“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?”
My Notes
What Does Jonah 4:11 Mean?
The book of Jonah ends not with a conclusion but with a question — God's question to Jonah, left hanging in the air: "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?" The "sixscore thousand" (120,000) likely refers to young children, those too small to know right from left, making Nineveh's total population far larger.
God's argument is breathtaking in its simplicity: you grieved over a plant you didn't create and couldn't sustain. Shouldn't I grieve over — and therefore spare — a city full of people I made? The mention of "much cattle" at the end isn't random; it underscores God's comprehensive care for his creation, down to the animals. This question challenges every assumption Jonah (and the reader) holds about who deserves mercy.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Who are the 'Ninevites' in your life — people you'd rather see judged than saved?
- 2.Why do you think God ends the book with a question instead of giving Jonah (and us) a neat conclusion?
- 3.How do you reconcile wanting justice for others with wanting mercy for yourself?
- 4.What does the mention of 'much cattle' reveal about the scope of God's compassion?
Devotional
The book of Jonah doesn't end with a resolution. It ends with a question. And that question is aimed directly at you.
God essentially asks: you cared about your comfort (the plant that gave you shade). Shouldn't I care about 120,000 children who don't even know right from wrong yet? The comparison is devastating. Jonah's compassion extended to a vine that made his life easier. God's compassion extends to an entire city of people Jonah wished would burn.
This is the question that every person who's ever wanted someone to "get what they deserve" has to sit with. And honestly? Most of us are more like Jonah than we'd admit. We want mercy for ourselves and justice for everyone else. We want God to be compassionate toward us and ruthless toward the people we've decided aren't worth saving.
The book ends without telling us Jonah's answer. Maybe because the answer isn't Jonah's to give anymore. It's yours. God is asking you the same question today: can you let me love the people you don't think deserve it?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city?.... See Jon 1:2; what is such a gourd or plant to that?
wherein are…
Should I not spare? - literally “have pity” and so “spare.” God waives for the time the fact of the repentance of…
And should not I spare Nineveh - In Jon 4:10 it is said, thou hast had pity on the gourd, אתה חסת attah Chasta; and here…
that cannot discern &c. The idea that the whole population of Nineveh is thus described, the reference being to their…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture