Bible HebrewInto the Sea Jonah 1:11–16
The sailors try everything before doing what Jonah asks. Watch the same words come back with a change.
Jonah 1:11
וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו מַה־נַּעֲשֶׂה לָּךְ וְיִשְׁתֹּק הַיָּם מֵעָלֵינוּ כִּי הַיָּם הוֹלֵךְ וְסֹעֵר
Wayyōmrū ʾēlāw ma-naʿăśe lākh wəyishtōq hayyām mēʿālēnū kī hayyām hōlēkh wəsōʿēr
“They said to him, “What shall we do to you, so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea was growing more and more stormy.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְרוּ | wayyōmrū | and they said |
| אֵלָיו | ʾēlāw | to him |
| מַה | ma | what |
| נַּעֲשֶׂה | naʿăśe | shall we do |
| לָּךְ | lākh | to you |
| וְיִשְׁתֹּק | wəyishtōq | so may be calm |
| הַיָּם | hayyām | the sea |
| מֵעָלֵינוּ | mēʿālēnū | from on us |
| כִּי | kī | for |
| הַיָּם | hayyām | the sea |
| הוֹלֵךְ | hōlēkh | (was) going |
| וְסֹעֵר | wəsōʿēr | and storming |
- לָּךְ: לָּךְ looks like the feminine “to you”, but it is the masculine לְךָ in its pausal form, at a pause in the verse. The grammar code lists it as feminine.
- וְיִשְׁתֹּק: וְ + an imperfect after a question can express purpose: “so that the sea will be calm”.
- הוֹלֵךְ: הוֹלֵךְ וְסֹעֵר: the participle of הָלַךְ “go” + another participle means “kept on getting…”: “the sea was growing stormier and stormier”.
Jonah 1:12
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם שָׂאוּנִי וַהֲטִילֻנִי אֶל־הַיָּם וְיִשְׁתֹּק הַיָּם מֵעֲלֵיכֶם כִּי יוֹדֵעַ אָנִי כִּי בְשֶׁלִּי הַסַּעַר הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה עֲלֵיכֶם
Wayyōmer ʾălēhem śāʾūnī wahăṭīlunī ʾel-hayyām wəyishtōq hayyām mēʿălēkhem kī yōdhēaʿ ʾānī kī vəshellī hassaʿar haggādhōl hazze ʿălēkhem
“He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea, and the sea will calm down for you. For I know that it is on my account that this great storm has come on you.””
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer | and he said |
| אֲלֵיהֶם | ʾălēhem | to them |
| שָׂאוּנִי | śāʾūnī | pick me up |
| וַהֲטִילֻנִי | wahăṭīlunī | and hurl me |
| אֶל | ʾel | into |
| הַיָּם | hayyām | the sea |
| וְיִשְׁתֹּק | wəyishtōq | and will be calm |
| הַיָּם | hayyām | the sea |
| מֵעֲלֵיכֶם | mēʿălēkhem | from on you |
| כִּי | kī | for |
| יוֹדֵעַ | yōdhēaʿ | know |
| אָנִי | ʾānī | I |
| כִּי | kī | that |
| בְשֶׁלִּי | vəshellī | on my account |
| הַסַּעַר | hassaʿar | the storm |
| הַגָּדוֹל | haggādhōl | great |
| הַזֶּה | hazze | this |
| עֲלֵיכֶם | ʿălēkhem | (is) on you |
- שָׂאוּנִי: Two plural commands with ־נִי “me” attached: שָׂאוּנִי “lift me”, הֲטִילֻנִי “hurl me”. Jonah asks them to do with him what God did with the wind in verse 4.
- יוֹדֵעַ: A participle with a pronoun: יוֹדֵעַ אָנִי, “knowing, I” = “I know”.
- בְשֶׁלִּי: בְשֶׁלִּי, “on my account”: built like בְּשֶׁלְּמִי in verse 7 (“on whose account?”), now with ־ִי “my”. Jonah answers their question.
- הַסַּעַר: Noun, adjective and “this” each take the article: הַסַּעַר הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה, “the storm, the great, the this” = “this great storm”.
Jonah 1:13
וַיַּחְתְּרוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים לְהָשִׁיב אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָׁה וְלֹא יָכֹלוּ כִּי הַיָּם הוֹלֵךְ וְסֹעֵר עֲלֵיהֶם
Wayyaḥtərū hāʾănāshīm ləhāshīv ʾel-hayyabbāshā wəlō yākhōlū kī hayyām hōlēkh wəsōʿēr ʿălēhem
“The men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was growing more and more stormy against them.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיַּחְתְּרוּ | wayyaḥtərū | and rowed hard |
| הָאֲנָשִׁים | hāʾănāshīm | the men |
| לְהָשִׁיב | ləhāshīv | to bring back |
| אֶל | ʾel | to |
| הַיַּבָּשָׁה | hayyabbāshā | the dry land |
| וְלֹא | wəlō | but not |
| יָכֹלוּ | yākhōlū | they could |
| כִּי | kī | for |
| הַיָּם | hayyām | the sea |
| הוֹלֵךְ | hōlēkh | (was) going |
| וְסֹעֵר | wəsōʿēr | and storming |
| עֲלֵיהֶם | ʿălēhem | against them |
- וַיַּחְתְּרוּ: חָתַר usually means “dig”. The sailors “dig” into the water with their oars: “they rowed hard”.
- לְהָשִׁיב: Hiphil infinitive of שׁוּב: “to cause to return”, “to bring (the ship) back”.
