth. Whence also he said to the prophet, ‘and shall I not spare this city wherein dwell more than six score thousand persons?’ Then lest then think he respecteth the multitude only, he saith, “though the number of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: (Is 10:22). How then saved He the Ninevites? Because in their case there was not only a multitude, but a multitude and virtue too. For each one turned from his evil way. And besides, when he saved them, he said that they discerned not only between their right hand and their left, whence it is plain that even before they sinned mor out of simpleness than of wickedness: It is plain too from their being converted, as they were, by hearing a few words.” Chrysostom, Homily on 2 Corinthians 2.5 (NPNF 1 12:280-281).

Ephrem Repentance of the Ninevites 9-10 Ninevites follow Jonah to his homeland Israel in order to witness his holy people. Jonah tries his best to discourage the Ninevites from joining him, but they still follow wholeheartedly. Once the band of people arrives in Israel, Jonah states that the uncircumcised cannot enter the land. They must observe the idolatry of Israel from a mountaintop as Jonah returns to his land. Ephrem notes the irony of the situation, that the circumcised children of Abrahm are committing more sins of idolatry and prostitution than the people of Nineveh ever did!

St. Justin Martyr Dialogue Against Trypho Chapter CVII God convicted Jonah of being unjustly displeased because the city of Nineveh had not been destroyed.”

St. Ambrose Letter XX 25And the Lord then said that if he (Jonah) grieved that the gourd was withered, how much more should He Himself Care for the salvation of so many people.”

St. Jerome Letter CVII.6 “‘who do not know their right from their left’ That is to say, they cannot yet distinguish good from evil.”