Jonah 1
1
Jonah Disobeys Yahweh
1One day Yahweh revealed to Jonah, # 1:1 Or “The word of Yahweh came to Jonah.” Jonah means “dove.” Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 and by Jesus in Matt. 12:39–41 and in Luke 11:29–32. According to Jewish tradition, Jonah was the son of the widow of Zarephath, whom Elijah raised from the dead (see 1 Kings 17:8–24). Additionally, Jonah is credited with the anointing of Jehu (see 2 Kings 9:1–10). See Seder Olam Rabbah 18. Amittai’s son, this message: 2“Arise! Leave at once for the great city of Nineveh # 1:2 Nineveh (modern Mosul, Iraq) was the capital and most populous city of the Assyrian Empire. Although Jonah does not give us details of the wickedness of Nineveh, the book of Nahum does (see Nah. 2:12–13; 3:1–5, 19). Some scholars believe the name Nineveh means “city of Ninus,” who was believed to be the mythical founder of Assyria. Others see its meaning as “house of fish” or think the city was named after a fish goddess. Nineveh was for decades the largest city in the known world. Genesis 10:11 states that Nimrod built the city of Nineveh. At least one ancient tradition is that Nineveh was Noah’s hometown. God called Nineveh “great.” and proclaim judgment against her, for the wickedness of her people is staring me in the face.” # 1:2 Or “its evil has ascended before me.” See Ex. 2:23; 1 Sam. 5:12; 2 Kings 19:28; Ps. 74:23; Isa. 37:29; Jer. 14:2.
3But Jonah bolted and ran in the opposite direction, determined to run away from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to the coastal city of Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. He paid his fare, # 1:3 There is always a price to pay for disobedience to God. went down into the hold of the ship, and set sail for Tarshish to flee from the presence of Yahweh. # 1:3 Or “from the face of Yahweh.” It is difficult to be certain of the exact location of Tarshish. Some have suggested the island of Crete, but more likely, Tarshish was the farthest western location known at that time, on the Iberian Peninsula in southern Spain. What stands out is not simply the location of Tarshish but also Jonah’s desire to get as far away as he possibly could from God’s presence. Perhaps Jonah thought that God had given him an impossible task of going alone to an enemy nation and proclaiming her doom. Jonah was filled with fear and unbelief. However, disobedience to God is never an option. 4But Yahweh unleashed a powerful, violent wind on the sea. The ship was caught in such a great tempest that it was in jeopardy of shattering. 5The sailors were terrified. Each of them began to call on his own god for help. # 1:5 These seasoned sailors were all of different nationalities, and each with a god (idol) they worshiped. Sadly, there is no mention yet of Jonah crying out to the true God. In order to lighten the ship they hurled the cargo and tackle overboard. Jonah, however, had gone down below and lain down # 1:5 Notice how many times Jonah went “down.” He went down to Joppa, down below deck, and lay down to sleep. Soon he will go down into the sea and down into the belly of the fish. The path of disobedience is a downward slope. But thankfully for Jonah (and for us), God heard his cry of despair and rescued him. in the hold and was fast asleep. # 1:5 This is not the usual Hebrew word for “sleep” but a word used to denote a deep sleep, often a supernatural sleep. See Gen. 15:12; 1 Sam. 26:12. The Septuagint translates the verb as “snore.” Nothing could be more exhausting than running from God. Jesus also slept during a storm but for a different reason: he was unafraid.
6The captain went below and asked Jonah, “How can you be sleeping so soundly at a time like this? Get up! Call on your god! Maybe he will feel sorry for us # 1:6 Or “he will take notice of us.” and not leave us to die.”
7Then the sailors said to each other, “Come on. Let’s cast lots to find out who is to blame for bringing us this calamity.” # 1:7 In the ancient world, it was commonly believed that a ship could be endangered by having a guilty person on board. They cast lots, and the lot pointed to Jonah. # 1:7 God is radically involved in the world, this time even in the casting of lots. See the calling of Matthias in Acts 1:15–26.
