NET Bible Text
1:1 The Lord said to Jonah son of Amittai,
1:2 “Go immediately to Nineveh, that large capital city, and announce judgment against its people because their wickedness has come to my attention.”
1:3 Instead, Jonah immediately headed off to Tarshish to escape from the commission of the Lord. He traveled to Joppa and found a merchant ship heading to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard it to go with them to Tarshish far away from the Lord.
1:4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind on the sea. Such a violent tempest arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break up!
1:5 The sailors were so afraid that each cried out to his own god and they flung the ship’s cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold below deck, had lain down, and was sound asleep.
1:6 The ship’s captain approached him and said, “What are you doing asleep? Get up! Cry out to your god! Perhaps your god might take notice of us so that we might not die!”
1:7 The sailors said to one another, “Come on, let’s cast lots to find out whose fault it is that this disaster has overtaken us.” So they cast lots, and Jonah was singled out.
1:8 They said to him, “Tell us, whose fault is it that this disaster has overtaken us? What’s your occupation? Where do you come from? What’s your country? And who are your people?”
1:9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew! And I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
1:10 Hearing this, the men became even more afraid and said to him, “What have you done?” (The men said this because they knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had previously told them.)
1:11 Because the storm was growing worse and worse, they said to him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
1:12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea to make the sea quiet down, because I know it’s my fault you are in this severe storm.”
1:13 Instead, they tried to row back to land, but they were not able to do so because the storm kept growing worse and worse.
1:14 So they cried out to the Lord, “Oh, please, Lord, don’t let us die on account of this man! Don’t hold us guilty of shedding innocent blood. After all, you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.”
1:15 So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging.
1:16 The men feared the Lord greatly, and earnestly vowed to offer lavish sacrifices to the Lord.
1:17 (2:1) The Lord sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Simple Summary
The Lord sends Jonah to Nineveh, but Jonah runs away. God sends a storm to stop him and to show his power over the sea, wind, and life. The sailors fear the Lord, and Jonah is swallowed by a great fish.
What This Passage Means
The Lord gives Jonah a clear command: go to Nineveh and announce judgment, because its wickedness has come before him. Jonah does the opposite. He sails toward Tarshish to escape the Lord’s commission.
The Lord then sends a great storm on the sea. The ship is about to break apart. The sailors cry out to their gods, throw cargo overboard, and cast lots to find the cause of their trouble. The lot falls on Jonah.
Jonah tells them who he is. He says he is a Hebrew and that he worships the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. This makes the sailors even more afraid, because they learn he is fleeing from the Lord.
Jonah admits that the storm is his fault and tells them to throw him into the sea. At first they try to row back to land, but they cannot. Then they pray to the Lord and ask not to be guilty of killing an innocent man. They throw Jonah into the sea, and the storm stops at once.
The sailors then fear the Lord greatly and offer sacrifices to him. The Lord also sends a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah is in the fish for three days and three nights. The Lord is judging Jonah’s rebellion, but he is also preserving him for what comes next.
Important Truths
- The Lord speaks with authority and sends Jonah to Nineveh.
- Jonah runs from the Lord and tries to escape his commission.
- The Lord controls the sea, the wind, and the storm.
- Jonah knows the Lord is the Maker of sea and land, yet he still disobeys.
- The sailors show greater fear of God than Jonah does.
- The Lord stops the storm when Jonah is thrown into the sea.
- The Lord sends a great fish to swallow Jonah and keep him alive.
Warnings, Promises, or Commands
- Warning: Disobedience to the Lord brings real judgment and danger.
- Warning: Knowing true doctrine does not excuse rebellion.
- Warning: Do not treat the casting of lots here as a normal rule for guidance; it functions in this story by God’s providence.
- Command: Obey the Lord’s call rather than running from it.
- Promise: The Lord remains sovereign even in the storm and in the sea.
- Promise: God can preserve life even while he disciplines sin.
How This Fits in God's Plan
This passage belongs to the prophetic life of Israel under the old covenant. It also points beyond Israel, because the Lord’s rule reaches the nations as well as his own people. The sailors’ fear of the Lord shows that God is already at work among the nations. The fish prepares the reader for later deliverance, but it should be read first as part of God’s sovereign discipline of Jonah.
Simple Application
Do not try to run from God’s word. Confess the Lord rightly, but also obey him rightly. When God exposes sin, respond with humility and repentance. Trust that he rules even the hardest circumstances and can use them to correct and preserve his people.