- הוֹלֵךְ: The same words as verse 11, הוֹלֵךְ וְסֹעֵר, now with עֲלֵיהֶם “against them”.
Jonah 1:14
וַיִּקְרְאוּ אֶל־יְהוָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ אָנָּה יְהוָה אַל־נָא נֹאבְדָה בְּנֶפֶשׁ הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה וְאַל־תִּתֵּן עָלֵינוּ דָּם נָקִיא כִּי־אַתָּה יְהוָה כַּאֲשֶׁר חָפַצְתָּ עָשִׂיתָ
Wayyiqrəʾū ʾel-yəḥawwe wayyōmrū ʾānnā yəḥawwe ʾal-nā nōvdhā bənefesh hāʾīsh hazze wəʾal-tittēn ʿālēnū dām nāqī kī-ʾattā yəḥawwe kaʾăsher ḥāfaṣtā ʿāśīthā
“Then they called to yəḥawwe and said, “Please, yəḥawwe, do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not put innocent blood on us, for you, yəḥawwe, have done as you pleased.””
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקְרְאוּ | wayyiqrəʾū | and they called |
| אֶל | ʾel | to |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| וַיֹּאמְרוּ | wayyōmrū | and they said |
| אָנָּה | ʾānnā | ah, please |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| אַל | ʾal | do not |
| נָא | nā | please |
| נֹאבְדָה | nōvdhā | let us perish |
| בְּנֶפֶשׁ | bənefesh | for the life of |
| הָאִישׁ | hāʾīsh | the man |
| הַזֶּה | hazze | this |
| וְאַל | wəʾal | and do not |
| תִּתֵּן | tittēn | put |
| עָלֵינוּ | ʿālēnū | on us |
| דָּם | dām | blood |
| נָקִיא | nāqī | innocent |
| כִּי | kī | for |
| אַתָּה | ʾattā | you |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| כַּאֲשֶׁר | kaʾăsher | as |
| חָפַצְתָּ | ḥāfaṣtā | you pleased |
| עָשִׂיתָ | ʿāśīthā | you have done |
- וַיִּקְרְאוּ: The sailors now call to יְהוָה by name. In verse 5 each had cried to his own god.
- אַל: אַל, not לֹא: אַל asks or commands that something not happen. With the cohortative נֹאבְדָה: “let us not perish”.
- בְּנֶפֶשׁ: בְּ here means “for, at the cost of”: “for the life of this man”.
- נָקִיא: נָקִיא is spelled with an extra א at the end; the usual spelling is נָקִי.
Jonah 1:15
וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־יוֹנָה וַיְטִלֻהוּ אֶל־הַיָּם וַיַּעֲמֹד הַיָּם מִזַּעְפּוֹ
Wayyiśʾū ʾeth-yōnā wayṭiluhū ʾel-hayyām wayyaʿămōdh hayyām mizzaʿpō
“They picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׂאוּ | wayyiśʾū | and they picked up |
| אֶת | ʾeth | (object marker) |
| יוֹנָה | yōnā | Jonah |
| וַיְטִלֻהוּ | wayṭiluhū | and hurled him |
| אֶל | ʾel | into |
| הַיָּם | hayyām | the sea |
| וַיַּעֲמֹד | wayyaʿămōdh | and stood still |
| הַיָּם | hayyām | the sea |
| מִזַּעְפּוֹ | mizzaʿpō | from its raging |
- וַיְטִלֻהוּ: Wayyiqtol + ־הוּ “him”: “and they hurled him”. The last of four “hurlings” in this chapter (verses 4, 5, 12, 15).
- וַיַּעֲמֹד: עָמַד usually means “stand”. The sea “stood”: it stopped moving.
- מִזַּעְפּוֹ: מִן “from” + זַעַף “raging” + ־וֹ “its”. The grammar code reads זַעְפּוֹ as an infinitive of זעף, “to rage”.
Jonah 1:16
וַיִּירְאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים יִרְאָה גְדוֹלָה אֶת־יְהוָה וַיִּזְבְּחוּ־זֶבַח לַיהוָה וַיִּדְּרוּ נְדָרִים
Wayyīrəʾū hāʾănāshīm yirʾā ghədhōlā ʾeth-yəḥawwe wayyizbəḥū-zevaḥ la-yəḥawwe wayyiddərū nədhārīm
“Then the men feared yəḥawwe greatly. They offered a sacrifice to yəḥawwe and made vows.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּירְאוּ | wayyīrəʾū | and feared |
| הָאֲנָשִׁים | hāʾănāshīm | the men |
| יִרְאָה | yirʾā | a fear |
| גְדוֹלָה | ghədhōlā | great |
| אֶת | ʾeth | (object marker) |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| וַיִּזְבְּחוּ | wayyizbəḥū | and they sacrificed |
| זֶבַח | zevaḥ | a sacrifice |
| לַיהוָה | la-yəḥawwe | to yəḥawwe |
| וַיִּדְּרוּ | wayyiddərū | and they vowed |
| נְדָרִים | nədhārīm | vows |
- וַיִּירְאוּ: The same words as verse 10, “the men feared a great fear”, but now with an object: אֶת־יְהוָה.
- וַיִּזְבְּחוּ: Two more verb + noun pairs from one root: וַיִּזְבְּחוּ זֶבַח, “they sacrificed a sacrifice”; וַיִּדְּרוּ נְדָרִים, “they vowed vows”.
- לַיהוָה: לְ “to” takes the vowel a (לַ) before יְהוָה because the name is read aloud as אֲדֹנָי, “Lord”.
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