Jonah 1:12

12 He answered them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea^[a] so it may quiet down for you, for I know that I'm to blame for this violent storm that is against you."

Jonah 1:12 Meaning and Commentary

Jonah 1:12

And he said unto them, take me up, and cast me forth into the
sea
This he said not as choosing rather to die than to go to Nineveh; or as having overheard the men say that they would cast him into the sea, as Aben Ezra suggests, greatly to the prejudice of the prophet's character; but as being truly sensible of his sin, and that he righteously deserved to die such a death; and in love to the lives of innocent men, that they might be saved, and not perish, through his default; and as a prophet, knowing this to be the mind and will of God, he cheerfully and in faith submits to it, with a presence of mind and courage suitable to his character. It was not fit he should leap into the sea and destroy himself; but that he should die by the hand of justice, of which the shipmaster and the ship's crew were the proper executioners: so shall the sea be calm unto you;
or "silent", as before; it will cease from its roaring, and do no further hurt and damage: for I know that for my sake this great tempest [is] upon you;
for the sin he had committed in fleeing from God, this storm was raised and continued; nor could it go off till they had done what he had directed them to; there was no other way of being clear of it. In this Jonah was a type of Christ, who willingly gave himself to suffer and die, that he might appease divine wrath, satisfy justice, and save men; only with this difference, Jonah suffered for his own sins, Christ for the sins of others; Jonah to endured a storm he himself had raised by his sins, Christ to endure a storm others had raised by their sins.

Jonah 1:12 In-Context

10 Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, "What is this you've done?" For the men knew he was fleeing from the Lord's presence, because he had told them.

11 So they said to him, "What should we do to you to calm this sea that's against us?" For the sea was getting worse and worse.

12 He answered them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea so it may quiet down for you, for I know that I'm to blame for this violent storm that is against you."

13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not because the sea was raging against them more and more.

14 So they called out to the Lord: "Please, Yahweh, don't let us perish because of this man's life, and don't charge us with innocent blood! For You, Yahweh, have done just as You pleased."

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit sea that's against you