Jonah 1:7-8. Jonah 1:7-The Crew Casts Lots To Determine Who Brought The Disaster Upon The Ship And Discover That Jonah Is At Fault

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1 Jonah 1:7-8 Jonah 1:7-The Crew Casts Lots To Determine Who Brought The Disaster Upon The Ship And Discover That Jonah Is At Fault By way of review, the first of seven scenes in the book of Jonah appears in Jonah 1:1-3. Jonah 1:1 introduces to the reader the principle characters of the book of Jonah, namely, the Lord and Jonah who function in the narrative as protagonist and antagonist. All the other human characters in the narrative are unnamed with the exception of course, of Jonah s father, Amittai. These unnamed characters are foils to emphasize the relationship between Jonah and the Lord. Interestingly, the word of the Lord begins the narrative and ends it. Therefore, the book of Jonah is concerned with the effects and consequences of the word of the Lord. Next, in Jonah 1:2a, we saw the Lord commanding Jonah to go immediately to the great city of Nineveh. This journey from Gath-Hepher, Jonah s hometown to Nineveh is approximately 500 miles east, which would be a rugged journey. Then, in Jonah 1:2b, the Lord commands Jonah to announce judgment against the Ninevites because of their wickedness. Jonah 1:3 records Jonah disobeying the Lord s command to go immediately to Nineveh and announce judgment against its inhabitants because of their wickedness. Instead of going to Nineveh, the prophet heads in the opposite direction and boards a merchant ship at Joppa heading to Tarshish. Jonah 1:1, Now, a message from the Lord was communicated to Jonah, the son of Amittai, 2 You must go immediately to Nineveh, that great city and then announce judgment against it because their wickedness has come to my attention. 3 However, instead Jonah arose in order to flee to Tarshish from the commission of the Lord. Specifically, he traveled down to Joppa and then found a ship, which was heading to Tarshish. Next, he paid for her services. Then, he went down into her in order to head to Tarshish with them from the commission of the Lord. (My translation) Jonah 4:1-2 reveals that Jonan disobeyed the Lord because he knew full well that the Lord wanted him to issue a proclamation of impending destruction of Nineveh and its inhabitants in order to elicit a response from the Ninevites, namely that they would repent so He could not execute this judgment. So Jonah hated the Ninevites so much that he was willing to travel all the way across the Mediterranean Sea to get away from them. He is out of the geographical will of God meaning Jonah is not in the geographical location that the Lord has directed him to be in. He is out of this geographical will of God because he does not want the Ninevites to get saved. He has a great prejudice 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1

2 against the Ninevites and the nation of Assyria as a whole because they were a great enemy of Israel. Jonah is also going against the directive will of God meaning he is disobeying a direct command from the Lord. The Lord is permitting Jonah to disobey Him, which is the permissive will of God. However, Jonah will soon experience the overruling will of God in that the Lord will overrule Jonah s bad decision and will use a storm and a great fish to overrule his bad decision. The second scene in the book of Jonah appears in Jonah 1:4-16. Jonah 1:4 records the Lord responding to Jonah s disobedience by hurling a powerful wind on the sea that threatened to break up the ship. Jonah 1:4, However, the Lord caused a great wind to be hurled against the sea so that there was a great storm upon the sea. In fact, the ship s captain and crew were made to think they were being broken to pieces. (My translation) In Jonah 1:5, we see each of the crew members crying out to their gods and flinging the ship s cargo overboard in an attempt to save it while Jonah is sound asleep down below the ship s deck. Jonah 1:5, Consequently, the sailors were terrified so that each individual crew member cried out for help in distress to his own god. Then they hurled the cargo, which was in the ship into the sea in order to ease the burden upon them. However, Jonah went down into the inner most recesses of the ship. Then, he lay down and then fell into a deep hypnotic sleep. (My translation) This verse contrasts the frantic efforts of the crew to save their ship and their lives with that of Jonah s indifference. Undoubtedly, he must have been exhausted not only because of the journey to Joppa and seeking out a ship going to Tarshish but also he must have been exhausted and thus psychologically depressed by his determination to rebel against the command of the Lord to go to Nineveh. Then, in Jonah 1:6, we see that each of the crew members cries out to their gods and hurls the ship s cargo overboard in an attempt to save it while Jonah is sound asleep down below the ship s deck. Jonah 1:6, Next, the captain of the crew advanced toward him and then he posed a question to him, what are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Cry out for help to your god! Perhaps, your god will desire to act favorably for the benefit of himself and all of us so that we will by no means die. (My translation) The ship s captain s conduct stands in stark contrast with Jonah s since the former demonstrates great concern for his crew whereas Jonah has no concern at all. The storm presented a great opportunity to witness to the heathen crew of this Phoenician vessel. However, Jonah shows no desire to evangelize them. He is wasting a great opportunity to tell these men about the Lord William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2

