Jonah 1.6-The Ship's Captain Questions Jonah As To Why He Slept And Requests That He Call On His God To Deliver The Ship
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday September 16, 2010
Jonah: Jonah 1:6-The Ship’s Captain Questions Jonah As To Why He Slept And Requests That He Call On His God To Deliver The Ship
Lesson # 10
Please turn in your Bibles to Jonah 1:1.
This evening we will continue with our study of the second scene in the book of Jonah, which is contained in Jonah 1:4-16 by noting Jonah 1:6.
In this passage, each of the crew members cries out to their gods and hurls the ship’s cargo overboard in an attempt to appease these gods while Jonah is sound asleep down below the ship’s deck.
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.’” (NASB)
“So the captain approached him” indicates the next sequential action that takes place on the ship carrying Jonah to Tarshish while it is in the midst of this great storm caused by the Lord.
“The captain” is the masculine singular construct form of the noun rǎḇ (רַב) (rab), which is correctly translated referring to the individual who is the supreme authority on this merchant ship to Tarshish.
Not translated is the articular masculine singular qal active participle form of the verb ḥō∙ḇēl (חֹבֵל) (khay-bel), which means “sailor” or “linesmen” because their job was to tend to the lines attached to the mast and sail of the ship.
The word is a collective singular designating the entire crew of this merchant ship heading to Tarshish.
“Approached” is the third person masculine singular qal active imperfect form of the verb qā∙rǎḇ (קָרַב) (kaw-rab), which means “to advance” referring to linear motion very near to a reference point, which in our context is Jonah.
Thus, the word indicates the captain of the crew “approaching” Jonah to question him as to why he was sleeping in the midst of the great storm.
“How is it that you are sleeping?” is an elliptical rhetorical question that expresses the captain’s contempt and indignation that Jonah was sound asleep during the midst of this great storm that threatened the lives of everyone on board the ship.
It expresses the captain’s contempt and indignation that Jonah would not be praying to his god as indicated by his question.
The question expresses the captain’s indignation and contempt toward Jonah with regards to his failure to act by praying to his god.
“Are sleeping” is the masculine singular niphil passive participle form of the verb rā∙ḏǎm (רָדַם) (raw-dam), which appeared in verse 4.
It appears only six times in the Old Testament always in the niphil form and means “to be in a deep sleep.”
This word reflects the third stage in Jonah’s descent in his rebellion against the Lord.
“It generally describes a trancelike state or deep sleep, such as experienced by Daniel when he had his visions of the end time interpreted to him by angelic figures.” (Dan 8:18; 10:9) (Concordia Commentary: Jonah, page 104)
Jonah 1:6, “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.’”
“Get up” is the second person masculine singular qal active imperative form of the verb qûm (קוּם) (koom), which means “to get up, stand up” or in other words become in a standing position.
Therefore the captain is commanding Jonah to get up from his bed or cot. It is used with ironic effect since the Lord gave this same command to Jonah in verse 2.
“Call” is the second person masculine singular qal active imperative form of the verb qā∙rā(ʾ) (קָרָא) (kaw-raw), which means “to cry out urgently for help” and is a reference to prayer.
Like the verb qûm this verb is used with ironic effect since the Lord used it along with the former in verse 2.
The captain is commanding Jonah to draw his god’s attention with a loud voice in order to establish contact with this god so as to save the lives of everyone on the ship.
The NET Bible has the following comment on this verb, they write, “The imperatives ‘arise!’ and ‘cry out!’ are repeated from v. 2 for ironic effect. The captain’s words would have rung in Jonah’s ears as a stinging reminder that the Lord had uttered them once before. Jonah was hearing them again because he had disobeyed them before.”
Jonah 1:6, “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.’”
“Perhaps” is the adverb ʾû∙lǎy (אוּלַי) (oo-lah’ee), which is a marker of uncertainty but with an expectancy that something positive will help and expresses the captain’s hope that Jonah’s god would deliver the ship from the great storm.
“Your god” is the articular masculine plural construct form of the noun ʾělō∙hîm (אֱלֹהִים) (el-o-heem), which means “god” since the word is a plural of majesty referring to the heathen god of Jonah’s choice from the perspective of the heathen captain.
“Will be concerned about us” is composed of the third person masculine singular hithpael middle imperfect form of the verb ʿā∙šǎṯ (עָשַׁת) (aw-shath), “will be concerned” and the preposition le (לְ) (le), “about” and the first person plural pronomial suffix ʾǎnǎḥ∙nû (אֲנַחְנוּ) (anaw-new), “us.”
The verb ʿā∙šǎṯ means “to act favorably towards someone” in the sense of “delivering them from danger as a figurative extension of a person seeing and responding to a situation.” (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament)
This indicates that the ship’s captain is expressing his hope that Jonah’s god will respond to their life threatening situation at sea and deliver him and the crew from death.
John Hartley writes, “The verb is used in reference to God’s considering favorably the desperate condition of people on board a ship that was about to be torn apart by a mighty storm (Jon 1:6).” (New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, volume 3, page 562)
Jonah 1:6, “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.’”
“So that we will not perish” is a result clause indicating the hope that Jonah’s god will deliver the ship from the storm “as a result of” Jonah crying out for help to his god.
“We will not perish” is composed of the first person plural qal active imperfect form of the verb ʾā∙ḇǎḏ (אָבַד) (aw-bad), “we will perish” and the negative particle lō(ʾ) (לֹא) (low), “not.”
The verb ʾā∙ḇǎḏ means “to die” and of course refers in context to the death of all the inhabitants of the ship bound for Tarshish.
The negative particle lō(ʾ) is a marker of emphatic negation indicating that the captain hopes that Jonah’s god will desire to deliver the lives of all those on board the ship so that they will “by no means” die.
The captain’s words and actions are a rebuke to Jonah.
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.
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.
Julius Bewer writes, “In such fearful danger every one must do his share, no one must be idle. Since the sailors were doing all they could to save the ship, the only thing that Jonah could do was to pray. What a scene! The heathen sailor admonishes the Heb. prophet to pray!” (A Critical And Exegetical Commentary on Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and Jonah; page 33)