1 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, 2 "Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it, because their wickedness has risen up before me." 3 But Jonah got up to run away from the presence of Yahweh and go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and boarded the ship to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of Yahweh.
4 But Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea and it became a mighty storm on the sea. Soon it appeared that the ship was going to be broken up. 5 Then the sailors became very afraid and each man cried out to his own god. They threw the ship's cargo into the sea to lighten it. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was lying there deeply asleep.
6 So the captain came to him and said to him, "What are you doing sleeping? Get up! Call upon your god! Maybe your god will notice us and we will not perish."
7 Each man said to his neighbor, "Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know who is the cause of this evil that is happening to us." So they threw lots, and the lot fell to Jonah.
8 Then they said to Jonah, "Please tell us who is the cause of this evil that is happening to us. What is your occupation, and where did you come from? What is your country, and from which people are you?" 9 Jonah 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 the men were even more afraid and said to Jonah, "What is this that you have done?" For the men knew that he was running away from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.
11 Then they said to Jonah, "What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?" For the sea became more and more stormy. 12 Jonah said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great storm is happening to you."
13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get themselves back to the land, but they could not do it because the sea was becoming more and more violent against them.
14 Therefore they cried out to Yahweh and said, "We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, do not let us perish on account of this man's life, and do not put innocent blood on us, because you, Yahweh, have done just as it pleased you." 15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. 16 Then the men feared Yahweh very much. They offered a sacrifice to Yahweh and made vows.
17 Now Yahweh had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
The narrative of this chapter starts abruptly. This could cause difficulty for the translator. The translator should not attempt to smooth this introduction unless absolutely necessary.
In verse Jonah 17, there is the mention of "a great fish." It may be difficult to imagine a sea creature big enough to swallow a man whole and who then survives for three days and nights inside. Translators should not try to explain miraculous events in an attempt to make it easier to understand. (See: miracle)
There is an ironic situation in this chapter. Jonah is a prophet of God and should endeavor to do God's will. Instead, he is running away from God. Although the Gentile sailors are not Israelites, they act out of faith and fear of Yahweh when sending Jonah to a "certain death" by throwing him overboard. (See:, prophet and willofgod and faith)
People in the ancient Near East also saw the sea as chaotic and did not trust it. Some of the gods they worshiped were gods of the sea. Jonah's people, the Hebrews, feared the sea greatly. However, Jonah's fear of Yahweh was not enough to keep him from going into a ship and sailing to get away from Yahweh. His actions are contrasted by the actions of the Gentiles. (See: and fear)
Even though no one knows for sure where Tarshish was, the writer assumes that the reader knows that Jonah had to face away from Nineveh to go there.
This is an idiom that means Yahweh spoke. "Yahweh spoke his message"
"the message of Yahweh"
This is the name of God that he revealed to his people in the Old Testament. See the translationWord page about Yahweh concerning how to translate this.
This is the name of Jonah's father.
"Go to the important city of Nineveh"
This is a common expression for traveling to distant places.
God is referring to the people of the city. Alternate translation: "warn the people"
"I know they have been continually sinning"
"ran away from Yahweh." "got up" is referring to Jonah leaving where he was.
Here Yahweh is represented by his presence.
"and went to Tarshish." Tarshish was in the opposite direction to Nineveh. This can be made explicit. Alternate translation: "went in the opposite direction, toward Tarshish"
"Jonah went to Joppa"
A "ship" is a very large type of boat that can travel on the sea and carry many passengers or heavy cargo.
"There Jonah paid for the trip"
"got on the ship"
The word "them" refers to the others who were going on the ship.
Here Yahweh is represented by his presence. Alternate translation: "away from Yahweh"
It can be made explicit who thought the ship would be broken up. Alternate translation: "The men thought"
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "to break apart"
the men who worked on the ship
Here "god" refers to false gods and idols that people worship.
"The men threw the heavy things off the ship." This was done to keep the ship from sinking.
Making the ship lighter would make if float better. Alternate translation: "to help the ship float better"
Jonah did this before the storm started.
