The answer is: He sat down on the East of the city

Jonah 4:5 - A place where he probably had a good view of the city.

When Jonah sat down on the eastern side of Nineveh, he was in for quite a spectacle. Here he was, the famed prophet, watching what he presumed would be the city's imminent destruction after he had delivered God's message of judgment. Instead, he got more than he likely bargain-pitted for— he found a front-row seat not just to Nineveh, but also to his own turmoil and complaints.

Interestingly, Jonah didn’t just play the role of a spectator; he acted in a way that reflects a lot of our own struggles with grace and forgiveness. His perch was like a personal corner regard— ready to gloat at fire and brimstone— but instead, found himself under a dying flower, more distressed than he anticipated.

And here’s a fun tidbit: the city of Nineveh was a mega city back then, surviving both archaeological holes in recent history. Famed for its wickedness, it found it's a bit ironic that Jonah ended up disappointed when God showed it mercy instead of smashing it to smithereens. This turned the entire book into something unexpected; rather than focusing on Jonah’s mission, it brought light to his hesitation to accept God’s compassionate grace.

The view from that hillside symbolizes our human tendency to want to dictate outcomes based on our biases and expectations. God surprises us with grace, ironically turning the tables on stubborn prophets like Jonah, with lessons on some serious human emotions— envy, disappointment, but also hope!