3 The captain also recognizes his need for divine intervention in this terrible storm that threatens the lives of himself and his crew whereas Jonah is dead to the world. The heathen captain uses prayer whereas the man of God sleeps. The captain s demand for prayer from Jonah is a rebuke as indicated by the fact that he uses the same language that the Lord used in commanding him to go to the Ninevites and announce judgment against that great city s inhabitants. Next, we will note Jonah 1:7 and in this verse the crew casts lots to determine which individual on the ship was responsible for bringing this disastrous, lifethreatening storm upon the ship and they discover that Jonah is fault. Jonah 1:1, The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 4 The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain approached him and said, How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish. 7 Each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? 9 He said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land. 10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, How could you do this? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us? for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 He said to them, Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you. 13 However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. 14 Then they called on the Lord and said, We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased. 15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3

4 greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. 17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. (NASU) Let s concentrate now on verse 7. Jonah 1:7, Each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. (NASU) Not translated by the NASU is the sequential use of the conjunction wa ( (ו (wa), which is prefixed to the qal imperfect form of the verb ʾā mǎr, said. It functions as a marker of a sequence of closely related events indicating that the next sequential event that took place on board this ship heading for Tarshish was that the crew decided to draw lots to determine who was responsible for bringing the great storm upon the ship. We will translate the word then. (א ישׁ) Every man is the distributive masculine singular form of the noun ʾîš (eesh), which refers to each individual member of the crew of this ship whose services Jonah purchased to take him to Tarshish. This word is used to emphasize that the entire crew was in agreement with this course of action and were thus unified. We will translate the word each individual crew member. Said is the third person masculine plural qal active imperfect form of the verb ʾā mǎr (אָמ ר) (aw-mar), which means to speak and is used here of the crew members speaking to each other. The qal stem of the verb is fientive expressing another action on the part of the crew. The active voice indicates that the crew as the subject performs the action of speaking to each other. The imperfect tense speaks of this action of the crew as taking place in past time from the perspective of the writer. We will translate the expression לוֹ,ו יּ אמ ר spoke. To his mate is composed of the preposition ʾěl (אַל) (al), to and the masculine singular construct form of the noun rē aʿ ( (ר ע (ray-ah), mate and the third person masculine singular suffixed form of the pronoun hû ( הוּ) (who), his. The noun rē aʿ refers to the each crew member s relationship to each other and can be translated by using the reciprocal pronoun each other or one another. However, we will translate the word mate since the word refers to one s friend, companion or associate and is used of those who work as sailors on a ship. It is the object of the preposition ěl, which is a marker of direction indicating the direction each individual crew member spoke. The pronomial suffix is used as a possessive pronoun meaning his indicating the relationship the crew had with each other. We will translate this prepositional phrase to his mate. Corrected translation thus far of Jonah 1:7: Then, each individual crew member spoke to his mate 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 4

5 Jonah 1:7, Each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. (NASB) Come is the first person plural hiphil active imperative form of the verb halak (haw-lak), which indicates that the crew had decided on a particular course of (ה ל ך) action and is ready to implement it. The imperative mood of the verb is used here as an interjection. It is used to get someone s attention before a command that follows. Thus, the word was used by the crew members with each other to get each other s attention with the command to cast lots following. The active voice indicates that crew as the subject performs the action of the verb. The hiphil stem is intransitive describing the subject as entering into a state indicating that the crew as the subject entered into the state of deciding upon and acting up a course of action to determine who brought this life threatening storm upon the ship. We will translate the word Come. Not translated by the NASU is the conjunction waw ( (ו (wa), which is used to connect the volitional forms of the verbs halak, come and nā p ǎl, let us cast. We will not translate the word. Let us cast is the first person plural hiphil active cohortative form of the verb nā p ǎl (נ פ ל) (nef-eel), which means to cast and its object is the feminine plural form of the noun gô rāl (גּ ור ל) (go-rawl), which means lots. These two words describe the procedure of choosing a particular inscribed shard of pottery with one s name on it to determine who is responsible for bringing this life threatening storm upon this ship bound for Tarshish. The hiphil stem of this verb is also intransitive describing the subject as entering into a state indicating that the crew as the subject entered into the action of casting lots to determine who brought this life threatening storm upon the ship. The active voice indicates that crew as the subject performs the action of the verb. The cohortative is primarily an indirect command to the first person and is used here for an exhortation by the crew to each other. We will translate the verb let us cast. Corrected translation thus far of Jonah 1:7: Then, each individual crew member spoke to his mate, Come, let us cast lots The Bible Knowledge Commentary commenting on the practice of casting of lots writes, The casting of lots to determine a decision, in this case to find a culprit, was common in Israel and other countries in the ancient Near East (cf. Lev. 16:8; Josh. 18:6; 1 Sam. 14:42; Neh. 10:34; Es. 3:7; Prov. 16:33; Acts 1:26). Perhaps marked stones were put in a container, and one was taken out. God expressed His sovereignty over Jonah s affairs, causing the lot to fall on His disobedient prophet. (Volume 1, page 1466) 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 5

