4:8a

appointed: This is the final use of this Hebrew verb minneh in Jonah. See the notes on 1:17a, 4:6a, 4:7a.

scorching: This a difficult word to understand in Hebrew, but most translations have something like “burning” or “hot,” which makes good sense in the context.

4:8b

the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint: Without the shelter of the plant, Jonah had little protection from the sun. So both the burning sun and the hot wind were causing him severe discomfort.

the sun beat down on Jonah’s head: Many languages have an idiom to describe the burning action of the sun on someone’s head. If you have such an expression in your language, you could use it here.

he grew faint: This expression may convey the idea of suffering sunstroke.

4:8c

wished to die, saying: Again Jonah expressed a wish to die. In 4:3, his reason was his distress and anger because the LORD had spared the people of Nineveh rather then destroying them as he had threatened. Now, he was also experiencing physical discomfort from the sun.

4:8d

It is better for me to die than to live: Notice that Jonah used the same words here as in 4:3b.

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