"inside the ship"
"was lying there fast asleep" or "was lying there and sleeping deeply." For this reason, the storm did not wake him up.
"The man in charge of the ship went to Jonah and said"
"Why are you sleeping?" He used this rhetorical question to scold Jonah. Alternate translation: "Stop sleeping!"
This refers to doing some activity. For Jonah, the Captain is telling him to wake up and pray to his god for safe passage.
"Pray to your god!" "Call" refers to getting the attention of someone.
The implicit information that Jonah's god might save them could be made explicit. Alternate translation: "Maybe your god will hear and save us so that we will not die"
"The sailors all said to each other"
"We should cast lots to know who has caused this trouble." The men believed that the gods would control how the lots fell in order to tell them what they wanted to know. This was a form of divination.
This refers to the terrible storm.
"the lot showed that Jonah was the guilty person"
"Then the men who were working on the ship said to Jonah"
"Who caused this bad thing that is happening to us?"
The word "fear" refers Jonah having a deep respecting God.
The men on the ship used this rhetorical question to show how angry they were at Jonah. Alternate translation: "You have done a terrible thing."
Here Yahweh is represented by his presence. Jonah was seeking to escape Yahweh as if Yahweh was present only in the land of Israel. Alternate translation: "Jonah was running away from Yahweh"
What he told them can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: "because he had said to them, 'I am trying to get away from Yahweh.'"
"the men on the ship said to Jonah" or "the sailors said to Jonah"
"do with you in order to make the sea become calm"
This was the reason that the men asked Jonah what they should do. This reason can also be put at the beginning of verse 11, as in the UDB. "Then, because the sea became more and more stormy, they said to Jonah, 'What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?'"
"because I know this huge storm is my fault"
The men did not want to throw Jonah into the sea, so they rowed hard as if they were digging into the water to get back to land.
"the storm became worse, and the waves became bigger"
Even though the men knew that Jonah was guilty of sin against Yahweh, they thought they would be guilty of murder if they threw him off the boat.
"Because of this" or "Because the sea became more violent"
"the men prayed to Yahweh"
"Please do not kill us because we caused this man to die" or "We are going to cause this man to die. But please do not kill us"
Blood is a metonym for the death of a person, and to put or lay blood on people is to make them responsible for that person's death. Alternate translation: "do not make us responsible for the death of an innocent man"
"the sea stopped moving violently" or "the sea became calm"
"became greatly awed at Yahweh's power"
Some versions number this verse as the first verse of chapter 2. You may want to number the verses according to the main version that your language group uses.
This word is used in English to introduce a new part of the story.
"three days and nights"
"I called out to Yahweh about my distress
and he answered me;
from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help!
You heard my voice.
3 You had thrown me into the depths,
into the heart of the seas,
and the currents surrounded me;
all your waves and billows
passed over me.
4 I said, 'I am driven out
from before your eyes;
yet I will again look
toward your holy temple.'
5 The waters closed around me up to my neck;
the deep was all around me;
seaweed wrapped around my head.
6 I went down to the bases of the mountains;
the earth with its bars closed upon me forever.
Yet you brought up my life from the pit,
Yahweh, my God!
7 When my soul fainted within me,
I called Yahweh to mind;
then my prayer came to you
to your holy temple.
8 They give attention to meaningless gods
while they abandon covenant faithfulness.
9 But as for me, I will sacrifice to you
with a voice of thanksgiving;
I will fulfill that which I have vowed.
Salvation comes from Yahweh!"
10 Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah upon the dry land.
This chapter begins with a prayer by Jonah, and many translators have chosen to set it apart by setting its lines farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text. Translators can follow this practice, but they are not obligated to.
This chapter contains many terms from the sea.
Prayers in Scripture often contain a poetic form. Poetry frequently uses metaphors to communicate something with a special meaning. For example, since Jonah was in a fish in the sea, being trapped is compared to a prison. Jonah is overwhelmed by the depth of the sea and expresses this by speaking about the at the "base of the mountains" and in the "belly of Sheol."
