THE BOOK OF JONA H. 1 CHAPTER I. Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of 2 Amittai, saying; Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against her for their wickedness is come up before me. 3 : But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah: and he went down to Joppa, and CHAP. I. 1. Jonah.-He was of Gath-hepher, in the tribe of Zebulun, a part of Lower Galilee. Josh. xix. 13. He prophesied in the reign of Jeroboam the Second, king of Israel; who began to reign 823 years before Christ, and reigned in Samaria 41 years. See 2 Kings, xiv. 23–25. Nineveh.-The capital of the Assyrian empire. See the notes ch. iii. 3, iv. 11: and on Nahum; ch. i. 1. iii. 18. 2. · cry.—Proclaim as a prophet. against her.—Or, concerning her. Noldius, Sec. 10. -for their wickedness.-Or, that their wickedness, &c. Nold. Sec. 20. 3. -to flee.-Jonah might consider this mission as an uncommon, unprofitable, and dangerous one. He certainly thought that his veracity as a prophet would be affected by God's merciful change of purpose, ch. iv. 2. This and other parts of his conduct, deserve censure. But men endued with extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, and made the instruments of declaring God's will to mankind, have occasionally been subject to great human infirmities, and have even contracted great guilt. See 1 Kings xiii. 18, 20. Matt. vii. 22. Acts xv. 39. 1 Cor. xiii. 2. Gal. ii. 11. found a ship going to Tarshish, and paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah. 4 And Jehovah sent forth a great wind upon the sea; and there was a great tempest in the sea: and it was † 5 thought that the ship would be broken in pieces. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god. And they cast forth the things which were in the ship into the sea, to be lightened of them. But Jonah was gone down to the sides of the hold; and 6 lay, and was in a sound sleep. And the ship-master came near unto him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call unto thy God: perhaps God will think upon us, that we perish not. And they said one § to another, Come and let us cast lots; that we may know for whose cause this evil hath * Hebr. cast forth. † was thought to be broken. § every man to his neighbour. What to thee. -Tarshish.-Bochart says, that there were two places of this name ; one, Tartessus in Spain, which Stephanus de Urbibus places near the pillars of Hercules; the other, in the Indian ocean, near Ophir or Taprobana, which island is usually thought to be the modern Ceylon. To this latter men sailed from Eziongeber on the Red Sea. 2 Chron. xx. 36, 37. Geogr. l. iii. ch. vii. p. 171. ed. Lugd. Bat. fol. 1707. Cocceius and Taylor (see ww in each), think that Tarshish may denote a distant country, whether to the east or to the west; like our Indies. Some derive it from 0 to view, and www, to delight; and thus it may signify a country abounding with desirable productions. 4. thought.-Houbigant supposes, that the original word should be written at length, пawn: putabatur fractum iri. 5. -the things.—A general term is used, comprehending wares, tackling, provisions. to be lightened.-So Houbigant: pb: and V. 6 render the word passively. - of the hold.—The covered part of the ship. 6.- ·ship-master.—The Hebrew may be rendered, "the chief man, even the pilot :" or, "the chief of the crew:" which latter is the rendering of Syr. and Chald. 7. - cause.- -Sake. Secker. 8 happened unto us. And they cast lots; and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for what cause this evil hath happened unto us. What is thy business? and whence comest thou? what 9 is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. 10 Then were the men || exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he * fled from the presence of Jehovah: for he had told them. And they said unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be † calm unto us? for the sea 11 8. * Hebr. feared with great fear. was flying. † may rest from upon us. -for what cause.— is most naturally understood of things, Gen. xxxiii. 8. Judg. xiii 17. 1 Sam. xviii. 18. Mic. i. 5. See Nold. sec. 5. note. See also Buxtorf's thes. gramm. p. 392. The words τινος ἕνεκεν ἡ κακια αύτη εστιν εν ήμιν, are wanting in 6. MS. Vat. and in Sixtus Quintus's edition of ó., where the note is, Tis σov ή εργασια. Sic quoque in uno alio libro: in cæteris antecedit, τινος ἑνέκεν ý kakιa avτη ev nμv. But ó. MS. Al. ed. Ald. and Arab. retain the clause. If we omit it, all is clear." refers to a person, v. 7; whom the lot determined to be Jonah: and it naturally follows; "Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, What is thy business?" &c. The hint of omitting the clause was suggested by the late Dr. Kennicott. comest thou.—In the original the verb is future: which tense has often the force of the present. 9. יהוה contracted for ,עבד י" they read an Hebrew.-ó. Arab. render a 66 servant of Jehovah :" because See Lud. Cappell. comm p. 19. fol. Amst. and Dr. Kennicott's dissert. gen. Sec. 25, subjoined to his Hebrew Bible. 10. ·fled.—nv pɛvywv.ó. and 13 MSS. and one printed edition, in Dr. Kennicott's Bible, read 11. a. - What shall we do?.-Moerlius quotes the following passage from Orpheus's Argonautics. • Πολλα δε μερμηρίζον ενι φρεσι πευκαλιμῃσι, "And much they doubted in their prudent minds, ver. 1168. 13 * 12 grew more and more tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; and the sea § shall be calm unto you; for I know that because of me this great tempest is upon you. Nevertheless the men rowed || hard to bring back the ship unto the dry land: but they could not; for the sea grew 14 more and more tempestuous upon them. And they cried unto Jehovah, and said; We beseech thee, O Jehovah, let us not perish, we pray thee, for the life of this man; and lay not upon us innocent blood, for thou, O 15 Jehovah, hast done as it hath pleased thee. And they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from its raging. And the men feared Jehovah ‡ greatly; and § offered a sacrifice unto Jehovah, and made vows. 16 17 * Now Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the * belly of the fish three days and three nights. ‡ went and was tempestuous. § shall rest from upon you. || Hebr. digged. || vowed. sacrificed. · grew more and more tempestuous.—That this is the true rendering, see Taylor's Con. Root 450; n. 27, 32. The Syriac version makes the words part of the address to Jonah: "quoniam mare ecce it et turbat se contra nos: for the sea groweth more and more tempestuous." Many MSS. and some editions, ascertain the participial form by reading 12.— cast me forth.—Many MSS. and some ed. read ; and v. 15,. The points have often excluded the formative letters; which ought to be restored in a correct edition of the text. 13.- -rowed hard. The word signifies literally to dig. Vulg. and Chald. agree with our English translators in understanding it metaphorically of rowing. But ó. Arab. Syr. render it, endeavoured, strove. 14. to bring back.-Arab. adds the pronoun it, with our version. -We beseech thee.-Here, and ch. iv. 2, many MSS. read н. - innocent blood.-Punish us not as murderers of an innocent man; for we judge from the whole transaction that we are conforming ourselves to thy will. 15.-raging.-Nec horret iratum mare. Hor. 17. a great fish.-We have but an imperfect acquaintance with the |