Useful Bible Studies > Jonah Commentary > chapter 1
The men saw that the sea was still. They realised that God had sent his servant, the prophet (holy man) to them. They knew that God had saved them from death. God had done all this for them, although previously they had served false gods. They knew that they had done nothing to deserve God’s help. Rather, they had even thrown God’s prophet into the sea.
So, the fact that God had been so good to them, filled these sailors with fear. They knew that they must not continue their former evil behaviour. Now, they must learn about the true God and they must serve him alone as their God. So, now, they respected the true God deeply.
The sailors took an animal and they killed it. Then they offered it by fire to God. God’s law said that only Israel’s priests should do this at the temple, God’s house in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:5-7; Jonah 2:7). However, the sailors were not from Israel and they did not know God’s law to Israel. So in this matter, the sailors were acting as people did in former times, before the construction of the temple (for example, Genesis 8:20). They saw that the smoke rose towards heaven. They believed that God had accepted that animal; so they believed that God had made it possible for them to offer their prayers to him.
The sailors also made serious promises to God. They would have promised to serve him alone. Although they were not joining Israel’s people, God had given laws to Noah for people from all nations to follow (Genesis 9:1-17). So, the sailors would have promised to live in the way that God had directed. They may also have made promises about future gifts to God. Perhaps they even promised to visit God’s temple in Jerusalem. If so, even as foreigners, they could offer there an animal to God in the way that Leviticus chapter 1 describes.
Next part: A great fish swallows Jonah (Jonah 1:17)
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