◄ Jonah 1:10 ►
Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, "What have you done?" The men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Study Bible
Then the men were even more afraid
The sailors' fear intensifies upon realizing the gravity of Jonah's actions. In ancient Near Eastern culture, fear of the divine was common, especially when encountering a deity's wrath. The sailors, likely polytheists, recognize the power of Jonah's God, who controls the sea and the storm. This fear echoes the reverence and awe seen in other biblical accounts, such as the disciples' fear during the storm in Mark 4:41.

and said to him, “What have you done?”
This question reflects both confusion and accusation. The sailors are bewildered by Jonah's decision to flee from such a powerful God. The phrase is reminiscent of God's question to Adam in Genesis 3:13, highlighting human disobedience and its consequences. It underscores the seriousness of Jonah's rebellion and the impact of sin on others.

The men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD,
Jonah's attempt to escape God's presence is futile, as God is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10). The phrase "fleeing from the presence of the LORD" indicates a deliberate act of disobedience. This mirrors the broader biblical theme of humanity's tendency to run from God, seen in figures like Cain and the prodigal son. It also foreshadows the redemptive pursuit of God, who seeks to restore the disobedient.

because he had told them.
Jonah's admission to the sailors reveals his awareness of his sin. This confession is crucial, as it sets the stage for his eventual repentance and the sailors' conversion. It highlights the importance of acknowledging one's wrongdoing, a theme prevalent throughout Scripture, such as in the confessions of David (Psalm 51) and the apostle Paul (1 Timothy 1:15). Jonah's honesty, despite his initial rebellion, becomes a catalyst for divine intervention and mercy.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jonah
A prophet of God who is fleeing from God's command to go to Nineveh and preach against its wickedness.

2. The Sailors
Pagan mariners who are caught in a violent storm caused by Jonah's disobedience. They are initially unaware of Jonah's God and His power.

3. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, who commands Jonah and controls the sea and the storm.

4. The Sea
Represents the chaos and danger that ensues from Jonah's attempt to flee from God's presence.

5. The Storm
A divine intervention by God to redirect Jonah and reveal His power to the sailors.
Teaching Points
The Futility of Fleeing from God
Jonah's attempt to escape God's presence is a reminder that God is omnipresent. We cannot hide from Him, and our disobedience will eventually be confronted.

God's Sovereignty Over Creation
The storm illustrates God's control over nature. He uses creation to accomplish His purposes and to bring His people back to Him.

The Impact of Disobedience on Others
Jonah's disobedience endangered the lives of the sailors, teaching us that our actions can have significant consequences for those around us.

The Fear of the Lord
The sailors' fear upon realizing Jonah's God is the true God shows the beginning of wisdom. Recognizing God's power should lead us to reverence and obedience.

Confession and Accountability
Jonah's admission to the sailors about fleeing from God is a step towards accountability. We must be honest about our failures to begin the process of repentance and restoration.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jonah's attempt to flee from God compare to other biblical figures who tried to hide from God, and what can we learn from their experiences?

2. In what ways does God's sovereignty manifest in your life, especially in situations where you might be resisting His will?

3. How can we ensure that our actions, like Jonah's, do not negatively impact those around us, and what steps can we take to rectify situations when they do?

4. What does the sailors' reaction to Jonah's God teach us about the importance of sharing our faith and the reality of God's power with others?

5. How can we practice confession and accountability in our spiritual lives, and what role does this play in our relationship with God and others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 139:7-10
Highlights the impossibility of fleeing from God's presence, reinforcing the futility of Jonah's attempt to escape.

Acts 27
Paul's shipwreck experience, where God's sovereignty over the sea is again demonstrated, but with a different outcome due to obedience.

Genesis 3:8-10
Adam and Eve hiding from God, paralleling Jonah's attempt to flee, showing the human tendency to hide from God after disobedience.
Sermons
An Effective Hue and CryJ.E. Henry Jonah 1:4-10
Jonah DetectedG.T. Coster Jonah 1:7-10
The Fugitive ConvictedW.G. Blaikie Jonah 1:7-10
People
Amittai, Jonah, Tarshish
Places
Joppa, Mount Esau, Nineveh, Tarshish
Topics
Afraid, Already, Exceedingly, Extremely, Face, Fear, Fled, Fleeing, Flight, Frightened, Hast, Kept, Presence, Running
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jonah 1:10

     5819   cowardice
     8754   fear

Jonah 1:1-10

     5178   running

Jonah 1:3-15

     5517   seafaring

Jonah 1:4-17

     5828   danger

Jonah 1:10-12

     8718   disobedience

Library
Guilty Silence and Its Reward
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 …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christian Graces.
FAITH. FAITH! Peter saith, faith, in the very trial of it, is much more precious than gold that perisheth. If so, what is the worth or value that is in the grace itself? Faith is so great an artist in arguing and reasoning with the soul, that it will bring over the hardest heart that it hath to deal with. It will bring to my remembrance at once, both my vileness against God, and his goodness towards me; it will show me, that though I deserve not to breathe in the air, yet God will have me an heir …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan

Whether Divination by Drawing Lots is Unlawful?
Objection 1: It would seem that divination by drawing lots is not unlawful, because a gloss of Augustine on Ps. 30:16, "My lots are in Thy hands," says: "It is not wrong to cast lots, for it is a means of ascertaining the divine will when a man is in doubt." Objection 2: There is, seemingly, nothing unlawful in the observances which the Scriptures relate as being practiced by holy men. Now both in the Old and in the New Testament we find holy men practicing the casting of lots. For it is related …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Careless Sinner Awakened.
1, 2. It is too supposable a case that this Treatise may come into such hands.--3, 4. Since many, not grossly vicious, fail under that character.--5, 6. A more particular illustration of this case, with an appeal to the reader, whether it be not his own.--7 to 9. Expostulation with such.--10 to 12. More particularly--From acknowledged principles relating to the Nature of Got, his universal presence, agency, and perfection.--13. From a view of personal obligations to him.--14. From the danger Of this …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of the natural man is neither Sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's will-its servitude-is essential to a just estimate of his depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human nature is something which …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation, …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Jonah
The book of Jonah is, in some ways, the greatest in the Old Testament: there is no other which so bravely claims the whole world for the love of God, or presents its noble lessons with so winning or subtle an art. Jonah, a Hebrew prophet, is divinely commanded to preach to Nineveh, the capital of the great Assyrian empire of his day. To escape the unwelcome task of preaching to a heathen people, he takes ship for the distant west, only to be overtaken by a storm, and thrown into the sea, when, by …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Jonah 1:10 NIV
Jonah 1:10 NLT
Jonah 1:10 ESV
Jonah 1:10 NASB
Jonah 1:10 KJV

Jonah 1:10 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Jonah 1:9
Top of Page
Top of Page