Jonah 1:8
New International Version
So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

New Living Translation
“Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”

English Standard Version
Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

Berean Standard Bible
“Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”

King James Bible
Then 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?

New King James Version
Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

New American Standard Bible
Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this catastrophe struck us? What is your occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and from what people are you?”

NASB 1995
Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

NASB 1977
Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamitous evil struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

Amplified Bible
Then they said to him, “Now tell us! Who is to blame for this disaster? What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country?”

Christian Standard Bible
Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. What is your business, and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. What is your business and where are you from? What is your country and what people are you from?”

American Standard Version
Then 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?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they said to him: ’Show us why this evil has come upon us! What is your work and from where are you, and what is your land and from which people are you?’

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they said to him, Tell us what is thine occupation, and whence comest thou, and of what country and what people art thou?

Contemporary English Version
They started asking him, "Are you the one who brought all this trouble on us? What business are you in? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they said to him: Tell us for what cause this evil is upon us, what is thy business? of what country art thou? and whither goest thou? or of what people art thou?

English Revised Version
Then 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?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They asked him, "Tell us, why has this disaster happened to us? What do you do for a living? Where do you come from? What country are you from? What nationality are you?"

Good News Translation
So they said to him, "Now, then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?"

International Standard Version
So they interrogated him: "Tell us, why has this trouble come upon us? What's your occupation? Where'd you come from? What's your home country? What's your nationality?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
Then 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?'

Literal Standard Version
And they say to him, “Now declare to us, on whose account [is] this evil on us? What [is] your occupation, and where do you come from? What [is] your country, seeing you are not of this people?”

Majority Standard Bible
“Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”

New American Bible
They said to him, “Tell us why this evil has come to us! What is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country, and to what people do you belong?”

NET Bible
They said to him, "Tell us, whose fault is it that this disaster has overtaken us? What's your occupation? Where do you come from? What's your country? And who are your people?"

New Revised Standard Version
Then they said to him, “Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

New Heart English Bible
Then they asked him, "Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said they to him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thy occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

World English Bible
Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?”

Young's Literal Translation
And they say unto him, 'Declare to us, we pray thee, on what account this evil is on us? what is thine occupation, and whence comest thou? what is thy country, seeing thou art not of this people?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Great Storm
7“Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8“Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?” 9“I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”…

Cross References
Genesis 47:3
"What is your occupation?" Pharaoh asked Joseph's brothers. "Your servants are shepherds," they replied, "both we and our fathers."

Joshua 7:19
So Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me."

1 Samuel 14:43
"Tell me what you have done," Saul commanded him. So Jonathan told him, "I only tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. And now I must die?"

1 Samuel 30:13
Then David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where are you from?" "I am an Egyptian," he replied, "the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill.


Treasury of Scripture

Then said they to him, Tell us, we pray you, for whose cause this evil is on us; What is your occupation? and from where come you? what is your country? and of what people are you?

Tell.

Joshua 7:19
And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

1 Samuel 14:43
Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan told him, and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand, and, lo, I must die.

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

What is thine.

Genesis 47:3
And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.

1 Samuel 30:13
And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

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Jonah 1
1. Jonah, sent to Nineveh, flees to Tarshish.
4. He is betrayed by a great storm;
11. thrown into the sea;
17. and swallowed by a fish.














(8) For whose cause . . .--The Hebrew idiom is peculiar, on account of which to whom; but in this verse, when addressed by the sailors to the prophet, it is expressed in a more elegant form than when used to each other in the preceding verse, one among many touches marking the artistic perfection of this narrative. It is true some MSS. omit this repetition of the question, and it is therefore by some commentators treated as a gloss. But the repetition is quite natural. The sailors seeing the lot fall on one whose appearance was so little suspicious, are anxious to have it confirmed by his confession. Not less natural is the rapid and excited leap from question to question. (Comp. Virg. 'n. 8:112, 113.)

Verse 8. - The mariners having, as they supposed, discovered the culprit, proceed calmly to investigate his guilt; amid the roaring of the tempest and the peril that surrounded them, they give him every opportunity of clearing himself or confessing his crime. For whose cause. Some manuscripts of the Hebrew and the Greek omit this clause as unnecessary; but, as Keil remarks, it is not superfluous, the sailors thereby wishing to induce Jonah to confess his guilt with his own mouth. In their excitement they crowd question upon question, asking him about his business, his journey, his country, his parentage. Jerome notes the pregnant brevity of these inquiries, and compares Virgil, 'AEneid,' 8:112, etc. -

"Juvenes, quae causa subegit
Ignotas tentare vias? quo tenditis? inquit.
Qui genus? unde domo? pacemne huc fertis an arma?"

"Warriors, what cause constrained you thus to tempt
A path untrodden? Whither are ye bound?
What is your race? Where dwell ye?
Peace or war, Come ye to bring?"


(Comp. Hom., 'Od.,' 1:170.) What is thine occupation? His occupation, they thought, might have been one to excite the wrath of the gods; or his country and family might have been exposed to the hatred of Heaven; hence the succeeding questions.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Tell
הַגִּידָה־ (hag·gî·ḏāh-)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

us
לָ֔נוּ (lā·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew

now,”
נָּ֣א (nā)
Interjection
Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

they demanded,
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“who
לְמִי־ (lə·mî-)
Preposition-l | Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

is to blame
בַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר (ba·’ă·šer)
Preposition-b | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

for this
הַזֹּ֖את (haz·zōṯ)
Article | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

calamity
הָרָעָ֥ה (hā·rā·‘āh)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

that is upon us?
לָ֑נוּ (lā·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew

What [is]
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

your occupation,
מְּלַאכְתְּךָ֙ (mə·laḵ·tə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 4399: Deputyship, ministry, employment, work, property

and from where
וּמֵאַ֣יִן (ū·mê·’a·yin)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Adverb
Strong's 370: Whence?

have you come?
תָּב֔וֹא (tā·ḇō·w)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

What
מָ֣ה (māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

is your country,
אַרְצֶ֔ךָ (’ar·ṣe·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

and who
וְאֵֽי־ (wə·’ê-)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 335: Where?, how?

are your
אָֽתָּה׃ (’āt·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

people?”
עַ֖ם (‘am)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock


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OT Prophets: Jonah 1:8 Then they asked him Tell us please (Jon. Jh)
Jonah 1:7
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