Jonah 4:5
“So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jonah leaves the city, builds a shelter on its east side, and sits down to see what will happen to Nineveh.
What Does Jonah 4:5 Mean?
Without answering God's question, Jonah leaves the city and sits down on its east side. He builds himself a booth, a rough shelter of branches, and sits in its shade to watch and see what will become of Nineveh. He still seems to hope, against the evidence, that judgment may yet fall. So he settles in as a spectator, waiting to see the city's fate from a safe distance.
There is something poignant in this picture of the prophet perched outside the city he resents, hoping for its ruin. He has delivered God's word and witnessed a great repentance, yet his heart remains unmoved, fixed on his own sense of what should happen. We can do God's work and still sit at a sullen distance from God's heart. The booth gives Jonah shade for a while, but God is preparing a deeper lesson. The Lord will not leave His prophet sitting in his bitterness, but meets him even there.