Jonah 1:1-3. Jonah's Disobedience 1. _Now the word_, &c. Lit., "And the word," &c. There is no reason to conclude from this that the Book of Jonah is only a fragment of a larger work. Many books of the Old Testament begin with "And." In some cases (e. g. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, 2 Samuel) they do... [ Continue Reading ]
_Nineveh_ On the E. bank of the Tigris, the capital of the ancient kingdom and empire of Assyria, and "the most magnificent of all the capitals of the ancient world." The building of it is mentioned as early as Genesis 10:11. In the time of Jonah it appears to have been at the zenith of its glory.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Tarshish_ Probably Tartessus, an ancient mercantile city of the Phœnicians, in the S. of Spain, of which the site is supposed to have been "between the two arms by which the Guadalquivir flowed into the sea." See Smith's _Bib. Dict._Art. _Tarshish_. "God bid him go to Nineveh, which lay North-East... [ Continue Reading ]
_sent out_ Lit., as in margin, CAST FORTH, indicating the suddenness and violence of the storm. The same word occurs and is rendered "cast forth" in A.V. in Jonah 1:5_; Jonah 1:12; Jonah 1:15_. Josephus speaks of a violent wind called "the black North wind," which he says sometimes visited the sea... [ Continue Reading ]
Jonah's Punishment. The Storm and its consequences No sooner does Jonah decide upon his course of action and think himself now secure of its accomplishment, than God arrests him by the judgment of the storm.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the mariners_ The Hebrew word is formed from the word for _salt_, and denotes those occupied with the salt sea. So we sometimes speak of a sailor as a "salt." See note on next verse, and for the whole description of their terror and their prayer comp. Psalms 107:23-30; Matthew 8:23-27. _every man... [ Continue Reading ]
The conduct of the heathen mariners stands in striking and favourable contrast with that of the Jewish prophet. They call upon their gods and use every effort to save the ship. He, moody, miserable, and weary with mental conflict and bodily fatigue, is sunk in deep sleep, and has to be roused to con... [ Continue Reading ]
_the shipmaster_ Lit., THE CHIEF OF THE SAILORS, i. e. the captain. The word here for _sailors_(which is singular and used collectively) is not the same word as that rendered _mariners_in Jonah 1:5. It is formed from the Hebrew word for a rope, and means properly those who handle the ropes. Both wor... [ Continue Reading ]
Finding their prayers as unavailing as their efforts, the sailors conclude that the storm is sent upon them by the gods as a judgment for some crime committed by one of their number; and they proceed to cast lots to discover who the culprit is. Instances of a similar belief on the part of the heathe... [ Continue Reading ]
_for whose cause_ The lot has detected Jonah, but they will not condemn him unheard. They will give him an opportunity of clearing himself, or like Achan (Joshua 7:19), of making confession with his own lips. The judicial fairness and calmness of these heathen men, their abstinence from anger and re... [ Continue Reading ]
The emergency recalls Jonah to his true self. All the better part of his character now comes out. His conduct throughout the remainder of the chapter is dignified and manly, worthy of a servant and prophet of Jehovah. _a Hebrew_ This is the name by which the Jews were known to _foreigners_(comp. th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Why hast thou done this_?] Rather, WHAT IS THIS THAT THOU HAST DONE? A question not of enquiry, but of amazement and reproach. Comp. Genesis 4:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
_What shall we do unto thee_ No doubt in their thus appealing to Jonah to tell them what was to be done, instead of at once ridding themselves of him as the acknowledged cause of their calamity, we may recognise their reverence for Jehovah, and in a measure also for His servant. At the same time it... [ Continue Reading ]
_cast me forth into the sea_ "The question is raised whether Jonah ought of his own accord to have offered himself to death; for his doing so seems to be a sign of despair. He might, indeed, have surrendered himself to their will, but here he, as it were, incites them to the deed. _Cast me into the... [ Continue Reading ]
_rowed hard_ Lit., DIGGED. The word is used for digging or breaking through a wall, Job 24:16; Ezekiel 12:5; Ezekiel 12:7. The figurative use of it does not occur again in the O.T., where, as has been before observed, the references to maritime affairs are very few, but the figure itself is common i... [ Continue Reading ]
_for this man's life_ i. e. for having taken it away. Lit., IN the life of this man, according to a well-known use of this Heb. preposition in the sense of -in the place of," -in exchange for." So Genesis 29:18, "I will serve thee for (lit. -in," in exchange for) Rachel;" and Deuteronomy 19:21, "lif... [ Continue Reading ]
The openness of these heathens to religious impressions; the readiness with which they acknowledged Jehovah (hitherto to them an unknown God), and addressed no longer to their own gods (Jonah 1:5), but to Him their most earnest and humble prayers; their submission to His will (Jonah 1:14), and the w... [ Continue Reading ]
_they took up_ With respect and reluctance, with no struggle on his part, or violence on theirs. _her raging_ Lit., HER ANGER. "Maris ira," Ovid. _Met._I. 330, "iratum mare," Hor. _Epod._II. 5, 6, are quoted by the commentators.... [ Continue Reading ]
_feared the Lord exceedingly_ They had feared exceedingly before (Jonah 1:10, where the Heb. expression is the same as here), but their fear then was vague and indefinite, now it recognised as its object Jehovah, the God of Jonah. _offered a sacrifice_ It would certainly seem to be implied, that im... [ Continue Reading ]
_had prepared_ Rather: ASSIGNED, or APPOINTED. (LXX. προσέταξε.) The same word and tense are used of the gourd, the worm, and the East wind, ch. Jonah 4:6-8. They do not necessarily imply any previous or special _preparation_, much less the _creation_of these various agents for the purpose to which... [ Continue Reading ]