Scholars are divided over whether Jonah's repentance was genuine or whether he was trying to save his life. In light of his attitude in chapter 4, it is uncertain if he was genuinely repentant. If possible, it is best for translators to avoid making a definitive stance on whether Jonah's repentance was genuine. (See: repent and save)
This means "Yahweh, the God he worshiped." The word "his" does not mean that Jonah owned God.
"Jonah said"
"I prayed to Yahweh about my great trouble." Even though Jonah was praying to Yahweh, he used Yahweh's name here and not "you." Alternate translation: "Yahweh, I called out to you about my distress"
"Yahweh responded to me" or "he helped me"
"from the center of Sheol" or "from the deep part of Sheol." Possible meanings are 1) Jonah was speaking as being in the belly of the whale was being in Sheol or 2) Jonah believed that he was about to die and go to Sheol or 3) He spoke as if he already had died and gone there.
This is a continuation of Jonah's prayer that started in Jonah 2:2. In verse 4 Jonah spoke of something he had prayed before this prayer.
This speaks of the vastness of the ocean Jonah was in.
"to the bottom of the sea"
"the sea water closed in around me"
These are disturbances on the surface of the ocean.
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "You have driven me away" or "You have sent me away"
Here Yahweh is represented by his "eyes." Alternate translation: "from you"
Jonah has hope that, in spite of all he is going through, he will see the temple.
This is a continuation of Jonah's prayer that started in Jonah 2:2.
"The waters" refers to the sea.
Some versions understand the Hebrew word in this expression to mean "my life." In that interpretation, the waters were about to take away Jonah's life.
"the deep water was all around me"
grass that grows in the sea
Jonah used a metaphor to compare the earth to a prison. Alternate translation: "the earth was like a prison that was about to lock me in forever"
Jonah speaks of the place of the dead as if it were a pit. Alternate translation: "But you saved my life from the place of the dead" or "But you saved me from the place where the dead people are"
In some languages, it may be more natural to put this at the beginning of the sentence or next to the word "you."
This is a continuation of Jonah's prayer that started in Jonah 2:2.
Since Jonah was praying to Yahweh, it might be more clear in some languages to say "I thought about you, Yahweh" or "Yahweh, I thought about you."
Jonah speaks as if his prayers could travel to God and his temple. Alternate translation: "then you in your holy temple heard my prayer"
"People pay attention to meaningless gods"
Possible meanings are 1) "they stop being faithful" or 2) "they reject your mercy"
This is a continuation of Jonah's prayer that started in Jonah 2:2.
This expression in English shows that there is a contrast between the people Jonah had just spoken about and himself. They paid attention to useless gods, but he would worship Yahweh. Alternate translation: "But I"
This means that Jonah would thank God while he offered a sacrifice to him. It is not clear whether Jonah planned to thank God by singing or shouting joyfully.
"I will do what I said I would do"
This can be reworded so that the abstract noun "salvation" is expressed as the verb "save." "Yahweh is the one who saves people"
"upon the ground" or "onto the shore"
1 The word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I command you to give." 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was a very large city, one of three days' journey. 4 Jonah began to enter the city and after a day's journey he called out and said, "In forty days Nineveh will be overthrown." 5 The people of Nineveh believed God and they proclaimed a fast. They all put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them down to the least of them. 6 Soon the news reached the king of Nineveh. He rose up from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 He sent out a proclamation that said, "In Nineveh, by the authority of the king and his nobles: 'Do not let any man or animal, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not eat, nor drink water. 8 But let both man and animal be covered with sackcloth and let them cry out loudly to God. Let each one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may relent and change his mind and turn away from his fierce anger so that we do not perish.'"
10 God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil ways. So then God changed his mind about the punishment that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
This chapter returns to a narrative of Jonah's life.
According to the king's proclamation, the animals had to participate in the fast he ordered. This most likely reflects their pagan mindset. There was nothing in the law of Moses that instructed the people to have the animals participate in any religious acts. (See: lawofmoses)
When the author talks about the size of Nineveh, the measurements he gives are confusing. The phrase "three days' journey" is ambiguous in Hebrew, as many scholars have remarked. In Jonah's day, cities were not as big as they are today. So although Nineveh was a big city, it was not as big as most modern cities.