6 The New American Commentary: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah has the following comment, they write, The casting of lots was a widely used method in the ancient Near East. The most common word used for lot indicates that they were either stones or pebbles that were painted or colored. When the stones were thrown, if two dark sides landed up the usual interpretation was no. If two light sides landed up, that meant yes. A light and a dark side meant throw again. Using this system, the sailors dealt with each individual until the color revealed the guilty person. This specific means of discerning the Lord s will is found many times in Scripture. For example, the casting of lots was the means for determining the guilt of Achan (Josh 7:14 18), for distributing the land to the tribes of Israel (Josh 18:10), and for selecting Saul as king (1 Sam 10:20 22). As Prov 16:33 says, The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. (Page 232) Stuart weighs in, he writes, Lots were probably dice, their sides alternately אורים Thummin, light or dark in color (thus the lights and darks or Urim and of Exod 28:30, etc., dice kept ready in the high priest s ephod for discerning,ותמים Yahweh s will). At several significant points in OT history, these lots had been employed in a process of elimination, for which they were designed: Josh 7:16 18 (implicitly); 1 Sam 10:20 21; 14: Lots were used commonly in decision making, especially in the division of land (cf. Ps 16:6), probably accompanied by a prayer for God to guide the outcome (cf. Acts 1:24 26). A mild sort of confidence is expressed for this method of divination in Prov 16:33: From one s bosom the lot is cast, but from Yahweh is its every judgment. This proverb seems to assert through its admittedly laconic wording that lot casting does not in itself have automatic validity, but that it may accurately provide the thrower with knowledge if Yahweh makes it do so. This appears to be the sense of the disciples in Acts 1:24 26, at any rate. The casting of the lots probably was interpreted as follows. Two dark sides up meant No. Two light sides up meant Yes. A light and a dark meant Throw again. Using this system, the sailors eliminated others on ship until Jonah was left. The narrator tells us nothing about Jonah s thoughts or feelings during the divination process, since Jonah s perspective on the matter is not in focus. But God evidently chose to cause the lots to work according to plan, for they fell on Jonah. (Word Biblical Commentary, volume 31: Hosea-Jonah; pages ) Lessing commenting on the practice of casting lots in the ancient world writes, The casting of lots the throwing of some inanimate object in order to learn the divine will is well-known in ancient Israelite and Near Eastern cultures. Among the many uses of lot casting in the OT, the technique is used to discover a wrongdoer (Josh 7:10 21; 1 Sam 14:36 43), choose a king (1 Sam 10:20 21), assign a tribe its inheritance (Josh 14:2), distribute booty (Nah 3:10), and settle disputes (Prov 18:18). The theological basis is this: The lot is cast into the lap, but 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 6

7 from Yahweh is its every verdict. (Prov 16:33) The practice continued into the NT. The Roman soldiers cast lots for the clothing of the crucified Christ in fulfillment of Scripture (Jn 19:23 24, citing Ps 22:19 [ET 22:18]). The Eleven prayed and cast lots to select an apostle to succeed Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:26). In Jonah 1:7 the sailors may have inscribed shards of pottery with the names of those on board the ship; then from among the shards they grabbed the one with Jonah s name. That the sailors had to resort to this activity shows that Jonah s desire to remain unknown and escape responsibility was greater than his willingness to alleviate the suffering and even prevent the deaths of others. (Concordia Commentary: Jonah; page 125) Lessing s view seems the more likely because of the time factor involved. Sasson explains, The sailors, rather, probably plucked the one shard that bore Jonah s name from among the others similarly inscribed. This was definitely the quicker measure and in time of stress, no doubt the most appealing. (Jonah; The Anchor Yale Bible, volume 24b; page 111) Jonah 1:7, Each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. (NASB) So is the sequential use of the conjunction wa ( (ו (wa), which is prefixed to the qal cohortative form of the verb yā ḏǎʿ, we may learn as a marker of purpose meaning that it is introducing the purpose for which the crews is drawing lots. We will translate the word in order that. We may learn is the first person plural qal active cohortative form of the verb yā ḏǎʿ (י ד ע) (yaw-dah), which means to possess knowledge of the identity of someone and is used with the crew as its subject. It refers to the crew possessing information as to the identity of the individual who is the reason why the ship faced destruction because of the great storm and the means of determining this individual s identity is the casting of lots. The qal stem is stative expressing a state. This indicates that the crew decided to draw lots in order that they would be in a state of knowing the identity of the individual on the ship who brought this calamity on them. The cohortative with the conjunction wa is used to form a purpose clause. We will translate the verb we may know. On whose account is composed of the preposition b e (בּ ) (be), which is followed by the relative particle šǎ- (שׁ ) (sha) and the preposition l e ( (ל (le) and the interrogative pronoun mî (mî) (מ י) (may). The preposition b e means on account of since it functions as a marker of cause or reason. The relative particle šǎ-means whose and refers to the individual who the crew seeks to know the identity of and is the cause of the storm. The interrogative pronoun mî means who and also refers to the individual the 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 7

