Jonah 1:9,10 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Bible Comments

And he said, I am a Hebrew One descended from Heber, whose offspring by Abraham are well known. And I fear the Lord Or rather JEHOVAH, the God of heaven, Jehovah being the peculiar name of the true God, by which he was distinguished from those who had the name of gods and lords among the heathen. Which hath made the sea and the dry land These words, as Mr. Locke observes, are a further distinction between the true God and the gods of the heathen; as if he had said, I worship and serve the one living and true God; that eternal and almighty Being, who made and ruleth the heavens and the earth, and all creatures therein. Then were the men exceedingly afraid And with good reason, for they perceived that God was against them, even the God that made the world and governs all things, and that this tempest proceeded from his offended justice. Hence they inferred that their case was perilous in the extreme. And having learned from Jonah that he had disobeyed this Almighty God, and fled from his presence, they said unto him, Why hast thou done this? How couldst thou dare to behave in such a manner, or disobey his commands, whom thou acknowledgest to be so great and powerful a Being, and Lord of all?

Jonah 1:9-10

9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD,c the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

10 Then were the men exceedinglyd afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.