Choosing to Wallow in a Whale.

1:11 וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ מַה־נַּ֣עֲשֶׂה לָּ֔ךְ וְיִשְׁתֹּ֥ק הַיָּ֖ם מֵֽעָלֵ֑ינוּ כִּ֥י הַיָּ֖ם הוֹלֵ֥ךְ וְסֹעֵֽר׃[1]

And they said to him, "What should we do to you so that the sea will stop storming against us" for the sea was getting stormier.

Interestingly, the sailors decide not to act hastily and instead consult Jonah. Once again, we observe the character displayed by these men exceeded that shown by Jonah, who hurriedly ran from God. Yet as Youngblood shows, the preposition אֵלָיו֙ following the verb וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ indicates that the men recognized Jonah as the source of YHWH's wrath.[2]

The final two verbs הוֹלֵ֥ךְ וְסֹעֵֽר׃ are both Qal Participles. הוֹלֵ֥ךְ is joined by waw with the Qal masculine singular participle סֹעֵֽר "To storm." The idiom here expresses both duration and increasing intensity.[3] Thus, the men feared because the storm was getting worse and showed no signs of stopping.

John Sylvan didn’t know what he had.

Sylvan thought there was a market for a device that would brew a single cup of coffee at a time. After much experimentation, he came up with the device and the little plastic cup that would hold the coffee. He and his college roommate decided to name his invention using the Dutch word for excellence: Keurig.

In 2014, more than 9 billion of those little plastic cups were sold, generating more than $4 billion of income, according to a recent issue of The Atlantic. However, Sylvan didn’t receive any of that money; back in 1997, he sold his share of the company for $50,000.

I. The Decision

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם שָׂא֙וּנִי֙ וַהֲטִילֻ֣נִי אֶל־הַיָּ֔ם וְיִשְׁתֹּ֥ק הַיָּ֖ם מֵֽעֲלֵיכֶ֑ם כִּ֚י יוֹדֵ֣עַ אָ֔נִי כִּ֣י בְשֶׁלִּ֔י הַסַּ֧עַר הַגָּד֛וֹל הַזֶּ֖ה עֲלֵיכֶֽם׃[4]1:12

And he said to them, "Lift me up and throw me into the sea and the sea will be calm for you, for I know that for my sake, the great storm is on you."

This decision by Jonah is reminiscent of Pharoah when he asked Moses for “One More Night With The Frogs.”

Exodus 8:8–10 NASB95

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?” Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.

Jonah asked that the men would throw him away and into the sea. It is possible that Jonah recognized his sin, which is the first sign of contrition. His deplorable state had caused him to lose his self-worth, and he had now lost the selfish life he sought to save by fleeing from God's will. Even if he desired to die at this point, he initially ran from God to preserve his own will. This would be in accordance with Mark 8, where Jesus said that whoever seeks to save his life will lose it. This thought is further supported by Jonah's claim that יוֹדֵ֣עַ "I know."

Leesburg says that the hiphil of טוּל was also used to describe how Yahweh first "Hurled" the storm (1:4) and how the sailors jettisoned their cargo (1:5). The solution corresponds with the original problem.[6] Furthermore, the waw copulative can be used to list a series of urgent commands.[7] This signified that Jonah recognized the urgency of the situation. This may prove that Jonah recognized his sinful state and position before Yahweh.

Jonah, although for the first time has acknowledge his sin, is still unwilling to repent and turn to God. Instead, we see that he is more willing to be thrown too sure death than to obey God.

What a sad testimony that his disdain for the Ninevites is so great that he would rather die than serve God.

Furthermore, he would rather die than see them granted life.

II. The Deterrent

וַיַּחְתְּר֣וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים לְהָשִׁ֛יב אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָׁ֖ה וְלֹ֣א יָכֹ֑לוּ כִּ֣י הַיָּ֔ם הוֹלֵ֥ךְ וְסֹעֵ֖ר עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃[8] 1:13

And nevertheless, the men rowed harder to return to the land, but they could not, for the sea was going against them and was stormy.

The storm is reminiscent of Balaam and his donkey in Numbers 22.

Numbers 22:22 NASB95

But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.

God has caused the storm to strengthen so that it may withstand the rowing of the sailors. Yet, they rowed the harder.

Not every obstacle we face is of the devil. Not every missed opportunity is bad. There are times that God allows tings in our lives to act as a hinderance so that He may accomplish His will in our lives.

The qal, participle הוֹלֵ֥ךְ comes from the root הָלַךְ and means to go, to go away, or to depart. The implied action is that the sea was going in an unfavorable direction. This direction was due to the storm. The Qal participle וְסֹעֵ֖ר means stormy. However, Lessing says that it infers that the storm was continuing without necessarily getting worse.[10]

III. The Degradation

וַיִּקְרְא֨וּ אֶל־יְהוָ֜ה וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ אָנָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אַל־נָ֣א נֹאבְדָ֗ה בְּנֶ֙פֶשׁ֙ הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֔ה וְאַל־תִּתֵּ֥ן עָלֵ֖ינוּ דָּ֣ם נָקִ֑יא כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר חָפַ֖צְתָּ עָשִֽׂיתָ׃[11] 1:14

And they cried to Yahweh and said, "We ask you Yahweh, do not let us die, and we ask you to not lay this man's innocent blood against us, for you, Yahweh, do what pleases you."