8 crew seeks to identify whom the storm is against. However, it is the object of the preposition l e which is a marker of person or thing to whose disadvantage something happens. This indicates that the crew drew lots to determine the identity of the individual on the ship whom the storm is against. This expression b e shell e mi (בּ שׁ לּ מ י) means on whose account, against whom indicating that the crew drew lots to determine the individual who not only was the cause or reason for the calamity brought upon the entire crew and its passengers but also the one whom this storm was brought against. This calamity is the articular feminine singular form of the noun rā ʿā(h) calamity which is followed by the articular feminine singular,(ר ע ה) demonstrative pronoun zʾṯ (ז את) (zothe), this and the preposition l e ( (ל (le) and the first person plural pronomial suffix ʾǎnǎḥ nû (א נ ח נוּ) (anah-new), us. The noun rā ʿā(h) means disaster in the sense of a hardship in some adverse circumstance. It is used of a disaster, which happens to a person, often as the harmful consequences of wrong actions. Since God is sovereign over all persons and events, these adverse circumstances may be described as coming from God. The demonstrative pronoun zʾṯ is used as an attributive adjective since when used in this manner it takes the definite article and agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies, which in our case is rā ʿā(h), disaster. The pronomial suffix ʾǎnǎḥ nû is a discourse reference to the crew and is the object of the preposition l e as a marker of disadvantage indicating that the great storm caused by the Lord on account of Jonah is against or for the detriment of the crew since it threatens their lives. Since the writer is employing the figure of ellipsis he deliberately omits the verb hayah, though it is implied. The verb means to take place indicating that the storm has taken place to the determinant of the crew. Corrected translation thus far of Jonah 1:7: Then, each individual crew member spoke to his mate, Come, let us cast lots in order that we may know on whose account, against whom this disaster has taken place against us Jonah 1:7, Each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. (NASB) So is the conjunction waw ( (ו (wa), which is prefixed to the third person masculine plural hiphil active imperfect form of the verb nā p ǎl, they cast to form a waw-sequential construction. It is a marker of result indicating that crew cast lots as a result of deciding to do so to determine the identity of the individual who was the cause of the great storm being brought against them. Therefore, we will translate the word consequently. They cast is the third person masculine plural hiphil active imperfect form of the verb nā p ǎl (נ פ ל) (nef-eel), which again means to cast and its object is again 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 8

9 the feminine plural form of the noun gô rāl (גּ ור ל) (go-rawl), which means lots. Again, as earlier in the passage, these two words describe the procedure of choosing a particular inscribed shard of pottery with one s name on it to determine who is responsible for bringing this life threatening storm upon this ship bound for Tarshish. The hiphil stem is used in a declarative sense simply expressing the fact that everyone on the ship including Jonah cast lots. The active voice indicates that everyone on the ship including Jonah as the subject perform the action of the verb. The imperfect tense is used of a past action from the perspective of the writer. We will translate the verb cast. And is the sequential use of the conjunction waw ( (ו (wa), which is prefixed to the qal imperfect form of the verb nā p ǎl, fell as a marker of result indicating that as a result of the captain and the crew and Jonah casting lots, the lot fell to Jonah. We will translate the word and as a result. The lot is the articular masculine singular form of the noun gô rāl (גּ ור ל) (gorawl), which speaks of the shard that bore Jonah s name. Fell is the third person masculine singular qal active imperfect form of the verb nā p ǎl (נ פ ל) (nef-eel), which means to fall in the sense that the shard with Jonah s name was chosen. The fientive qal stem of the verb expresses an event that took place when the crew and its captain along with Jonah cast lots. The active voice indicates the shard with Jonah s name on it, as the subject performs the action of being selected. The imperfect tense is used of a past action from the perspective of the writer. On Jonah is composed of the preposition ʿǎl (ע ל) (al) and the masculine singular form of the proper noun yownah (יוֹנ ה) (yo-naw), Jonah. The proper noun yownah refers of course to the Northern Kingdom prophet of Israel who served during the reign of Jeroboam II in approximately B.C (2 Kings 14:25). His father was the son of Amittai and his home was in Gath-hepher, which is in Zebulun (Joshua 19:13) situated 2.5 miles northeast of Nazareth in. The word is the object of the preposition ʿǎl, which specifies that Jonah is the individual whose shard was chosen. Corrected translation thus far of Jonah 1:7: Then, each individual crew member spoke to his mate, Come, let us cast lots in order that we may know on whose account, against whom this disaster has taken place against us. Consequently, they cast lots and as a result the lot fell on Jonah. Like Jonah 1:4, this verse emphasizes the Lord s sovereignty over Jonah s life, i.e. his circumstances. It stresses with the reader that the Lord will exercise that sovereignty and omnipotence to change the prophet s mind about obeying His command to go to the great city of Nineveh and announce judgment against its inhabitants. Jonah 1:7 also emphasizes the providence of God, which expresses the 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 9

