Jonah 1: Running From the Lord
Called to Nineveh, Jonah flees the other way, until a storm at sea exposes him and the pagan sailors come to fear the Lord.
Jonah 1 (WEB)
1 Now Yahweh’s word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.
4 But Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty storm on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was laying down, and was fast asleep.
6 So the ship master came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us, so that we won’t perish.”
7 They all said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?”
9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.
11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may be calm to us?” For the sea grew more and more stormy.
12 He said to them, “Take me up, and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you; for I know that because of me this great storm is on you.”
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them.
14 Therefore they cried to Yahweh, and said, “We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahweh, have done as it pleased you.”
15 So they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased its raging.
16 Then the men feared Yahweh exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh, and made vows.
17 Yahweh prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1 (KJV)
1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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?
9 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.
10 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.
11 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.
12 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.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
14 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.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
17 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.
Jonah 1 (ASV)
1 Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and 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 Jehovah.
4 But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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?
9 And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land.
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, What is this that thou hast done? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Jehovah, because he had told them.
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 more tempestuous.
12 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.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not: for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
14 Wherefore they cried unto Jehovah, and said, We beseech thee, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for thou, O Jehovah, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.
16 Then the men feared Jehovah exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice unto Jehovah, and made vows.
17 And Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Summary
God's word comes to Jonah, calling him to arise and preach against Nineveh, the great and wicked city of Assyria. Instead, Jonah rises to flee in the opposite direction, going down to Joppa and boarding a ship for Tarshish to escape from the presence of Yahweh. But Yahweh hurls a great wind onto the sea, and a mighty storm threatens to break the ship apart. The terrified sailors each cry to their own gods and throw cargo overboard, while Jonah sleeps below. The captain wakes him, and when the crew casts lots to find the cause of the trouble, the lot falls on Jonah. He confesses that he is a Hebrew who fears Yahweh, the God who made the sea and the dry land, and that he is fleeing from him. At Jonah's word the sailors reluctantly throw him into the sea, the storm stops at once, and the men fear Yahweh greatly, offering a sacrifice and making vows. Yahweh prepares a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he is in its belly three days and three nights.
Main Characters
- Jonah — The prophet who hears God's call to Nineveh and flees toward Tarshish, asleep in the storm until he is exposed and thrown into the sea.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who made the sea and the dry land, who sends the wind and the storm and prepares a great fish, sovereign over Jonah's flight.
- The sailors — Pagan mariners who cry to their gods, reluctantly cast Jonah overboard, and end by fearing Yahweh with sacrifices and vows.
- The ship's captain — The master of the vessel who finds Jonah asleep and urges him to call on his God in the crisis.
Key Verse
Jonah 1:3 (WEB)
But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.
Lessons Learned
- Disobedience always leads us “down”—down to Joppa, down into the ship, down into sleep, and down toward death.
- We cannot escape the presence of God; he is Lord of the sea and the dry land alike.
- Our running from God often endangers others caught up in the storm with us.
- God in his mercy sends storms that stop us before our flight destroys us.
- God's call is not a suggestion to be dodged. “Arise, go to Nineveh” (Jonah 1:2, WEB) is a command; Jonah's attempt to flee “from the presence of Yahweh” (1:3) is doomed from the start.
- Sin carries us downward. Jonah goes “down to Joppa,” “down into” the ship, and “down” to sleep (Jonah 1:3, 5, WEB). Running from God is always a descent.
- God rules the storm. “Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea” (Jonah 1:4, WEB). The very chaos Jonah fears is under God's command, deployed to recover his prophet.
- Even pagans can fear the true God. When the sea grows calm, “the men feared Yahweh exceedingly” and offered sacrifices (Jonah 1:16, WEB), a foretaste of God's reach beyond Israel.
- What exactly does God ask Jonah to do, and how does Jonah respond?
- Trace the word “down” through the chapter. What does Jonah's downward journey picture about disobedience?
- How do the pagan sailors compare with the prophet of God in this storm?
- Jonah says he fears the God “who made the sea and the dry land” (1:9), yet he is fleeing across that very sea. Where do our actions contradict what we say we believe?
- Is there a “Nineveh”—a hard call from God—that you have been running from? What might it look like to stop running?
- God commands Jonah to “arise, go to Nineveh… and preach against it” (1:2). Jonah instead rises to flee toward Tarshish, the opposite direction, paying his fare to get away “from the presence of Yahweh” (1:3). His obedience is an active, deliberate flight.
- Jonah goes down to Joppa, down into the ship, and down to sleep, and will soon go down into the sea (1:3-5, 15). The repeated descent pictures how disobedience drags us lower and lower, away from life and toward death, until grace intervenes.
- The sailors pray, work to save everyone, and end by fearing Yahweh and worshiping (1:5, 14-16), while the prophet sleeps through the crisis he caused. The contrast shames religious complacency and shows God drawing outsiders to himself.
- This is partly personal application. Jonah confesses sound theology while living in open contradiction to it (1:9-10). Invite the group to name gaps between their stated beliefs and daily choices, gently and without finger-pointing.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage members to name, even silently, a call they have resisted, and to consider one concrete step of obedience. As leader, keep the tone hopeful—Jonah's story is not over, and neither is theirs.