Jonah 4:3
New International Version
Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

New Living Translation
Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”

English Standard Version
Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Berean Standard Bible
And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

King James Bible
Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

New King James Version
Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

New American Standard Bible
So now, LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”

NASB 1995
“Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”

NASB 1977
“Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So now, O Yahweh, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”

Amplified Bible
Therefore now, O LORD, just take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Christian Standard Bible
And now, LORD, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And now, LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

American Standard Version
Therefore now, O Jehovah, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Contemporary English Version
Now let me die! I'd be better off dead.

English Revised Version
Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So now, LORD, take my life. I'd rather be dead than alive."

Good News Translation
Now then, LORD, let me die. I am better off dead than alive."

International Standard Version
Therefore, LORD, please kill me, because it's better for me to die than to live!"

Majority Standard Bible
And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.?

NET Bible
So now, LORD, kill me instead, because I would rather die than live!"

New Heart English Bible
Therefore now, LORD, take, I beg you, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live."

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

World English Bible
Therefore now, Yahweh, take, I beg you, my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And now, O YHWH, please take my soul from me, for better [is] my death than my life.”

Young's Literal Translation
And now, O Jehovah, take, I pray Thee, my soul from me, for better is my death than my life.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And now, O Jehovah, take now my soul from me, for it is good for me to die rather than for me to live.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And now, O Lord, I beseech thee take my life from me: for it is better for me to die than to live.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And now, Lord, I ask you to take my life from me. For it is better for me to die than to live.”

New American Bible
So now, LORD, please take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”

New Revised Standard Version
And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Therefore now, O my LORD, take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Therefore, my Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech Thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And now, Lord God, take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jonah's Anger at the LORD's Compassion
2So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster. 3And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”…

Cross References
1 Kings 19:4
while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Job 3:20-22
Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul, / who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure, / who rejoice and greatly exult when they reach the grave?

Jeremiah 20:14-18
Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me never be blessed. / Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, “A son is born to you,” bringing him great joy. / May that man be like the cities that the LORD overthrew without compassion. May he hear an outcry in the morning and a battle cry at noon, ...

Numbers 11:14-15
I cannot carry all these people by myself; it is too burdensome for me. / If this is how You are going to treat me, please kill me right now—if I have found favor in Your eyes—and let me not see my own wretchedness.”

Philippians 1:21-24
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. / But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know. / I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed. ...

2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Job 7:15-16
so that I would prefer strangling and death over my life in this body. / I loathe my life! I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

Matthew 26:38-39
Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.” / Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

2 Kings 20:1-3
In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” / Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, / “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Psalm 42:5-6
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence. / O my God, my soul despairs within me. Therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon—even from Mount Mizar.

Psalm 88:3-5
For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. / I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength. / I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.

Romans 14:7-8
For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. / If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

1 Samuel 1:10-11
In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. / And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

Psalm 31:9-10
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well. / For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.

Isaiah 38:1-3
In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” / Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, / saying, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.


Treasury of Scripture

Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech you, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

take.

Numbers 11:15
And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

Numbers 20:3
And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!

1 Kings 19:4
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

for.

Jonah 4:8
And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

Job 7:15,16
So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life…

Ecclesiastes 7:1
A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

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Jonah 4
1. Jonah repining at God's mercy,
4. is reproved by the type of a withering vine.














And now, O LORD
This phrase marks a transition in Jonah's prayer, indicating a shift from his previous actions and thoughts. The Hebrew word for "LORD" here is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, emphasizing a personal relationship. Jonah is addressing God directly, acknowledging His sovereignty and authority. This invocation reflects Jonah's understanding of God's power and his own position as a servant, even in his distress.

please take my life from me
Jonah's request is a plea for divine intervention in the most personal way. The Hebrew word for "take" is "laqach," which can mean to take, receive, or seize. Jonah is expressing a deep despair, asking God to end his life. This reflects a moment of intense emotional turmoil, where Jonah feels overwhelmed by the situation. Historically, prophets often faced moments of despair, but Jonah's request is unique in its directness and intensity.

for it is better for me to die than to live
This phrase reveals Jonah's inner conflict and his struggle with God's mercy towards Nineveh. The Hebrew word for "better" is "tov," which can also mean good or pleasing. Jonah's perspective is skewed by his anger and disappointment, leading him to believe that death is preferable to witnessing God's compassion towards his enemies. This highlights a common human struggle with understanding God's ways, especially when they conflict with personal desires or prejudices. Jonah's statement serves as a reminder of the importance of aligning one's heart with God's will, even when it challenges personal biases or expectations.

(3) Take, I beseech thee.--We naturally refer to the history of Elijah for a similar weariness and disgust of life. (Comp. also the case of Moses, Numbers 11:15). It should be noticed, as a contrast of Hebrew with heathen feeling, that none of these men in their loathing of life contemplated the possibility of suicide.

Verse 3. - Take... my life from me (comp. ver. 8). Jonah throughout represents himself as petty, hasty, and self-willed, prone to exaggerate matters, and easily reduced to despair. Here, because his word is not fulfilled, he wishes to die, though he will not take his own life. In a different spirit Moses (Exodus 32:32) is ready to die for his people's sake, and Elijah asked for death because his zeal for God had apparently wrought no effect (1 Kings 19:4).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And now,
וְעַתָּ֣ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

O LORD,
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

please
נָ֥א (nā)
Interjection
Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

take
קַח־ (qaḥ-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

my life
נַפְשִׁ֖י (nap̄·šî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

from me,
מִמֶּ֑נִּי (mim·men·nî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

for
כִּ֛י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

it is better
ט֥וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

for me to die
מוֹתִ֖י (mō·w·ṯî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin

than to live.”
מֵחַיָּֽי׃ (mê·ḥay·yāy)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life


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OT Prophets: Jonah 4:3 Therefore now Yahweh take I beg you (Jon. Jh)
Jonah 4:2
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