8So they interrogated him. “Tell us,” # 1:8 Some Hebrew manuscripts insert here: “Who is to blame for this disaster?” A few Hebrew and Greek manuscripts leave this sentence out, perhaps because of its repetitive information since the casting of lots revealed that this was Jonah’s fault. they said, “what is the purpose of your journey? Where do you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”
9“I’m a Hebrew,” he replied. “I worship the God of heaven, the Creator of both sea and dry land. His name is Yahweh.” 10Jonah added, “I am his prophet, but I’m trying to escape from him.” # 1:10 Or “The sailors knew that Jonah was running away from Yahweh because he had already told them earlier.”
Hearing this, the sailors were gripped with fear # 1:10 Or “the sailors feared a great fear.” and said, “What terrible thing have you done? # 1:10 Or “What terrible thing did you do [to cause this]?” 11What can we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” Even as they spoke, the storm and waves were getting worse and worse. # 1:11 Or “the sea was walking and storming.”
12Then Jonah said, “It’s all my fault that you are caught in this violent storm. So just pick me up and throw me into the sea, and it will calm down for you.”
13Reluctant to sacrifice Jonah, the sailors rowed frantically trying to return to shore, # 1:13 On the surface, the Hebrew text reads simply “the men rowed to get back to dry land [the shore].” However, the verb used to denote “to row” is a colorful one (chatar), which carries the nuance of “digging into the water with oars.” This implies strenuous effort, hence the appropriate use of the adverbial phrase “frantically trying to return to the shore.” Their labor ended in failure given the turbulent sea they had to contend with. but they got nowhere. All the while, the sea was raging even wilder than before. 14Losing hope, they began to pray to Yahweh and said, “Please, Yahweh, God of Jonah, don’t let us perish on account of Jonah. And don’t hold it against us for throwing this man overboard. For you, Yahweh, have acted in accordance with your will.”
15So the sailors took hold of Jonah and tossed him into the foaming sea. Then all at once, the sea stopped raging. 16Awestruck, the men were gripped with the fear of Yahweh, and they made vows and offered sacrifices to Jonah’s God, Yahweh.
A Huge Fish Swallows Jonah
17Meanwhile, Yahweh directed # 1:17 Or “prepared,” as translated from the Vulgate, Arabic, Syriac, and Targum. In the Hebrew Bible, this verse is the first verse of ch. 2. There are numerous serendipitous events in Jonah: the ship in Joppa going to Tarshish, the surprising storm at sea, and now the fish directed by God to swallow Jonah. Later, the plant, the worm, and the hot wind will also confirm that God was behind all that happened to his prophet. a huge fish to be at that very spot in order to swallow Jonah. # 1:17 It is apparent that God was in control of the sea and the storm, and this verse shows him in control of the huge fish. Whatever kind of fish this was, it was more obedient to God than Jonah was. One ancient Jewish tradition states that God created this unique fish on the fifth day of creation and preserved it in readiness for Jonah. See Pirqe Rabbi Eliezer 10. And Jonah was kept alive in the stomach of the fish # 1:17 The story is replete with miracles. The fish was at the spot where Jonah was thrown overboard and sank into the ocean. The fish swallowed Jonah not to eat him but to shelter him. There are two miracles that may have happened. One, God kept Jonah alive, preserving him from being killed when swallowed and sustaining his life inside the fish. However, it is possible that Jonah died inside the fish and was miraculously resurrected by God (see 2:2). The word for “stomach” could be translated “womb,” a possible reference not to the fish’s belly but to the “womb of the grave.” The God who raised Jesus from the dead after three days could raise Jonah from the dead as well. Regardless, even while running away from God, Jonah experienced the miracle-love of God. for three days and three nights. # 1:17 See Matt. 12:40.
ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡಲಾಗಿದೆ:
Jonah 1: TPT
Highlight
ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ
ಕಾಪಿ
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
The Passion Translation ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ತಿಳಿಯಿರಿ