10 fact that the world and our lives are not ruled by chance or fate but by God. It emphasizes that God is in control of Jonah s life and the life of the heathen crew. It stresses with the reader that the Lord controls the circumstances of our lives, right down to the lot that fell to Jonah. It emphasizes that it was no accident that Jonah s shard with his name on it was chosen. Jonah has learned the principle taught in Numbers 32:23 that his sin of disobeying the Lord has found him out. He thought he could hide it from the crew that he disobeyed the Lord and was the reason the storm came upon the ship. Numbers 32:20, Then Moses replied, If you will do this thing, and if you will arm yourselves for battle before the Lord, and if all your armed men cross the Jordan before the Lord until he drives out his enemies from his presence and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be free of your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. This land will then be your possession in the Lord s sight. 23 But if you do not do this, then look, you will have sinned against the Lord. And know that your sin will find you out. (NET Bible) 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 10

11 Jonah 1:8-The Crew Interrogates Jonah By way of review, the first of seven scenes in the book of Jonah appears in Jonah 1:1-3. Jonah 1:1 introduces to the reader the principle characters of the book of Jonah, namely, the Lord and Jonah who function in the narrative as protagonist and antagonist. All the other human characters in the narrative are unnamed with the exception of course, of Jonah s father, Amittai. These unnamed characters are foils to emphasize the relationship between Jonah and the Lord. Interestingly, the word of the Lord begins the narrative and ends it. Therefore, the book of Jonah is concerned with the effects and consequences of the word of the Lord. Next, in Jonah 1:2a, we saw the Lord commanding Jonah to go immediately to the great city of Nineveh. This journey from Gath-Hepher, Jonah s hometown to Nineveh is approximately 500 miles east, which would be a rugged journey. Then, in Jonah 1:2b, the Lord commands Jonah to announce judgment against the Ninevites because of their wickedness. Jonah 1:3 records Jonah disobeying the Lord s command to go immediately to Nineveh and announce judgment against its inhabitants because of their wickedness. Instead of going to Nineveh, the prophet heads in the opposite direction and boards a merchant ship at Joppa heading to Tarshish. Jonah 1:1, Now, a message from the Lord was communicated to Jonah, the son of Amittai, 2 You must go immediately to Nineveh, that great city and then announce judgment against it because their wickedness has come to my attention. 3 However, instead Jonah arose in order to flee to Tarshish from the commission of the Lord. Specifically, he traveled down to Joppa and then found a ship, which was heading to Tarshish. Next, he paid for her services. Then, he went down into her in order to head to Tarshish with them from the commission of the Lord. (My translation) Jonah 4:1-2 reveals that Jonan disobeyed the Lord because he knew full well that the Lord wanted him to issue a proclamation of impending destruction of Nineveh and its inhabitants in order to elicit a response from the Ninevites, namely that they would repent so He could not execute this judgment. So Jonah hated the Ninevites so much that he was willing to travel all the way across the Mediterranean Sea to get away from them. He is out of the geographical will of God meaning Jonah is not in the geographical location that the Lord has directed him to be in. He is out of this geographical will of God because he does not want the Ninevites to get saved. He has a great prejudice against the Ninevites and the nation of Assyria as a whole because they were a great enemy of Israel William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 11

