Free group study handout
Jonah 4: Group Study Handout
How to use: read Jonah 4 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.
Overview
Jonah's anger at God's mercy is central in this chapter. He expresses his displeasure after Nineveh repents and is spared (vv. 1-3).
Key verse
“Yahweh said, “You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night.”
Jonah 4:10 (WEB)
Outline
- Jonah 4:1–3 Jonah's Anger at God's Mercy
- Jonah 4:4–5 God Questions Jonah's Anger
- Jonah 4:6–8 The Vine and Jonah's Joy
- Jonah 4:9–10 God Challenges Jonah's Perspective
- Jonah 4:11 A Lesson on Compassion
Discussion questions
- In v1, what is Jonah's emotional response to God's decision regarding Nineveh?
- In v6, what does God provide Jonah to offer him shade?
- Jonah's anger in v2: how does it connect to his understanding of God's character?
- In vv. 10-11, what contrasts does God draw between Jonah's concern for the vine and His concern for Nineveh?
- When has a personal loss, like the vine's, led you to feel anger towards others or situations?
Go deeper
Passages that echo Jonah 4: Exodus 34, Psalm 86, Psalm 145.
Before next time: read Micah 1.