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Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Jonah 1:13

Rowed hard. — This is a sufficient rendering of the Hebrew verb, though it misses the metaphor. In every other instance of its use the word refers to the violence employed in breaking through a wall or enclosure. (See Ezekiel 8:8; Ezekiel 12:5; Ezekiel 12:7; Job 24:16; Amos 9:2; and compare the use of the derivative noun in Exodus 22:2; Jeremiah 2:34.) The figure of forcing the ship through the great wave wall is very striking. The Latin infindere sulcos and our ploughing the main are kindred metaphors.

It is a fine trait in these sailors that they will not obey the prophet’s request to throw him overboard till all efforts to save the ship have been tried.

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See also Jonah 1:13 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Jonah 1:13. _THE MEN ROWED HARD_] Were very unwilling to proceed to this extremity, and thought they would risk every thing rather than cast this disobedient prophet into the great deep....

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    THE MEN ROWED HARD - , literally “dug.” The word, like our “plowed the main,” describes the great efforts which they made. Amid the violence of the storm, they had furled their sails. These were worse...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS CHAPTER 1 The Commission of the Prophet ,His Disobedience, and the Consequences _ 1. The commission (John 1:1) _ 2. The disobedience (John 1:3) 3. The consequences (John...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    JONAH 1:1 TO JONAH 2:1; JONAH 2:10. JONAH VAINLY SEEKS TO EVADE THE MISSION TO WHICH GOD APPOINTS HIM. Jonah is bidden by Yahweh to proclaim judgment on Nineveh for its sin, but he hurries in the oppo...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    ROWED HARD. The tackling had gone. See note on "wares", Jonah 1:5. BRING IT. bring it back....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _rowed hard_ Lit., DIGGED. The word is used for digging or breaking through a wall, Job 24:16; Ezekiel 12:5; Ezekiel 12:7. The figurative use of it does not occur again in the O.T., where, as has been...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Jonah's Punishment. The Storm and its consequences No sooner does Jonah decide upon his course of action and think himself now secure of its accomplishment, than God arrests him by the judgment of th...

  • Charles Box Commentaries

    _OUR SIN HURTS OTHERS -- JONAH 1:11-14:_ Jonah's sins had caused trouble for several other people. They were hurting because of his wrong. Their situation was bad and the sea was becoming more violent...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    GOD'S MESSENGER RUNNING FROM GODTHE CHASTENING OF JEHOVAH TEXT: Jonah 1:11-17 11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and mor...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. NEVERTHELESS THE MEN ROWED HARD TO BRING IT TO THE LAND; BUT THEY...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE DISOBEDIENCE OF JONAH 2. Nineveh] the world-famous capital of Assyria, on the Tigris. For its wickedness cp. Nahum 3. 3. Jonah seeks to escape from the unwelcome task, both because he hates the N...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE MAN WHO DISAGREED WITH GOD JONAH _MARK KIRKPATRICK_ INTRODUCTION The book does not say who wrote it. It is unlikely that Jonah was the author. This is because the story is not very favourable...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יַּחְתְּר֣וּ הָ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים לְ הָשִׁ֛יב אֶל

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE GREAT REFUSAL John 1:1 WE have now laid clear the lines upon which the Book of Jonah was composed. Its purpose is to illustrate God's grace to the heathen in face of His people's refusal to fulfi...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    FLEEING FROM GOD AND DUTY John 1:1-16 Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. He was clearly very patriotic, and did not despair of his country in its darkest days. This commission to Nineveh was theref...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    In narrating his own experience on his mission to Nineveh, Jonah intended to teach his people the lesson of the inclusiveness of the divine government, and thus to rebuke their exclusive attitude towa...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Hard. They were unwilling to destroy the prophet, (Calmet) fearing to incur fresh guilt by thus treating one who had intrusted his life to them. (Josephus, Antiquities ix. 11.)_...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    This is a beautiful part of the history. The modest enquiries of the mariners; the honesty of Jonah; the reluctances in the minds of the ship's-company to cast Jonah into the sea; their cry unto the L...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    Lectures on the Minor Prophets. W. Kelly. The most cursory reader can hardly avoid seeing that Jonah has a peculiar place among the prophets. There is none more intensely Jewish; yet his prophecy was...