12 Jonah is also going against the directive will of God meaning he is disobeying a direct command from the Lord. The Lord is permitting Jonah to disobey Him, which is the permissive will of God. However, Jonah will soon experience the overruling will of God in that the Lord will overrule Jonah s bad decision and will use a storm and a great fish to overrule his bad decision. The second scene in the book of Jonah appears in Jonah 1:4-16. Jonah 1:4 records the Lord responding to Jonah s disobedience by hurling a powerful wind on the sea that threatened to break up the ship. Jonah 1:4, However, the Lord caused a great wind to be hurled against the sea so that there was a great storm upon the sea. In fact, the ship s captain and crew were made to think they were being broken to pieces. (My translation) In Jonah 1:5, we see each of the crew members crying out to their gods and flinging the ship s cargo overboard in an attempt to save it while Jonah is sound asleep down below the ship s deck. Jonah 1:5, Consequently, the sailors were terrified so that each individual crew member cried out for help in distress to his own god. Then they hurled the cargo, which was in the ship into the sea in order to ease the burden upon them. However, Jonah went down into the inner most recesses of the ship. Then, he lay down and then fell into a deep hypnotic sleep. (My translation) This verse contrasts the frantic efforts of the crew to save their ship and their lives with that of Jonah s indifference. Undoubtedly, he must have been exhausted not only because of the journey to Joppa and seeking out a ship going to Tarshish but also he must have been exhausted and thus psychologically depressed by his determination to rebel against the command of the Lord to go to Nineveh. Then, in Jonah 1:6, we see that each of the crew members cries out to their gods and hurls the ship s cargo overboard in an attempt to save it while Jonah is sound asleep down below the ship s deck. Jonah 1:6, Next, the captain of the crew advanced toward him and then he posed a question to him, what are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Cry out for help to your god! Perhaps, your god will desire to act favorably for the benefit of himself and all of us so that we will by no means die. (My translation) The ship s captain s conduct stands in stark contrast with Jonah s since the former demonstrates great concern for his crew whereas Jonah has no concern at all. The storm presented a great opportunity to witness to the heathen crew of this Phoenician vessel. However, Jonah shows no desire to evangelize them. He is wasting a great opportunity to tell these men about the Lord William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 12

13 The captain also recognizes his need for divine intervention in this terrible storm that threatens the lives of himself and his crew whereas Jonah is dead to the world. The heathen captain uses prayer whereas the man of God sleeps. The captain s demand for prayer from Jonah is a rebuke as indicated by the fact that he uses the same language that the Lord used in commanding him to go to the Ninevites and announce judgment against that great city s inhabitants. Next, in Jonah 1:7, the crew casts lots to determine which individual on the ship was responsible for bringing this disastrous, life-threatening storm upon the ship and they discover that Jonah is fault. Jonah 1:7, Then, each individual crew member spoke to his mate, Come, let us cast lots in order that we may know on whose account, against whom this disaster has taken place against us. Consequently, they cast lots and as a result the lot fell on Jonah. (My translation) This evening we will note Jonah 1:8 and in this verse the crew interrogates Jonah. Jonah 1:1, The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 4 The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain approached him and said, How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish. 7 Each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? (NASU) (ו ( waw Not translated by the NASU is the sequential use of the conjunction (wa), which is prefixed to the qal imperfect form of the verb ʾā mǎr, said. It functions as a marker of a sequence of closely related events indicating that the next sequential event that took place on board this ship heading for Tarshish. Namely, the crew interrogated Jonah by asking five questions. We will translate the word then William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 13

14 Said is the third person masculine plural qal active imperfect form of the verb ʾā mǎr (אָמ ר) (aw-mar), which means to interrogate and is used here of the crew members interrogating Jonah. It denotes that they asked Jonah questions to seek answers or information as to his relationship to the great storm and the gods, which Jonah considers secret. The qal stem of the verb is fientive expressing another action on the part of the crew. The active voice indicates that the crew as the subject performs the action of questioning Jonah. The imperfect tense speaks of this action of the crew as taking place in past time from the perspective of the writer. We will translate the expression לוֹ,ו יּ אמ ר they interrogated. To him is composed of the preposition ʾěl (אַל) (al), to and the third person masculine singular suffixed form of the pronoun hû ( הוּ) (who), him. The pronomial suffix refers of course to Jonah and is the object of the preposition ěl, which is a marker of direction indicating the crew posed their questions in the direction of Jonah. Corrected translation thus far of Jonah 1:8: Then, they interrogated him Jonah 1:8, Then they said to him, Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? (NASU) Tell us now is composed of the second person masculine singular hiphil active insistent imperative form of the verb nā ḡǎḏ (נ ג ד) (naw-gheed), tell and the emphatic enclitic particle of entreaty nā(ʾ) (נ א) (naw), now and the preposition l e ( (ל (le), which is followed by the first person plural pronomial suffix ʾǎnǎḥ nû (א נ ח נוּ) (anaw-new), us. The verb nā ḡǎḏ means to provide information and is used of crew demanding that Jonah provide them with information as to who is responsible for the storm striking the ship, what his occupation was, where he came from and what was his nationality. The imperative mood is used of requests. The active voice denotes that Jonah as the subject is being asked these questions. The hiphil stem describes its subject as entering into a state indicating that the hiphil is used of the crew requesting Jonah enter into a state of admitting his guilt and further identifying himself. The emphatic particle of entreaty nā(ʾ) is used with the imperative form of the verb nā ḡǎḏ to express this request for information from Jonah by the crew. It is used as a marker of emphasis, with a focus on the desire of the speaker, used to heighten a sense of urgency, intensity. (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament). Here it emphasizes or heightens the sense of urgency and intensity of this desire for information from Jonah by the crew William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 14

