John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 5. Then the mariners were afraid , etc.] Perceiving that the storm was not an ordinary, but a supernatural one; and that the ship and all in it were in extreme danger, and no probability of being saved. This shows that the storm must be very violent, to frighten such men who were used to the sea, and to storms, and were naturally bold and intrepid. The word used signifies “salters”, so called from the salt sea they used, as they are by us “mariners”, from “mare”, the “sea”; though R. Japhet in Aben Ezra thinks the commodity they carried in their vessel was salt: and cried every man to his god : to help them, and save them out of their distress. In the ship it seems were men of different nations, and who worshipped different gods. It was a notion of the Jews, and which Jarchi mentions as his own, that there were men of the seventy nations of the earth in it; and as each of them had a different god, they separately called upon them. The polytheism of the Pagans is to be condemned, and shows the great uncertainty of their religion; yet this appears to be agreeable to the light of nature that there is a God, and that God is to be prayed unto, and called upon, especially in time of trouble: and cast forth the wares that [were] in the ship into the sea, to lighten [it] of them ; or, “the vessels” f27 , a word the Hebrews use for all sorts of goods, utensils, etc. it includes, with others, their military weapons they had to defend themselves, their provisions, the ship’s stores or goods it was freighted with; finding their prayers to their gods were ineffectual, they betook themselves to this prudential method to lighten the ship, that they might be able to keep its head above water. So the Targum, “when they saw there was no profit in them;” that is in the gods they called upon, then they did this; the other was a matter of religion this a point of prudence; such a step the mariners took that belonged to the ship in which the Apostle Paul was, ( Acts 27:18,19,38); but Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship ; into one of its sides, into a cabin there; the lowest side, as the Targum: and he lay, and was fast asleep ; even snored, as some versions have it: it may seem strange he should when the wind was so strong and boisterous; the sea roaring; the waves beating; the ship rolling about; the mariners hurrying from place to place, and calling to each other to do their duty; and the passengers crying; and, above all, that he should fall into so sound a sleep, and continue in it, when he had such a guilty conscience. This shows that he was asleep in a spiritual as well as in a corporeal sense.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 4-7 - God sent a pursuer after Jonah, even a mighty tempest. Sin bring storms and tempests into the soul, into the family, into churches an nations; it is a disquieting, disturbing thing. Having called upo their gods for help, the sailors did what they could to hel themselves. Oh that men would be thus wise for their souls, and woul be willing to part with that wealth, pleasure, and honour, which the cannot keep without making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience and ruining their souls for ever! Jonah was fast asleep. Sin i stupifying, and we are to take heed lest at any time our hearts ar hardened by the deceitfulness of it. What do men mean by sleeping on i sin, when the word of God and the convictions of their own consciences warn them to arise and call on the Lord, if they would escap everlasting misery? Should not we warn each other to awake, to arise to call upon our God, if so be he will deliver us? The sailor concluded the storm was a messenger of Divine justice sent to some on in that ship. Whatever evil is upon us at any time, there is a caus for it; and each must pray, Lord, show me wherefore thou contendes with me. The lot fell upon Jonah. God has many ways of bringing to light hidden sins and sinners, and making manifest that folly which wa thought to be hid from the eyes of all living.
Original Hebrew וייראו3372 המלחים4419 ויזעקו2199 אישׁ376 אל413 אלהיו430 ויטלו2904 את853 הכלים3627 אשׁר834 באניה591 אל413 הים3220 להקל7043 מעליהם5921 ויונה3124 ירד3381 אל413 ירכתי3411 הספינה5600 וישׁכב7901 וירדם׃7290
