Jonah 4:6

“And the Lord God prepared a gourd, etc.] So the Septuagint render the word; but some say that a worm will not touch that; Jerom renders it an ivy; but neither the gourd nor that rise upwards without some props to support them. The Hebrew word is “kikaion”, the same with the “kiki”, or “cici”, of Herodotusf75, Dioscoridesf76, Strabof77, and Plinyf78; a plant frequent in Egypt, of which the Egyptians made an oil; hence the Talmudistsf79 make mention of the oil of “kik”, which Reshlakish says is the “kikaion” of Jonah; and which is the same that the Arabians call “alcheroa” or “alcherva”, according to Samuel ben Hophnif80, Maimonidesf81, Bartenoraf82, and Jeromf83; and which is well known to be…”

“gourd--Hebrew, kikaion; the Egyptian kiki, the "ricinus" or castor-oil plant, commonly called "palm-christ" (palma-christi). It grows from eight to ten feet high. Only one leaf grows on a branch, but that leaf being often more than a foot large, the collective leaves give good shelter from the heat. It grows rapidly, and fades as suddenly when injured. to deliver him from his grief--It was therefore grief, not selfish anger, which Jonah felt (see on ). Some external comforts will often turn the mind away from its sorrowful bent.”

“And the Lord God prepared a gourd - , (a palm-christ, English margin, rightly.) . “God again commanded the gourd, as he did the whale, willing only that this should be. Forthwith it springs up beautiful and full of flower, and straightway was a roof to the whole booth, and anoints him so to speak with joy, with its deep shade. The prophet rejoices at it exceedingly, as being a great and thankworthy thing. See now herein too the simplicity of his mind. For he was grieved exceedingly, because what he had prophesied came not to pass; he rejoiced exceedingly for a plant. A blameless mind is lightly moved to gladness or sorrow. You will see this in children. For as people who are not strong,…”

“Prepared - Commanded that in the place where Jonah's booth stood, this spreading plant should spring up to be a shade when the gathered boughs were withered. To deliver - To give some ease to his mind. Jonah 4:7”

“4:6 The Lord is God’s covenant name in relation to Israel (see, e.g., Ps 72:18). God did these things to show his covenant love toward Jonah and to those in Israel who had the same attitude. • arranged for: see study note on Jon 1:17.”

“the Lord: Jon 1:17; Psa 103:10-14 gourd: or, palmcrist, Heb. Kikajon, קיקיון \[Strong's H7021\], probably the palma Christi, called kiki or kouki by the Egyptians, and Elkherod by the Arabs, from which caster oil is extracted. It is as large as the olive tree, has leaves like those of a vine, sometimes as broad as the brim of a hat, and is of very quick growth. So: Est 5:9; Pro 23:5; Isa 39:2; Amo 6:13; Luk 10:20; Co1 7:30 was exceeding glad: Heb. rejoiced with great joy Jonah 4:7”

“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 broad leaves like vine leaves, casting a very dense shadow, and sustaining itself by its trunk, which grows very abundantly in…”