1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they look up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
1 Now the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came unto Jonah H3124 the son H1121 of Amittai, H573 saying, H559
2 Arise, H6965 go H3212 to Nineveh, H5210 that great H1419 city, H5892 and cry H7121 against it; for their wickedness H7451 is come up H5927 before H6440 me.
3 But Jonah H3124 rose up H6965 to flee H1272 unto Tarshish H8659 from the presence H6440 of the LORD, H3068 and went down H3381 to Joppa; H3305 and he found H4672 a ship H591 going H935 to Tarshish: H8659 so he paid H5414 the fare H7939 thereof, and went down H3381 into it, to go H935 with them unto Tarshish H8659 from the presence H6440 of the LORD. H3068
4 But the LORD H3068 sent out H2904 a great H1419 wind H7307 into the sea, H3220 and there was a mighty H1419 tempest H5591 in the sea, H3220 so that the ship H591 was like H2803 to be broken. H7665
5 Then the mariners H4419 were afraid, H3372 and cried H2199 every man H376 unto his god, H430 and cast forth H2904 the wares H3627 that were in the ship H591 into the sea, H3220 to lighten H7043 it of them. But Jonah H3124 was gone down H3381 into the sides H3411 of the ship; H5600 and he lay, H7901 and was fast asleep. H7290
6 So the shipmaster H7227 H2259 came H7126 to him, and said H559 unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? H7290 arise, H6965 call H7121 upon thy God, H430 if so be that God H430 will think H6245 upon us, that we perish H6 not.
7 And they said H559 every one H376 to his fellow, H7453 Come, H3212 and let us cast H5307 lots, H1486 that we may know H3045 for whose cause H7945 this evil H7451 is upon us. So they cast H5307 lots, H1486 and the lot H1486 fell H5307 upon Jonah. H3124
8 Then said H559 they unto him, Tell H5046 us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil H7451 is upon us; What is thine occupation? H4399 and whence H370 comest H935 thou? what is thy country? H776 and of what people H5971 art thou?
9 And he said H559 unto them, I am an Hebrew; H5680 and I fear H3373 the LORD, H3068 the God H430 of heaven, H8064 which hath made H6213 the sea H3220 and the dry H3004 land.
10 Then were the men H582 exceedingly H1419 H3374 afraid, H3372 and said H559 unto him, Why hast thou done H6213 this? For the men H582 knew H3045 that he fled H1272 from the presence H6440 of the LORD, H3068 because he had told H5046 them.
11 Then said H559 they unto him, What shall we do H6213 unto thee, that the sea H3220 may be calm H8367 unto us? for the sea H3220 wrought, H1980 and was tempestuous. H5590
12 And he said H559 unto them, Take me up, H5375 and cast me forth H2904 into the sea; H3220 so shall the sea H3220 be calm H8367 unto you: for I know H3045 that for my sake H7945 this great H1419 tempest H5591 is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men H582 rowed hard H2864 to bring H7725 it to the land; H3004 but they could H3201 not: for the sea H3220 wrought, H1980 and was tempestuous H5590 against them.
14 Wherefore they cried H7121 unto the LORD, H3068 and said, H559 We beseech thee, H577 O LORD, H3068 we beseech thee, let us not perish H6 for this man's H376 life, H5315 and lay H5414 not upon us innocent H5355 H5355 blood: H1818 for thou, O LORD, H3068 hast done H6213 as it pleased H2654 thee.
15 So they took up H5375 Jonah, H3124 and cast him forth H2904 into the sea: H3220 and the sea H3220 ceased H5975 from her raging. H2197
16 Then the men H582 feared H3372 the LORD H3068 exceedingly, H1419 H3374 and offered H2076 a sacrifice H2077 unto the LORD, H3068 and made H5087 vows. H5088
17 Now the LORD H3068 had prepared H4487 a great H1419 fish H1709 to swallow up H1104 Jonah. H3124 And Jonah H3124 was in the belly H4578 of the fish H1709 three H7969 days H3117 and three H7969 nights. H3915
1 Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.
4 But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; what is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
9 And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land.
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, What is this that thou hast done? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Jehovah, because he had told them.
11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not: for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
14 Wherefore they cried unto Jehovah, and said, We beseech thee, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for thou, O Jehovah, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.
16 Then the men feared Jehovah exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice unto Jehovah, and made vows.
17 And Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
1 And there is a word of Jehovah unto Jonah son of Amittai, saying:
2 `Rise, go unto Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim against it that their wickedness hath come up before Me.'
3 And Jonah riseth to flee to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah, and goeth down `to' Joppa, and findeth a ship going `to' Tarshish, and he giveth its fare, and goeth down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah.