  • John Brown Commentaries Selected Books of the Bible

    Jonah the Sleeper I. INTRODUCTION A. Last week we began our study of the book of Jonah. 1. As usual, we did a brief background study and you might remember that I shared with you that this little b...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    This verse shows that the sailors and the rest were more inclined to mercy, when they saw that the holy Prophet was willing to undergo the punishment which he had deserved. When therefore, he confesse...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Introduction to Jonah Nineveh-which represents the world in its natural greatness, full of pride and iniquity, regardless of God and of His authority-had deserved the righteous judgment of God. This i...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    NEVERTHELESS, THE MEN ROWED HARD TO BRING [IT] TO THE LAND, BUT THEY COULD NOT,.... Or, "they digged" l; that is, the waters of the sea with their oars; not by casting anchor, as Abendana; they used...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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 t...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Nevertheless, the men rowed hard_, &c. Whoever these mariners were, they are to be admired for their generosity; for though Jonah had told them that he was the cause of the tempest, and had advised t...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Nevertheless the men, not desiring to carry out the prophet's suggestion, ROWED HARD TO BRING IT TO THE LAND, that is, they tried everything they knew in the line of seamanship in order to break throu...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    JONAH AND THE SEA MONSTER...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    ROWED: _ Heb._ digged...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    13-17 The mariners rowed against wind and tide, the wind of God's displeasure, the tide of his counsel; but it is in vain to think of saving ourselves any other way than by destroying our sins. Even...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    NEVERTHELESS, Heb. _And_; but rightly to the proper sense of the phrase rendered here NEVERTHELESS: Notwithstanding the lot fell on Jonah, he confessed his fault, directs them to cast him overboard, a...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Jonah 1:13 men H582 hard H2864 (H8799) return H7725 (H8687) land H3004 could H3201 (H8804) sea...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get themselves back to the land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.' However, to the men's credit, they were loath to offe...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    JONAH 1-4 Jonah buried and risen a type of Christ. I. More than once in the course of our Lord's ministry, among different persons and for different objects, He makes use of the similitude of the pro...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Jonah 1:1. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Jonah's commission and effort to avoid God's will. Swallowed by a great fish. CHARACTERS: God, Jonah, seamen. CONCLUSION: Men may be distinctly called of God to proclaim His message, yet r...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Jonah 1:1. _The word of the Lord came to Jonah._ The word of prophecy, delivered by Christ, the preëxistent Word, as appears from his reasoning with the prophet when angry that Nineveh was spared. Jon...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you._ INTELLIGIBLE PROVIDENCES It is certain that in all general adversities God has some purpose to accomplish with all those that suffer. But it...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JONAH—NOTE ON JONAH 1:4 Jonah and the Pagan Sailors. These verses tell of Jonah’s encounter with pagan sailors. It raises the question, Who truly fears the Lord—Jonah, or the pagans? At the beginning...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.] JONAH 1:11. THE SEA] “Not only increasingly tempestuous, but, like a thing alive and obeying its Master’s will, it was holding on its course, its wild waves tossing themselves and ma...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION JONAH 1:1 Part I. THE MISSION OF JONAH. HIS DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. JONAH 1:1 § 1. Jonah is sent to Nine

  • The Typology of Scripture by Patrick Fairbairn

    Therefore it never comes at all into notice here. When the mariners asked Jonah why he had done so, he was silent as to any justification of himself; their question is recorded, but not his answer, fo...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Jonah Now we come to that interesting prophet Jonah. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedne...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Job 34:29; Proverbs 21:30...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    JONAH, AND THE CALVARY MESSAGE Jonah 1:12 INTRODUCTORY WORDS The message of Calvary is not the message of historical Scriptures alone. Beyond doubt, the final Chapter s of the Gospels, and the Epis...

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