_Now the word of the Lord_ An impulse or revelation from the Lord, significative of his will; _came unto Jonah, the son of Amittai_ Of whom see 2 Kings 14:25. It is probable he had been before acquainted with _the word of the Lord_, and knew his voice from that of a stranger. _Arise, go to Nineveh,... [ Continue Reading ]
_But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish_ It is not to be wondered at that Jonah should be averse to undertake this mission. He probably considered it as a dangerous one, and might be tempted to think it would be unprofitable, and answer no valuable end. The journey was long, and the perils and hard... [ Continue Reading ]
_But the Lord sent out a great wind_ The extraordinary greatness of it, with the suddenness of its rising, and the terrible effects it was likely to produce, showed that it was supernatural, and came from God, displeased with all, or with some one in the ship. _Then the mariners were afraid_ As they... [ Continue Reading ]
_So the ship-master_ Who had the conduct of the vessel, and from whose mouth such a reproof was seasonable; _came and said to him, What meanest thou, O sleeper?_ A just and necessary reproof this. We cannot but pity Jonah, who needed it: as a prophet of the Lord, if he had been in his place, he migh... [ Continue Reading ]
_Come, and let us cast lots_ “The sailors betake themselves to this practice, because they see that there is something supernatural in the tempest: whence they conclude that it arose on account of some wicked person who sailed with them. Thus the sailors who carried Diagoras in their vessel, conclud... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he said, I am a Hebrew_ One descended from Heber, whose offspring by Abraham are well known. _And I fear the Lord_ Or rather JEHOVAH, _the God of heaven_, Jehovah being the peculiar name of the true God, by which he was distinguished from those who had the name of gods and lords among the heath... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said they, What shall we do unto thee_, &c. They perceived that Jonah was a prophet of the Lord, and therefore they would not do any thing to him without consulting him. He appeared to be a delinquent, but he appeared also to be a penitent: and therefore they would not insult over him, or offe... [ Continue Reading ]
_Nevertheless, the men rowed hard_, &c. Whoever these mariners were, they are to be admired for their generosity; for though Jonah had told them that he was the cause of the tempest, and had advised them to cast him into the sea, yet they were very unwilling to do it, and generously redoubled their... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly_ They were convinced of the power and greatness of that God whom Jonah worshipped: which appeared both in raising this storm, and in so suddenly laying it. _And offered sacrifice unto the Lord_ Or JEHOVAH; _and made vows_ As it is not probable that they offe... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now the Lord prepared a great fish_, &c. We have but an imperfect acquaintance with the natural history of fishes. However, it is a well-attested fact, that there are fishes, sharks, for instance, that grow to a size capable of swallowing and containing a man. The Scripture calls this a great fish... [ Continue Reading ]