4 And Jehovah hath cast a great wind on the sea, and there is a great tempest in the sea, and the ship hath reckoned to be broken;
5 and the mariners are afraid, and cry each unto his god, and cast the goods that `are' in the ship into the sea, to make `it' light of them; and Jonah hath gone down unto the sides of the vessel, and he lieth down, and is fast asleep.
6 And the chief of the company draweth near to him, and saith to him, `What -- to thee, O sleeper? rise, call unto thy God, it may be God doth bethink himself of us, and we do not perish.'
7 And they say each unto his neighbour, `Come, and we cast lots, and we know on whose account this evil `is' on us.' And they cast lots, and the lot falleth on Jonah.
8 And they say unto him, `Declare to us, we pray thee, on what account this evil `is' on us? what `is' thine occupation, and whence comest thou? what `is' thy country, seeing thou art not of this people?'
9 And he saith unto them, `A Hebrew I `am', and Jehovah, God of the heavens, I am reverencing, who made the sea and the dry land.'
10 And the men fear a great fear, and say unto him, `What `is' this thou hast done!' for the men have known that from the face of Jehovah he is fleeing, for he hath told them.
11 And they say unto him, `What do we do to thee that the sea may cease from us, for the sea is more and more tempestuous?'
12 And he saith unto them, `Lift me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea doth cease from you; for I know that on my account this great tempest `is' upon you.'
13 And the men row to turn back unto the dry land, and are not able, for the sea is more and more tempestuous against them.
14 And they cry unto Jehovah, and say, `We pray Thee, O Jehovah, let us not, we pray Thee, perish for this man's life, and do not lay on us innocent blood, for Thou, Jehovah, as Thou hast pleased, Thou hast done.'
15 And they lift up Jonah, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceaseth from its raging;
16 and the men fear Jehovah -- a great fear, and sacrifice a sacrifice to Jehovah, and vow vows.
17 And Jehovah appointeth a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah is in the bowels of the fish three days and three nights.
1 And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish, from the presence of Jehovah.
4 But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest upon the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
5 And the mariners were afraid, and cried every one unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to be lightened of them. But Jonah had gone down into the lower part of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
6 And the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, sleeper? arise, call upon thy God; perhaps God will think upon us, that we perish not.
7 And they said each one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
8 And they said unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us: what is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
9 And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the God of the heavens, who hath made the sea and the dry [land].
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, What is this thou hast done? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of Jehovah: for he had told them.
11 And they said unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that because of me this great tempest is upon you.
13 But the men rowed hard to regain the land; but they could not; for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
14 And they cried unto Jehovah and said, Ah, Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, Jehovah, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 And they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from its raging.
16 And the men feared Jehovah exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto Jehovah, and made vows.
17 And Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
1 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me."
3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.
4 But Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was laying down, and was fast asleep.
6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your gods! Maybe the gods will notice us, so that we won't perish."
7 They all said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is on us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 Then they asked him, "Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?"
9 He said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land."
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "What is this that you have done?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.
11 Then said they to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may be calm to us?" For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
12 He said to them, "Take me up, and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you; for I know that because of me this great tempest is on you."
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
14 Therefore they cried to Yahweh, and said, "We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, let us not perish for this man's life, and don't lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahweh, have done as it pleased you."
15 So they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased its raging.
16 Then the men feared Yahweh exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh, and made vows.
17 Yahweh prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
1 And the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Up! go to Nineveh, that great town, and let your voice come to it; for their evil-doing has come up before me.
3 And Jonah got up to go in flight to Tarshish, away from the Lord; and he went down to Joppa, and saw there a ship going to Tarshish: so he gave them the price of the journey and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the Lord.
4 And the Lord sent out a great wind on to the sea and there was a violent storm in the sea, so that the ship seemed in danger of being broken.
5 Then the sailors were full of fear, every man crying to his god; and the goods in the ship were dropped out into the sea to make the weight less. But Jonah had gone down into the inmost part of the ship where he was stretched out in a deep sleep.
6 And the ship's captain came to him and said to him, What are you doing sleeping? Up! say a prayer to your God, if by chance God will give a thought to us, so that we may not come to destruction.
7 And they said to one another, Come, let us put this to the decision of chance and see on whose account this evil has come on us. So they did so, and Jonah was seen to be the man.
8 Then they said to him, Now make clear to us what is your work, and where you come from? what is your country, and who are your people?
9 And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, a worshipper of the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.
10 And the men were in great fear, and they said to him, What is this you have done? For the men had knowledge of his flight from the Lord because he had not kept it from them.
11 And they said to him, What are we to do to you so that the sea may become calm for us? For the sea was getting rougher and rougher.
12 And he said to them, Take me up and put me into the sea, and the sea will become calm for you: for I am certain that because of me this great storm has come on you.
13 And the men were working hard to get back to the land, but they were not able to do so: for the sea got rougher and rougher against them.
