Useful Bible Studies > Jonah Commentary > chapter 1

The sailors ask Jonah questions

Jonah 1:8

In Acts 28:1-6, a storm had destroyed the boat in which Paul was travelling to Rome. He managed to reach land, on the island called Malta; but there, a snake bit him. The inhabitants of the island therefore imagined that Paul was a murderer. They thought that their false gods were punishing him. It astonished them when Paul did not die.

In the same way, the sailors now believed that Jonah’s God was punishing him. They understood that Jonah’s God had sent the storm. However, they did not know who Jonah’s God was. Also, they could not understand what wrong thing Jonah had done. So they did not know what Jonah’s God wanted them to do with Jonah.

For that reason they asked Jonah a series of questions. They asked who Jonah’s God was. They wanted to know why God had permitted them to suffer so many troubles in the storm.

Then they asked questions about Jonah himself. They asked him about his work, his family and his nation. In their opinion, a person should serve the god of the nation from which he came (1:5). That idea mattered to them, as sailors who visited many different countries. So, perhaps they were trying to find out whether Jonah had ever changed his religion or his god. If so, his former god may be angry with him, in their opinion.

If they could understand Jonah’s crime, then they could punish him. So, perhaps such a punishment might satisfy the anger of Jonah’s God. However, they had to be careful. They did not want to do anything that might make Jonah’s God even more angry against them.

Next part: Nobody can escape from the true God (Jonah 1:9)

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