Jonah 1:9
What does Jonah 1:9 mean?
A plain-English look at Jonah 1:9 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Jonah 1:9 means
Jonah answers with a clear, orthodox confession: “I am a Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land.” He names his people and, more importantly, his God. By calling Jehovah the Maker of sea and land, Jonah declares God’s universal sovereignty—precisely over the elements now in upheaval. His claim to fear God stands awkwardly beside his flight, exposing the gap between creed and conduct. Yet his words are true and powerful: the storm is not random, because the Creator whom Jonah serves governs all creation. This confession turns the sailors’ attention from many gods to the One.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And 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.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And 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.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And 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.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, a worshipper of the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And he saith unto them, `A Hebrew I <FI>am<Fi> , and Jehovah, God of the heavens, I am reverencing, who made the sea and the dry land.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And he said to them: I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, and the God of heaven, who made both the sea and the dry land.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, theGod of the heavens, who hath made the sea and the dry [land].
Context
The sailors demanded identity; Jonah gives it, centering on Jehovah as Creator. This heightens the tension, because the men realize the irony of running from the God who rules the sea. The confession sets up their intensified fear and their reproach in the next verse. Knowing that Jonah serves the God of heaven clarifies both the cause and the possible remedy, directing the crew to seek guidance from Jonah himself.
v.8Then 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?
v.9This passage
v.10Then 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.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Psalms 95:5
The sea is his, and he made it; And his hands formed the dry land.
- Daniel 2:44
And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
- Nehemiah 9:6
Thou art Jehovah, even thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
- Nehemiah 2:4
Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- Nehemiah 1:4
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
- Ezra 7:12
Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.
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