14 So, crying to the Lord, they said, Give ear to our prayer, O Lord, give ear, and do not let destruction overtake us because of this man's life; do not put on us the sin of taking life without cause: for you, O Lord, have done what seemed good to you.
15 So they took Jonah up and put him into the sea: and the sea was no longer angry.
16 Then great was the men's fear of the Lord; and they made an offering to the Lord and took oaths to him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Jonah 1
Commentary on Jonah 1 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 1
Jon 1:1-17. Jonah's Commission to Nineveh, Flight, Punishment, and Preservation by Miracle.
1. Jonah—meaning in Hebrew, "dove." Compare Ge 8:8, 9, where the dove in vain seeks rest after flying from Noah and the ark: so Jonah. Grotius not so well explains it, "one sprung from Greece" or Ionia, where there were prophets called Amythaonidæ.
Amittai—Hebrew for "truth," "truth-telling"; appropriate to a prophet.
2. to Nineveh—east of the Tigris, opposite the modern Mosul. The only case of a prophet being sent to the heathen. Jonah, however, is sent to Nineveh, not solely for Nineveh's good, but also to shame Israel, by the fact of a heathen city repenting at the first preaching of a single stranger, Jonah, whereas God's people will not repent, though preached to by their many national prophets, late and early. Nineveh means "the residence of Ninus," that is, Nimrod. Ge 10:11, where the translation ought to be, "He (Nimrod) went forth into Assyria and builded Nineveh." Modern research into the cuneiform inscriptions confirms the Scripture account that Babylon was founded earlier than Nineveh, and that both cities were built by descendants of Ham, encroaching on the territory assigned to Shem (Ge 10:5, 6, 8, 10, 25).
great city—four hundred eighty stadia in circumference, one hundred fifty in length, and ninety in breadth [Diodorus Siculus, 2.3]. Taken by Arbaces the Mede, in the reign of Sardanapalus, about the seventh year of Uzziah; and a second time by Nabopolassar of Babylon and Cyaxares the Mede in 625 B.C. See on Jon 3:3.
cry—(Isa 40:6; 58:1).
come up before me—(Ge 4:10; 6:13; 18:21; Ezr 9:6; Re 18:5); that is, their wickedness is so great as to require My open interposition for punishment.
3. flee—Jonah's motive for flight is hinted at in Jon 4:2: fear that after venturing on such a dangerous commission to so powerful a heathen city, his prophetical threats should be set aside by God's "repenting of the evil," just as God had so long spared Israel notwithstanding so many provocations, and so he should seem a false prophet. Besides, he may have felt it beneath him to discharge a commission to a foreign idolatrous nation, whose destruction he desired rather than their repentance. This is the only case of a prophet, charged with a prophetical message, concealing it.
from the presence of the Lord—(Compare Ge 4:16). Jonah thought in fleeing from the land of Israel, where Jehovah was peculiarly present, that he should escape from Jehovah's prophecy-inspiring influence. He probably knew the truth stated in Ps 139:7-10, but virtually ignored it (compare Ge 3:8-10; Jer 23:24).
went down—appropriate in going from land to the sea (Ps 107:23).
Joppa—now Jaffa, in the region of Dan; a harbor as early as Solomon's time (2Ch 2:16).
Tarshish—Tartessus in Spain; in the farthest west at the greatest distance from Nineveh in the east.
4. sent out—literally, caused a wind to burst forth. Coverdale translates, "hurled a greate wynde into the see."
5. mariners were afraid—though used to storms; the danger therefore must have been extreme.
cried every man unto his god—The idols proved unable to save them, though each, according to Phœnician custom, called on his tutelary god. But Jehovah proved able: and the heathen sailors owned it in the end by sacrificing to Him (Jon 1:16).
into the sides—that is, the interior recesses (compare 1Sa 24:3; Isa 14:13, 15). Those conscious of guilt shrink from the presence of their fellow man into concealment.
fast asleep—Sleep is no necessary proof of innocence; it may be the fruit of carnal security and a seared conscience. How different was Jesus' sleep on the Sea of Galilee! (Mr 4:37-39). Guilty Jonah's indifference to fear contrasts with the unoffending mariners' alarm. The original therefore is in the nominative absolute: "But as for Jonah, he," &c. Compare spiritually, Eph 5:14.
6. call upon thy God—The ancient heathen in dangers called on foreign gods, besides their national ones (compare Ps 107:28). Maurer translates the preceding clause, "What is the reason that thou sleepest?"
think upon us—for good (compare Ge 8:1; Ex 2:25; 3:7, 9; Ps 40:17).
7. cast lots—God sometimes sanctioned this mode of deciding in difficult cases. Compare the similar instance of Achan, whose guilt involved Israel in suffering, until God revealed the offender, probably by the casting of lots (Pr 16:33; Ac 1:26). Primitive tradition and natural conscience led even the heathen to believe that one guilty man involves all his associates, though innocent, in punishment. So Cicero [The Nature of the Gods, 3.37] mentions that the mariners sailing with Diagoras, an atheist, attributed a storm that overtook them to his presence in the ship (compare Horace's Odes, 3.2.26).