The phrase אֶל־יְהוָ֜ה "To Yahweh" shows that the sailors specifically called to Yahweh and not their gods. Interestingly, despite Jonah running from God, his life has caused men to call upon the name of Yahweh. Thus, it can be seen that the call of the Lord was upon the life of Jonah, even as he fled from the face of Yahweh.

The word אָנָּ֤ה is a strong participle of entreaty that can be rendered beseech or pray. Lessing states that the same invocation is used in several passages and is sometimes a matter of life and death.[12] Tucker says that it frequently appears at the opening of laments, suggesting the tenor of prayer.[13]

It seems that the sailors were running on the assumption that they were justified in the death of Jonah or at least requesting that they would be justified. This request appears to be brought out of a concern for life and to maintain their innocence. Lessing says that it is possible the sailors were quoting Deut. 21:8

Deuteronomy 21:8 NASB95

‘Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O Lord, and do not place the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.’ And the bloodguiltiness shall be forgiven them.

The irony is that the non-Jews were more concerned with life than Jonah.

IV. The Deliverance

וַיִּשְׂאוּ֙ אֶת־יוֹנָ֔ה וַיְטִלֻ֖הוּ אֶל־הַיָּ֑ם וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד הַיָּ֖ם מִזַּעְפּֽוֹ׃[16] 1:15

And they lifted up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.

God’s will had been accomplished and there was no longer a need for the storm.

Although the sea was raging it was not the sea that was angry but rather God who used the sea asa tool of his anger.

The sailors were spared because Gods anger had been satisfied.

John 3:36 NKJV

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Romans 5:9 NASB95

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Just as the sailors were saved from destruction because Gods wrath had been satisfied. We are saved from hell because the wrath of God was satisfied through the death of Jesus.

Jonah chose to disobey God and meet death, while the sailors obeyed and found life.

The opening verb וַיִּשְׂאוּ֙ is a qal wayyiqtol. This return to the narrative form stands in contrast to the politeness of the sailor's prayer.

Youngblood says that the effects were immediate. Although the Bible does not provide a timeline, the context does lead the reader to assume that the results were instant. For example, Lessing said that זַּעְפּֽוֹ appears only five other times in the O.T., and each time references a person (or Yahweh's) anger. Thus, the Lord's anger was finished when Jonah was thrown overboard. Therefore, there was no longer a need for the storm.

We also see that the final word is מִזַּעְפּֽוֹ with a root word זַעַף. This root word means rage, storming, or indignation. Therefore, we can see that the rage, or indignation, of Yahweh had been satisfied. The word מִזַּעְפּֽו is a Qal infinitive construct and means to become angry. However, the context tells us that this translation is incorrect, and therefore a simple translation of its raging carries the same message in English.

V. The Devotion

1:16 (Eng. 2:1) וַיִּֽירְא֧וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֛ים יִרְאָ֥ה גְדוֹלָ֖ה אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה וַיִּֽזְבְּחוּ־זֶ֙בַח֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וַֽיִּדְּר֖וּ נְדָרִֽים׃[20]

And the men feared Yahweh greatly and offered sacrifice to Yahweh and made vows.

We see that verse sixteen begins the same way as verse ten. However, as Tucker pointed out, in verse ten, the men feared because of the storm, and in verse sixteen, they feared because the storm had stopped.[21] We see the word fear show itself as a verb יָרֵאand as a noun יִרְאָ֥ה. The opening phrase could be translated as "And the men feared, exceedingly fearful." Although this does not make sense in English, it does show an extreme amount of fear.

They offered sacrifice זֶ֙בַח֙ and made vows נְדָרִֽים. Simon points out that the noun זֶ֙בַח֙ is a singular noun.[22] This singular form shows a single sacrifice made by all the boats' men. They took, possibly, an animal reserved for food and offered it to Yahweh. By contrast, the noun נְדָרִֽים is a plural form. This signifies that each man made his vow unto Yahweh.

Lessing offers a different interpretation of the word יָרֵא is directed to God in faith and, therefore, should be translated as worship. He goes on to say that because Hebrew normally places the cognate accusative as close as possible to the verb of the same root, יִרְאָ֥ה גְדוֹלָ֖ה is the first direct object, and אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה is placed asyndetically at the end of the clause. By contrast, English requires placing the second direct object first. This would lead to a translation of, "The men worshiped Yahweh with great worship."[23] Lessing's view indicated that these sailors turned from their pagan gods to worship Yahweh. However, when viewing this passage within its context and the wording of Jonah's prayer from within the fish's belly, it seems more likely that the men may have prayed to God but did not forsake their other gods.