John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 8. Then they said unto him, tell us, we pray thee , etc.] They did not fall upon him at once in an outrageous manner, and throw him overboard; as it might be thought such men would have done, considering what they had suffered and lost by means of him; but they use him with great respect, tenderness, and lenity: and entreat him to tell them for whose cause this evil [was] upon them : or rather, as the Targum, “for what this evil is upon us;” and so Noldius renders the words; for their inquiry was not about the person for whose cause it was; that was determined by the lot; but on what account it was; what sin it was he had been guilty of, which was the cause of it; for they supposed some great sin must be committed, that had brought down the vengeance of God in such a manner: what [is] thine occupation ? trade or business? this question they put, to know whether he had any, or was an idle man; or rather, whether it was an honest and lawful employment; whether it was by fraud or violence, by thieving and stealing, he got his livelihood; or by conjuring, and using the magic art: or else the inquiry was about his present business, what he was going about; what he was to do at Tarshish when he came there; whether he was not upon some ill design, and sent on an unlawful errand, and going to do some ill thing, for which vengeance pursued him, and stopped him: and whence comest thou? what [is] thy country? and of what people [art] thou ? which questions seem to relate to the same thing, what nation he was of; and put by different persons, who were eager to learn what countryman he was, that they might know who was the God he worshipped, and guess at the crime he had been guilty of.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 8-12 - Jonah gave an account of his religion, for that was his business. We may hope that he told with sorrow and shame, justifying God, condemnin himself, and explaining to the mariners what a great God Jehovah is They said to him, Why hast thou done this? If thou fearest the God tha made the sea and the dry land, why wast thou such a fool as to thin thou couldst flee from his presence? If the professors of religion d wrong, they will hear it from those who make no such profession. When sin has raised a storm, and laid us under the tokens of God' displeasure, we must consider what is to be done to the sin that raise the storm. Jonah uses the language of true penitents, who desire tha none but themselves may fare the worse for their sins and follies Jonah sees this to be the punishment of his iniquity, he accepts it and justifies God in it. When conscience is awakened, and a stor raised, nothing will turn it into a calm but parting with the sin tha caused the disturbance. Parting with our money will not pacify the conscience, the Jonah must be thrown overboard.
Original Hebrew ויאמרו559 אליו413 הגידה5046 נא4994 לנו באשׁר834 למי4310 הרעה7451 הזאת2063 לנו מה4100 מלאכתך4399 ומאין370 תבוא935 מה4100 ארצך776 ואי335 מזה2088 עם5971 אתה׃859