The last verse of this chapter says, "So then God changed his mind about the punishment that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it." This concept of God changing his mind may be troubling for some translators and people may struggle to understand it. God's character is consistent. This whole book is written from a human viewpoint and so it is hard to understand the mind of God.
Yahweh is just and merciful so even though God did not follow through with a judgment in this instance, God's plan is always to punish evil. Later in history this nation did fall and was destroyed. (See: justice, mercy and judge and evil)
This is an idiom that means Yahweh spoke. See how you translated this in [Jonah 1:1]
"Go to the important city of Nineveh"
This refers to leaving the place one is at.
"tell the people what I tell you to tell them"
Here "word" represents Yahweh's message. Alternate translation: "the message of Yahweh"
"This time Jonah obeyed Yahweh and went to Nineveh"
"Jonah left the beach." The words "got up" refer to preparing to go somewhere.
This word is used here to mark a change from the story to information about Nineveh.
"a city of three days' journey." A person had to walk for three days to completely go through it.
Possible meanings are 1) "after Jonah walked a day's journey he called out" or 2) "while Jonah walked on the first day, he called out."
"after a day's walk." A day's journey is the distance that people would normally travel in one day. Alternate translation: "after Jonah walked for one day"
"he proclaimed" or "he shouted"
"40 days"
Why people put on sackcloth can be stated more clearly. Alternate translation: "They also put on coarse cloth to show that they were sorry for having sinned"
"from the most significant to the least significant people" or "including all the important people and all the unimportant people"
"Jonah's message"
"He got up from his throne" or "He stood up from his throne." The king left his throne to show that he was acting humbly.
A throne is a chair that the king sits on. It shows that he is the king.
"He sent out an official announcement that said" or "He sent his messengers to announce to the people in Nineveh"
important men who helped the king rule the city
This refers to two kinds of animals that people care for. Alternate translation: "cattle or sheep"
"They must not eat nor drink anything." The reason they were not to eat or drink anything can be made explicit by adding "in order to show that they are sorry for their sins."
This is a continuation of what the king told the people of Nineveh.
"Let both"
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "let people and animals wear sackcloth" or "let people cover themselves and their animals with sackcloth"
The word "animal" refers to animals that people own.
"pray earnestly to God." What they were to pray for can be made explicit. Alternate translation: "cry out loudly to God and ask for mercy"
This means "the violent things that he does"
The king used this rhetorical question to get the people to think about something that they might not have thought possible, that if they would stop sinning, God might not kill them. It could be translated as a statement: "We do not know." Or it could be stated as a word and be part of the next sentence: "Perhaps."
"God may decide to do something different" or "God may not do what he said he will do"
"we do not die." Here perish equates to drowning at sea.
"God saw what they did" or "God understood that they had stopped doing evil actions"
The author speaks of the people stop sinning as if they turned their back to an object.
Here God deciding not to do the punishment he had planned is spoken of is if he changed his mind. Alternate translation: "God changed his thinking about the punishment that he had said he would do to them" or "God decided not to punish them as he had said he would"
What God was to do can be made explicit. Alternate translation: "he did not punish them" or "he did not destroy them"
1 But this displeased Jonah and he became very angry. 2 So Jonah prayed to Yahweh and said, "Ah, Yahweh, is this not just what I said when I was back in my own country? That is why I acted first and tried to flee to Tarshish—because I knew that you are a gracious God, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and you hold back from sending disaster. 3 Therefore now, Yahweh, I beg you, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." 4 Yahweh said, "Is it good that you are so angry?" 5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made a shelter and sat under it in the shade so that he could see what might become of the city.
6 Yahweh God appointed a plant and made it grow up over Jonah so that it might be a shade over his head to relieve him of his distress. Jonah was very glad because of the plant. 7 But God appointed a worm at sunrise the next morning. It attacked the plant and the plant withered. 8 It came about that when the sun rose the next morning, God appointed a hot east wind. Also, the sun beat down on Jonah's head and he became faint. Then Jonah wished that he might die. He said to himself, "It is better for me to die than to live." 9 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it good that you are so angry about the plant?" Then Jonah said, "It is good that I am angry, even to death." 10 Yahweh said, "You have had compassion for the plant, for which you have not labored, nor did you make it grow. It grew up in a night and died in a night. 11 So as for me, should I not have compassion for Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 people who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left hand, and also many animals?"