15 The pronomial suffix ʾǎnǎḥ nû, us is a discourse reference to the speaker and associates and thus refers to the crew of the ship. It is the object of the preposition l e, which functions as a marker of advantage or persons benefited by an event. Here it denotes the crew as benefiting from Jonah admitting his guilt and providing information as to his origins. Therefore, we will translate the expression ל נוּ,ה גּ יד ה נּ א Please for our sake tell us now. Corrected translation thus far of Jonah 1:8: Then, they interrogated him, Please for our sake tell us now The crew already knew the answer to the first question since the lot answered that for them. Also, before the casting of the lots, they knew since Jonah admitted to fleeing from his commission according to Jonah 1:10. Jonah 1:9, He said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land. 10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, How could you do this? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. (NASU) Therefore, the sailors ask this first question for the purpose of soliciting confession. The crew wants Jonah to admit his guilt that he brought this terrible storm upon them. Jonah does not answer the second question because he has already told the crew that he was a prophet as implied by the fact that he admitted to fleeing from the commission from the Lord. The last three questions are concerned with Jonah s origin since by determining his nationality, they could figure out which god is responsible for the storm since nationality and religion went together in the ancient Near East. Reed Lessing writes, Once the lot falls to him, Jonah is immediately placed on trial, but this is no ordinary courtroom interrogation. The questions are not formulated by a ruminating attorney absorbed in the finer details of the case, but by terrified sailors clinging to their lives in the midst of a howling gale! A salvo of short questions is fired at Jonah. Their brevity is in keeping with the dire circumstances on the boat. Jonah is stormed in staccato-like fashion with four questions. Each of the first three consists of only two Hebrew words. The tone on board the ship has changed from the captain s pleas for help (1:6) to the urgent demands of the sailors in 1:8. The sailors questions constitute the third time Jonah is addressed. First, the command from Yahweh led to his flight (1:2). Second, the command of the captain met with his silence (1:6). But this third time Jonah is trapped, and the interrogatives accomplish what the earlier imperatives did not. This effect of the interrogatives upon Jonah foreshadows developments in chapter 4, where instead of issuing commands, Yahweh asks questions. The sailors 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 15

16 interrogation in 1:8 and Jonah s answers in 1:9 are inversely related. The sailors first make a request of the culprit: Tell us, please, on whose account this evil has come to us. Second, they question Jonah about his identity: What is your occupation? And from where have you come? What is your land? And from what people are you? (1:8). Jonah only responds to their questions about his identity: A Hebrew I am, and Yahweh, the God of the heavens, I worship, who made the sea and the dry land (1:9). He admits no culpability in his speech here, though later the narrator will inform us that earlier Jonah had divulged it to them: For the men knew that away from the presence of Yahweh he was fleeing, because he had told them (1:10). The sailors already know the answer to their first request of Jonah because the lot answered it (and according to 1:10, Jonah himself previously had admitted as much). Therefore, some scholars advocate deleting on whose account this evil has come to us! Yet people may request information or ask a question when they already know the answer for the purpose of soliciting confession. This was Yahweh s strategy in Gen 3:11 when he asked Adam, Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? Yahweh wants Adam to confess, Yes, I have. Please forgive me. But Adam s response was hardly that; he blamed Eve and Yahweh for creating her as his companion (Gen 3:12). In like manner, the sailors want Jonah to say, It is my fault. I have brought you to the brink of death. But guilty Jonah doesn t fully confess his sin. The key word evil (ר ע ה) is missing from his confession in 1:12: For I know that it is on my account that this great storm is against you. (Concordia Commentary: Jonah; pages ) Leslie Allen writes, As soon as he is singled out as the culprit, the crew want to know the whys and wherefores of the affair. They bombard the mysterious passenger with religiously loaded questions. First, in order to make quite sure that no mistake has been made, they ask him to confirm they way the lot went, for they must be sure and will not condemn him before he has given evidence on his own behalf. They inquire why he is taking the sea trip, for that will afford a clue to explain the storm. Jonah will shortly give the significant answer that he is running away from Yahweh (verse 10). They ply him for information concerning his nationality, for from that they may deduce which god is responsible since nationality and religion went together in the ancient Near East. The barrage of questions fired in quick succession are psychologically true to life as an outlet for emotions aroused by the implacable storm. (Allen, Leslie C., The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah; The New International Commentary on the Old Testament; pages ; William B. Eerdmans Publishing; 1976) Stuart writes, The five questions pressed hurriedly on Jonah while the storm still howls are not mere idle conversation-starters. The first question is the most crucial. Its answer is not obvious. The crew quite naturally wonders if somehow 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 16

