Tree God Provided for Jonah's Rest
The tree God provided for Jonah's rest is described in Jonah 4:6 as a "Qiqayon" that grew up over Jonah to give him shade [1]. The exact identity of this plant has been debated among scholars and interpreters. The Septuagint translates "Qiqayon" as "gourd" (Greek: κόλοκυνθις, kolokynthis), which was followed by Luther's translation [3].
Biblical Context
The narrative of Jonah 4:6 is part of a larger story where Jonah, after preaching to the people of Nineveh and seeing them repent, becomes displeased that God did not destroy the city as he had expected. Jonah's discomfort and anger lead him to sit outside the city, where God provides the Qiqayon to shade him from the sun [1]. The provision of this plant is a divine act of care for Jonah, similar to other instances in the biblical narrative where God provides shade or shelter for his servants, such as the broom tree under which Elijah sat (1 Kings 19:4) [4].
Interpretations of the Qiqayon
The identity of the Qiqayon has been interpreted in various ways. Jerome, as cited by Keil & Delitzsch, describes it as a shrub called Elkeroa in Syriac, common in Palestine, which grows quickly and provides a pleasant shadow [3]. This description aligns with the narrative's emphasis on the plant's rapid growth and its provision of shade for Jonah.
Targum Jonathan, a Jewish Rabbinic source, refers to the Qiqayon as a "gourd" [5], similar to the Septuagint's translation. However, the exact botanical identity remains uncertain. The focus of the narrative is not on the specific type of plant but on God's providential care for Jonah and the lesson that follows from Jonah's reaction to the plant's subsequent withering.
Theological Significance
The story of the Qiqayon is often seen as a teaching moment for Jonah, and by extension, for the reader. It highlights God's mercy not just towards Jonah but also towards the people of Nineveh. As Jamieson, Fausset & Brown note, if Jonah could feel such compassion for a plant that cost him no labor, how much more should God pity the people of Nineveh, who are created in His image and have repented [6].
The narrative underscores the theme of God's universal care and mercy, extending beyond Israel to other nations. It also serves as a critique of Jonah's narrow nationalism and lack of compassion for others. The provision of the Qiqayon and its subsequent withering serves to teach Jonah (and the reader) about the nature of God's care and the importance of compassion.
Historical and Cultural Context
The story is set against the backdrop of ancient Near Eastern culture and Israelite prophetic tradition. The use of plants or trees to provide shade or shelter is not unique to this narrative. Abraham's planting of a grove in Beersheba (Genesis 21:30-33) is another example where a tree or grove serves a symbolic or practical purpose, possibly for shade, hospitality, or worship [2].
Conclusion
The tree God provided for Jonah's rest, the Qiqayon, remains a subject of interpretation regarding its botanical identity. However, its significance within the narrative is clear: it serves as a symbol of God's providential care for Jonah and as a teaching tool to convey the importance of compassion and the universal scope of God's mercy. The story continues to be relevant in discussions about God's character and the responsibilities of those who serve Him.
Sources
- Jonah “Jonah 4:6 (LITV) — And Jehovah God appointed a plant, and it came up over Jonah to be shade over his head, in order to deliver him from his misery. And Jonah rejoiced over the plant with great joy.”
- Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 21:30: And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba,.... The Jewish writers (w) are divided about the use of this grove, as Jarchi relates; one says it was for a paradise or orchard, to produce fruits out of it for travellers and for entertainment; another says it was for an inn to entertain strangers in; it rather was for a shade, to shelter from the sun in those sultry and hot countries; and perhaps for a religious use, and to be an oratory, as the following words seem to suggest: in the midst of it very likely Abraham built an altar, and sacrificed to the Lord; hence might ”
- Jonah (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Jonah 4:6: Jehovah-God appointed a Qiqayon, which grew up over Jonah, to give him shade over his head, "to deliver him from his evil." The Qiqayon, which Luther renders gourd (Krbiss) after the lxx, but describes in his commentary on the book of Jonah as the vitis alba, is, according to Jerome, the shrub called Elkeroa in Syriac, a very common shrub in Palestine, which grows in sandy places, having broad leaves that throw a pleasant shadow, and which shoots up to a considerable height in a very few days. (Note: Jerome describes it thus: "A kind of bush or shrub, having broa”
- 1 Kings (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Kings 19:4: 19:4 Though technically a shrub, the broom tree can reach a height of ten feet. Its leaves are small, but it provides adequate shade for a weary traveler in the wilderness. Like Jonah (Jon 4:3), Elijah had successfully carried out his commission, but he felt a sense of defeat with the results. • no better: God’s refugee prophet felt that he had accomplished little and would be better off dead.”
- Targum Jonathan (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Targum Jonathan, Targum Jonathan on Jonah 4:6: And the LORD God invited a gourd, and it grew up over Jonah to be shade over his head, to shelter him from its evil, and Jonah rejoiced with much rejoicing over the gourd.”
- Jonah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Jonah 4:10: The main lesson of the book. If Jonah so pities a plant which cost him no toil to rear, and which is so short lived and valueless, much more must Jehovah pity those hundreds of thousands of immortal men and women in great Nineveh whom He has made with such a display of creative power, especially when many of them repent, and seeing that, if all in it were destroyed, "more than six score thousand" of unoffending children, besides "much cattle," would be involved in the common destruction: Compare the same argument drawn from God's justice and mercy in . ”