Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Ver. 1. _Now the word of the Lord came_] Heb. _And the word_ For with that particle "And" the Hebrews sometimes begin a discourse, as Eze 1:1 Leviticus 1:1, an elegance proper to that tongue. Howbeit Hugo Cardinalis maketh this "A... [ Continue Reading ]
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. Ver. 2. _Arise, go to Nineveh_] _Haec est vocatio prophetae,_ saith Oecolampadius: this was the prophet's call, which he should have obeyed without bucking or shucking, delays or disputes, conferri... [ Continue Reading ]
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. Ver. 3. _But Jonah rose up to flee, &c._] _i.e._ He... [ Continue Reading ]
But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Ver. 4. _But the Lord sent out_] Heb. cast forth, _sc._ out of his treasuries, Psalms 135:7, wherehence he sendeth at his pleasure mighty great winds which he (the onl... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that [were] in the ship into the sea, to lighten [it] of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. Ver. 5. _Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man t... [ Continue Reading ]
So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. Ver. 6. _So the shipmaster came unto him_] God might have come himself with his drawn sword (as Baanah and Rechab did upon sleeping Ish... [ Continue Reading ]
And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil [is] upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Ver. 7. _And they said every one to his fellow_] When Jonah had now prayed, and yet the tempest continued, (for we know that Go... [ Continue Reading ]
Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil [is] upon us; What [is] thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what [is] thy country? and of what people [art] thou? Ver. 8. _Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause, &c._] He confessed not till urged and necessitated. Sin... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he said unto them, I [am] an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry [land]._ Ver. 9. _And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew_] _i.e._ A true believer, as was Eber the patriarch, Genesis 10:21, and, after him, Abram the Hebrew, as he is called, Genesi... [ Continue Reading ]
Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Ver. 10. _Then were the men exceedingly afraid_] Heb. with great fear; when once they had heard the business, and weighed the part... [ Continue Reading ]
Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. Ver. 11. _Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee?_] _q.d._ Thou art a prophet of the Lord, and knowest how he may be pacified. Thou art also the party whom h... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest [is] upon you. Ver. 12. _And he said unto them_] More by God's inward revelation than by discourse of reason; not as rashly offering himself to death,... [ Continue Reading ]
Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring [it] to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Ver. 13. _Nevertheless the men rowed_] Heb. digged: for so they that row seem to do with their oars as with spades. Hence also the Latin poets say, that boatmen cut,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee._ Ver. 14. _Wherefore they cried unto the Lord_] Not unto their false gods, but unto the... [ Continue Reading ]
So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Ver. 15. _So they took up Jonah_] Not against his will, but in a sort offering himself to condign punishment. The mariners had tried all ways to save him, till they saw they must either destroy him or be des... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. Ver. 16. _Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly_] Heb. with a great fear. They feared before, John 1:10, with a natural fear; but now they feared Jehovah. They began to bear all awful respect to the D... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Ver. 17. _Now the Lord had prepared a great fish_] A whale, Matthew 12:40, which is a great fish indeed. Pliny tells of one taken that was six hundred feet in length, and... [ Continue Reading ]