Jonah continues the narrative while bringing the book to what seems like an unusual end. This emphasizes that the book is not really about Jonah. It is about God's desire to be merciful on anyone, whether Jew or pagan. (See: mercy)
It is important to see the relationship between a prophet and Yahweh. Aprophet was to prophesy for Yahweh, and his words must come true. According to the law of Moses, if that did not happen, the penalty was death. When Jonah told the city of Nineveh that it was going to be destroyed in forty days, he was certain it was going to happen. When it did not happen, Jonah was angry with God because he hated the people of Nineveh. (See: prophet and lawofmoses)
As in other places, Jonah asks rhetorical questions to show how angry he was at Yahweh.
In verse 2, Jonah attributes a series of characteristics to God. A Jewish reader of this book would recognize this as a formula Moses used in speaking about God when he was meeting God on Mount Sinai.
When Jonah went outside the city, he got very hot and God graciously provided some relief through the plant. God was trying to teach Jonah through an object lesson. It is important for the reader to see this clearly. (See: grace)
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The word "Ah" expresses Jonah's feeling of frustration.
Jonah used this rhetorical question to show God how angry he was. Also, what Jonah said when he was back in his own country can be stated explicitly. Alternate translation: "When I was still in my own country I knew that if I warned the people of Nineveh, they would repent, and you would not destroy them"
This was Jonah's reason for going to Tarshish instead of to Nineveh. He did not want to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there, because he did not want them to turn from their sins, and he did not want God to be kind to them.
The abstract noun "love" can be expressed with the verb "love." Alternate translation: "always willing to love people without ceasing"
God sends disaster on sinners to punish them. But if sinners repent from their sin, he forgives them and does not send disaster. This implicit information can be expressed more clearly. Alternate translation: "you forgive people and do not send disaster on them"
Jonah's reason for wanting to die can be stated explicitly. Alternate translation: "since you will not destroy Nineveh as you said you would, please allow me to die"
"I would prefer to die than live" or "because I want to die. I do not want to live"
God used this rhetorical question to scold Jonah for being angry about something he should not have been angry about. Alternate translation: "Your anger is not good."
"left the city of Nineveh"
"what would happen to the city." Jonah wanted to see if God would destroy the city or not destroy it.
"over Jonah's head for shade"
"to keep Jonah from suffering from the heat of the sun"
"God sent a worm"
"The worm chewed the plant"
The plant became dry and died. Alternate translation: "the plant died"
God caused a hot wind from the east to blow on Jonah. If in your language wind can only mean a cool or cold wind, then you may need to use a different word. Alternate translation: "God sent a very hot warmth from the east to Jonah"
"the sun was very hot"
Jonah may have felt the heat most on his head. Alternate translation: "on Jonah"
"he became very weak" or "he lost his strength"
"I would prefer to die than live" or "Because I want to die. I do not want to live." See how you translated this in Jonah 4:3.
God challenges Jonah for being angry that the plant died and yet wanted God to kill the people of Nineveh. Alternate translation: "Your anger about the plant dying is not good."
implicit information can be made explicit. Alternate translation: "You should be more concerned about the people in Nineveh dying than about the plant dying."
"It is good that I am angry. Now I am angry enough to die!"
It may be helpful to say that Yahweh was speaking to Jonah. Alternate translation: "Yahweh said to Jonah"
God used this question to emphasize his claim that he should have compassion on Nineveh. Alternate translation: "I certainly should have compassion for Nineveh, that important city ... animals."
This can also be the beginning of a new sentence. Alternate translation: "There are more" or "It has more"
This may be a way of saying "they cannot tell the difference between right and wrong."
The author is pointing out the depth of Nineveh's repentance to the extent that Yahweh takes note of the animals' participation in the act of repentance.