Jonah 1:4-9
Amplified Bible
4 But the Lord hurled a great wind toward the sea, and there was a violent tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.(A) 5 Then the sailors were afraid, and each man cried out to his god; and to lighten the ship [and diminish the danger] they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship and had lain down and was sound asleep. 6 So the captain came up to him and said, “How can you stay asleep? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps your god will give a thought to us so that we will not perish.”
7 And they said to another, “Come, [a]let us cast lots, so we may learn who is to blame for this disaster.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Now tell us! [b]Who is to blame for this disaster? What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country?” 9 So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I [reverently] fear and worship the Lord, the God of heaven, [c]who made the sea and the dry land.”
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- Jonah 1:7 To these sailors, who undoubtedly believed in their own pagan gods, the casting of lots was a way to allow the gods to express themselves since only they could control how a lot fell. In this case, it is possible that God intervened to identify Jonah as the guilty party.
- Jonah 1:8 The questions asked indicate that the sailors were afraid of Jonah even before he confessed his worship of the Lord (v 9). The lot had already confirmed that he was responsible, but instead of acting on that they gave him the option of blaming someone else. The other questions are typical of what one would ask any stranger.
- Jonah 1:9 This was an important addition to Jonah’s description of God, because most people who believed in pagan gods had different deities for different regions of the created world, and often they also worshiped deities of their own localities. Jonah was affirming that there is only one true God.
Jonah 1:4-9
New American Standard Bible
4 However, the (A)Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea, so that the ship was about to [a]break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried out to (B)his [b]god, and they (C)hurled the [c]cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it [d]for them. But Jonah had gone below into the stern of the ship, had lain down, and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, (D)call on your god! Perhaps your (E)god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”
7 And each man said to his mate, “Come, let’s (F)cast lots so that we may [e]find out on whose account this catastrophe has struck us.” So they cast lots, and the (G)lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “(H)Tell us, now! On whose account has this catastrophe struck us? What is your (I)occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and from what people are you?” 9 So he said to them, “I am a (J)Hebrew, and I (K)fear the Lord (L)God of heaven who (M)made the sea and the dry land.”
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