At the climax of his emotional struggle, Jonah finally reveals the deep motives that drove him to run away from his mission. Addressing God directly, he pours out the prophetic, national, and spiritual conflicts that originally pushed him to flee to Tarshish. Although he begins this prayer with a plea [רד״ק, שטיינזלץ], his actual request to die is delayed until his next breath [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. He starts by reminding God that the current outcome is exactly what he anticipated. These were his very thoughts and the arguments he made to himself [רד״ק, מצודת דוד] while he was still in his homeland, the land of Israel [רד״ק, מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. Driven by these concerns, he acted quickly to escape [מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ], hoping to get away before God could approach him with the prophecy a second time [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].
The underlying reasons for his flight stem from a complex mix of personal, national, and theological fears. From a personal standpoint, Jonah worried about his reputation and standing as a prophet. He knew that if the people of Nineveh repented and God spared their city, the people would brand him a liar [רש״י]. Beyond his own honor, Jonah carried a heavy burden of concern for the nation of Israel. He feared that a spared and surviving Nineveh would eventually become a direct threat to his people. Additionally, the rapid repentance of a foreign nation would create a harsh contrast with the stubbornness of the Israelites, who often ignored moral correction. This stark comparison could provoke God to direct His anger toward His own nation [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].
On a deeper spiritual level, Jonah struggled with the way God applies His absolute mercy. He might not have refused the mission if he believed the people of Nineveh would undergo a complete and genuine transformation. However, he knew that God would act purely out of mercy and immediately cancel the decree of destruction, even if the people failed to abandon their primary sin of idol worship. Jonah fled because he could not bear to participate in a mission where divine judgment is dismissed so easily, without the requirement of proper and thorough repentance [מלבי״ם]. Concluding his argument, Jonah lists God's merciful traits, ending with the bitter acknowledgment that God is always ready to relent and cancel a planned disaster [שטיינזלץ].