17 they might have done some wrong deserving of this calamity. Have they offended Jonah? Are they helping him do something wrong? Is it guilt by association? Or is Jonah alone to blame? Are they transporting someone who has committed a great crime? Or is someone else, whom Jonah knows or is associated with, the source of the problem? The sometimes suggested translation since you are to blame for our bad situation is not truly reflective of the Hebrew syntax (see n. 8.a-a*.). They are still genuinely wondering why the lot fell on Jonah and what it means for them. The crew is also desperate to know exactly who Jonah is, because they now know only that he is somehow the focus of the problem. Until they know his identity, they can hardly expect to know, for example, which god he has offended, and how. Thus the sailors pepper him with urgent questions. His occupation, once they know it, will tell them much. If he were a priest, or a prophet, or an executioner, or an idol-maker, or had any one of many other religiously sensitive occupations, part of the answer might already be realized. Jonah does not answer this question directly, but not necessarily because he is trying to be evasive (see v 9, Comment). Rather, it is likely that the questions mentioned merely summarize a whole series of actual questions, the gist of which is communicated by the rapid-fire recounting of five of them. The final three questions all concern Jonah s origin. The answer to those also would have religious significance, since one s national god was usually the most important divinity in one s life at this point in history. The ancients believed in three kinds of gods: personal, family, and national. But the world increasingly organized itself by empires and nations (in contrast, for example, to the relative isolation of the city-state system that had prevailed in Palestine in most of the second millennium b.c.). By Jonah s time, people s personal destinies became inextricably linked with their national destinies, and national gods functioned increasingly as personal gods, at least in Palestine. Moreover, the crew certainly had reason to suspect that Jonah was a Palestinian of some sort, since the ship sailed from a Palestinian port, and Jonah presumably spoke and dressed like a Palestinian. If he had been Greek, or Egyptian, or Assyrian, for example, his fluency in the sailor s native Canaanite (the broad dialect of Philista, Israel, Judah, Edom, Moab, Phoenicia, etc.) would have been less likely and his foreign accent more evident, to mention nothing of his dress. What they wanted to know specifically, then, was which of the Palestinian nations he was from. Each had a national god. That would tell them at least which god he was likely to fear. (cf. 1 Kgs 11:5 7). (Word Biblical Commentary volume 31, Hosea-Jonah, page 46) Jonah 1:8, Then they said to him, Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? (NASU) 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 17

18 On whose account is composed of the preposition be (בּ ) (be), which is followed by the relative particle ʾǎšěr (aw-shar), whose and the preposition (א שׁ ר) l e ( (ל (le) and the interrogative pronoun mî (mî) (מ י) (may). The preposition be means on account of since it functions as a marker of cause or reason. The relative particle ʾǎšěr-means whose and refers to the individual who the crew seeks to know the identity of and is responsible for bringing this great storm against the ship. The interrogative pronoun mî means who and also refers to the individual the crew seeks to identify whom the storm is against. However, it is the object of the preposition l e which is a marker of person or thing to whose disadvantage something happens. This indicates that the crew is asking who the storm has been brought against. This expression ba asher (בּ א שׁ ר) means on whose account, against whom indicating that the crew is asking Jonah who is the cause or reason for the calamity brought upon the ship but also to whom this storm was brought against. This calamity is the articular feminine singular form of the noun rā ʿā(h) calamity which is followed by the articular feminine singular,(ר ע ה) demonstrative pronoun zʾṯ (ז את) (zothe), this and the preposition l e ( (ל (le) and the first person plural pronomial suffix ʾǎnǎḥ nû (א נ ח נוּ) (anah-new), us. The noun rā ʿā(h) means disaster in the sense of a hardship in some adverse circumstance. It is used of a disaster, which happens to a person, often as the harmful consequences of wrong actions. Since God is sovereign over all persons and events, these adverse circumstances may be described as coming from God. Here it is used to describe the great storm that the Lord caused in the area of the Mediterranean Sea where this ship carrying Jonah was located. The demonstrative pronoun zʾṯ is used as an attributive adjective since when used in this manner it takes the definite article and agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies, which in our case is rā ʿā(h), disaster. The pronomial suffix ʾǎnǎḥ nû is a discourse reference to the crew and is the object of the preposition l e as a marker of disadvantage indicating that the great storm caused by the Lord on account of Jonah is against or for the detriment of the crew since it threatens their lives. Since the writer is employing the figure of ellipsis he deliberately omits the verb hayah, though it is implied. The verb means to take place indicating that the storm has taken place to the determinant of the crew. Therefore, we will translate the prepositional phrase be asher l e mi-hara`ah hasso th ל מ י ה ר ע ה ה זּ את),(בּ א שׁ ר on whose account, against who has this disaster taken place against us William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 18