And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew. He does not say "an Israelite." For this was the name used among themselves; "Hebrew" among foreigners (Genesis 40:15; Exodus 3:18).
And I fear the Lord - in profession; his practice belied his profession; is profession aggravated his guilt.
The God of heaven, which hath made the sea - appropriately expressed, as accounting for the tempest sent on the sea.
And the dry land. The pagan had distinct gods for the "heaven," the "sea," and the "land." Yahweh is the one and only true God of all alike. The pagan had thought Yahweh to be the mere local God of Israel. The title "the God of heaven" claims for Him the supremacy above the heavens, which they worshipped as a god, and over all things. Hence, Daniel uses it to the pagan Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:37; Daniel 2:44: cf. Genesis 24:7; 2 Chronicles 36:23). Jonah at last is awakened by the violent remedy from his lethargy. Jonah was but the reflection of Israel's backsliding from God, and so must bear the righteous punishment. The guilt of the minister is the result of that of the people, as in Moses' case (Deuteronomy 4:21). This is what makes Jonah a suitable type of Messiah, who bore the imputed sin of the people.