8. The guilty individual being discovered is interrogated so as to make full confession with his own mouth. So in Achan's case (Jos 7:19).
9. I am an Hebrew—He does not say "an Israelite." For this was the name used among themselves; "Hebrew," among foreigners (Ge 40:15; Ex 3:18).
I fear the Lord—in profession: his practice belied his profession: his profession aggravated his guilt.
God … which … made the sea—appropriately expressed, as accounting for the tempest sent on the sea. The heathen had distinct gods for the "heaven," the "sea," and the "land." Jehovah is the one and only true God of all alike. Jonah at last is awakened by the violent remedy from his lethargy. Jonah was but the reflection of Israel's backsliding from God, and so must bear the righteous punishment. The guilt of the minister is the result of that of the people, as in Moses' case (De 4:21). This is what makes Jonah a suitable type of Messiah, who bore the imputed sin of the people.
10. "The men were exceedingly afraid," when made aware of the wrath of so powerful a God at the flight of Jonah.
Why hast thou done this?—If professors of religion do wrong, they will hear of it from those who make no such profession.
11. What shall we do unto thee?—They ask this, as Jonah himself must best know how his God is to be appeased. "We would gladly save thee, if we can do so, and yet be saved ourselves" (Jon 1:13, 14).
12. cast me … into the sea—Herein Jonah is a type of Messiah, the one man who offered Himself to die, in order to allay the stormy flood of God's wrath (compare Ps 69:1, 2, as to Messiah), which otherwise must have engulfed all other men. So Caiaphas by the Spirit declared it expedient that one man should die, and that the whole nation should not perish (Joh 11:50). Jonah also herein is a specimen of true repentance, which leads the penitent to "accept the punishment of his iniquity" (Le 26:41, 43), and to be more indignant at his sin than at his suffering.
13. they could not—(Pr 21:30). Wind and tide—God's displeasure and God's counsel—were against them.
14. for this man's life—that is, for taking this man's life.
innocent blood—Do not punish us as Thou wouldst punish the shedders of innocent blood (compare De 21:8). In the case of the Antitype, Pontius Pilate washed his hands and confessed Christ's innocence, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person." But whereas Jonah the victim was guilty and the sailors innocent, Christ our sacrificial victim was innocent and Pontius Pilate and nil of us men were guilty. But by imputation of our guilt to Him and His righteousness to us, the spotless Antitype exactly corresponds to the guilty type.
thou … Lord, hast done as it pleased thee—That Jonah has embarked in this ship, that a tempest has arisen, that he has been detected by casting of lots, that he has passed sentence on himself, is all Thy doing. We reluctantly put him to death, but it is Thy pleasure it should be so.
15. sea ceased … raging—so at Jesus' word (Lu 8:24). God spares the prayerful penitent, a truth illustrated now in the case of the sailors, presently in that of Jonah, and thirdly, in that of Nineveh.
16. offered a sacrifice—They offered some sacrifice of thanksgiving at once, and vowed more when they should land. Glassius thinks it means only, "They promised to offer a sacrifice."
17. prepared a great fish—not created specially for this purpose, but appointed in His providence, to which all creatures are subservient. The fish, through a mistranslation of Mt 12:40, was formerly supposed to be a whale; there, as here, the original means "a great fish." The whale's neck is too narrow to receive a man. Bochart thinks, the dog-fish, the stomach of which is so large that the body of a man in armor was once found in it [Hierozoicon, 2.5.12]. Others, the shark [Jebb]. The cavity in the whale's throat, large enough, according to Captain Scoresby, to hold a ship's jolly boat full of men. A miracle in any view is needed, and we have no data to speculate further. A "sign" or miracle it is expressly called by our Lord in Mt 12:39. Respiration in such a position could only be by miracle. The miraculous interposition was not without a sufficient reason; it was calculated to affect not only Jonah, but also Nineveh and Israel. The life of a prophet was often marked by experiences which made him, through sympathy, best suited for discharging the prophetical function to his hearers and his people. The infinite resources of God in mercy as well as judgment are prefigured in the devourer being transformed into Jonah's preserver. Jonah's condition under punishment, shut out from the outer world, was rendered as much as possible the emblem of death, a present type to Nineveh and Israel, of the death in sin, as his deliverance was of the spiritual resurrection on repentance; as also, a future type of Jesus' literal death for sin, and resurrection by the Spirit of God.
three days and three nights—probably, like the Antitype, Christ, Jonah was cast forth on the land on the third day (Mt 12:40); the Hebrew counting the first and third parts of days as whole twenty-four hour days.