Jonah1
English Standard Version
1Now the of the Lord came to the of , ,
2 , to , that , and out it, their has me.
3But to to from the of the Lord. He went to and a to . So he the and went , to with them to , away from the of the Lord.
4But the Lord a the , and there was a on the , so that the to up.
5Then the were , and out to his . And they the that was into the to it for them. But had gone into the of the and had lain and was .
6So the and to him, do you mean, you ? , out to your ! the will give a to us, that we may not .
7And they , , let us , that we may on whose this has come upon us. So they , and the on .
8Then they him, us on this has come upon us. is your ? And do you from? is your ? And of are ?
9And he to them, I am a , and I the Lord, the of , who the and the land.
10Then the were and to him, is that you have ! the that he from the of the Lord, he had them.
11Then they to him, What shall we to you, that the may quiet us? For the grew and more .
12He , me up and me into the ; then the will for you, I it of me that has come you.
13Nevertheless, the rowed to get to land, but they , the more and more them.
14Therefore they out to the Lord, O Lord, us for this , and on us , , O Lord, have as it you.
15So they up and him into the , and the from its .
16Then the the Lord , and they a to the Lord and .
17And the Lord a to . And was in the of the and .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Jonah 1.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Jonah, sent to Nineveh, flees to Tarshish. (1–3). He is stayed by a tempest. (4–7). His discourse with the mariners. (8–12). He is cast into the sea, and miraculously preserved. (13–17).
vv1-3
It is sad to think how much sin is committed in great cities. Their wickedness, as that of Nineveh, is a bold and open affront to God. Jonah must go at once to Nineveh, and there, on the spot, cry against the wickedness of it. Jonah would not go. Probably there are few among us who would not have tried to decline such a mission. Providence seemed to give him an opportunity to escape; we may be out of the way of duty, and yet may meet with a favourable gale. The ready way is not always the right way. See what the best of men are, when God leaves them to themselves; and what need we have, when the word of the Lord comes to us, to have the Spirit of the Lord to bring every thought within us into obedience.
vv4-7
God sent a pursuer after Jonah, even a mighty tempest. Sin brings storms and tempests into the soul, into the family, into churches and nations; it is a disquieting, disturbing thing. Having called upon their gods for help, the sailors did what they could to help themselves. Oh that men would be thus wise for their souls, and would be willing to part with that wealth, pleasure, and honour, which they cannot keep without making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, and ruining their souls for ever! Jonah was fast asleep. Sin is stupifying, and we are to take heed lest at any time our hearts are hardened by the deceitfulness of it. What do men mean by sleeping on in sin, when the word of God and the convictions of their own consciences, warn them to arise and call on the Lord, if they would escape everlasting misery? Should not we warn each other to awake, to arise, to call upon our God, if so be he will deliver us? The sailors concluded the storm was a messenger of Divine justice sent to some one in that ship. Whatever evil is upon us at any time, there is a cause for it; and each must pray, Lord, show me wherefore thou contendest with me. The lot fell upon Jonah. God has many ways of bringing to light hidden sins and sinners, and making manifest that folly which was thought to be hid from the eyes of all living.
vv8-12
Jonah gave an account of his religion, for that was his business. We may hope that he told with sorrow and shame, justifying God, condemning himself, and explaining to the mariners what a great God Jehovah is. They said to him, Why hast thou done this? If thou fearest the God that made the sea and the dry land, why wast thou such a fool as to think thou couldst flee from his presence? If the professors of religion do wrong, they will hear it from those who make no such profession. When sin has raised a storm, and laid us under the tokens of God's displeasure, we must consider what is to be done to the sin that raised the storm. Jonah uses the language of true penitents, who desire that none but themselves may fare the worse for their sins and follies. Jonah sees this to be the punishment of his iniquity, he accepts it, and justifies God in it. When conscience is awakened, and a storm raised, nothing will turn it into a calm but parting with the sin that caused the disturbance. Parting with our money will not pacify the conscience, the Jonah must be thrown overboard.
Key Words
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
יוֹנָה: Jonah, an Israelite
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
אֲמִתַּי: Amittai, an Israelite
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
קוּם: to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)
יָלַךְ: to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)
נִינְוֵה: Nineveh, the capital of Assyria
גָּדוֹל: great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent
עִיר: a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)
Cross References
Jonah 1Jesus explicitly names Jonah's three days in the whale as a type of His resurrection.
Supported by Matthew Henry, John Calvin
Classic passage demonstrating the absolute impossibility of fleeing from the presence of the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Joshua's interrogation of Achan mirrors the sailors' urgent questioning to discover the specific offender.
Supported by JFB
Identifies Jonah, son of Amittai, as an established historical prophet of Gath-hepher in Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Traces the ancient origins of Nineveh, the great Assyrian city, built by Nimrod.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Confirms the sovereign oversight of the Lord over the casting of lots.
Supported by JFB
Parallel language of wickedness rising up before God, requiring His divine inspection and judgment.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jonah's own explanation for his flight: he feared God's mercy would spare Nineveh.
Supported by JFB
Lyrical description of sailors encountering a God-sent tempest and crying out in distress.
Supported by JFB
New Testament example where godly men cast lots to discern the Lord's chosen direction.
Supported by JFB
Establishes Joppa (Jaffa) as a historic, operational seaport serving Israel since Solomon's time.
Supported by JFB
Similar nautical emergency where cargo is cast overboard to lighten and save the ship.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Spiritual equivalent of the master's call to awake from dangerous, carnal sleep.
Supported by JFB
Verbal echo of the sailors' confession that the Lord does whatever pleases Him.
Supported by Matthew Henry