◄ Jonah 1:11 ►
Now the sea was growing worse and worse, so they said to Jonah, "What must we do to you to calm this sea for us?"
Study Bible
What should we do to you
This phrase reflects the sailors' desperation and confusion. In the Hebrew text, the word for "do" is "עָשָׂה" (asah), which means to make, do, or act. The sailors are seeking a solution to the supernatural storm threatening their lives. Historically, sailors were known to be superstitious, often attributing natural phenomena to divine displeasure. This moment highlights their recognition of Jonah's connection to the divine and their willingness to act upon it. It also underscores the theme of human responsibility in the face of divine intervention.

so that the sea will calm down for us?
The phrase "calm down" is translated from the Hebrew word "שָׁתַק" (shatak), meaning to be quiet or still. The sailors' plea for the sea to calm reflects their understanding of the sea as a powerful, uncontrollable force, often seen in ancient Near Eastern cultures as a symbol of chaos. Their request indicates a belief that appeasing Jonah's God could restore order. This moment foreshadows the peace that comes from obedience to God, a central theme in the book of Jonah.

For the sea was getting worse and worse
The repetition of the worsening sea conditions emphasizes the urgency and severity of the situation. The Hebrew word for "worse" is "הוֹלֵךְ" (holek), which conveys a sense of continuous progression. This escalating danger serves as a narrative device to highlight the consequences of Jonah's disobedience. It also reflects the broader biblical theme of the natural world responding to human sin, reminding readers of the interconnectedness of creation and the moral order established by God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jonah
A prophet of God who is fleeing from God's command to go to Nineveh. His disobedience leads to a storm at sea.

2. Sailors
The crew on the ship with Jonah, who are caught in the storm and seek a solution to calm the sea.

3. The Sea
Represents the chaos and danger that arises from Jonah's disobedience to God.

4. The Ship
The vessel carrying Jonah and the sailors, symbolizing Jonah's attempt to escape God's presence.

5. The Storm
A divine intervention by God to redirect Jonah back to His will.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Nature
The storm in Jonah 1:11 illustrates God's control over creation. Just as He commands the sea, He commands our lives.

Consequences of Disobedience
Jonah's attempt to flee from God results in turmoil not only for himself but also for those around him. Our disobedience can have far-reaching effects.

Seeking God's Guidance in Crisis
The sailors' question to Jonah reflects a search for divine guidance. In times of trouble, we should seek God's wisdom and direction.

Repentance and Responsibility
Jonah's situation calls for repentance and taking responsibility for one's actions. Acknowledging our role in life's storms is the first step toward resolution.

Community Impact of Personal Sin
Jonah's disobedience affects the entire crew, highlighting how personal sin can impact a community. We must consider how our actions influence others.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jonah's disobedience to God's command affect the sailors, and what does this teach us about the communal impact of personal sin?

2. In what ways can we see God's sovereignty over nature in Jonah 1:11, and how does this compare to other biblical accounts of God's control over creation?

3. How do the sailors' actions in seeking a solution to the storm reflect a broader biblical principle of seeking God's guidance in times of crisis?

4. What steps can we take to ensure that we are not fleeing from God's will in our lives, as Jonah did?

5. How can we apply the lessons from Jonah 1:11 to our own lives when facing "storms" or challenges, and what other scriptures can guide us in these situations?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 107:23-30
This passage describes sailors in distress at sea, calling upon the Lord, who calms the storm. It parallels the sailors' experience in Jonah 1.

Mark 4:35-41
Jesus calming the storm demonstrates His authority over nature, similar to God's control over the storm in Jonah.

Acts 27:13-44
Paul's shipwreck experience shows God's sovereignty and protection during a storm, akin to Jonah's situation.
Sermons
A Voluntary SurrenderJ.E. Henry Jonah 1:11, 12
The Sailors ConductG.T. Coster Jonah 1:11-16
The Offender SacrificedW.G. Blaikie Jonah 1:11-17
People
Amittai, Jonah, Tarshish
Places
Joppa, Mount Esau, Nineveh, Tarshish
Topics
Becoming, Calm, Cease, Getting, Grew, Increasingly, Quiet, Rougher, Stormy, Tempestuous, Wrought
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jonah 1:3-15

     5517   seafaring

Jonah 1:4-17

     5828   danger

Jonah 1:10-12

     8718   disobedience

Jonah 1:11-15

     8328   quietness

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

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