The Meaning of Jonah 1:13 Explained

Jonah 1:13

KJV: Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

YLT: And the men row to turn back unto the dry land, and are not able, for the sea is more and more tempestuous against them.

Darby: But the men rowed hard to regain the land; but they could not; for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

ASV: Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not: for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

Discover Jonah 1:13

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Jonah 1:13?

MEANING: What does Jonah 1:13 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Jonah 1:13 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Jonah 1:13?

What is the context of Jonah 1:13?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring [it] to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

What does Jonah 1:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The sailors initially rejected Jonah"s advice and compassionately chose to drop him off at the nearest landfall. They strained every muscle for Jonah"s sake, literally digging their oars into the water. They demonstrated more concern for one man than Jonah had for the thousands of men, women, and children in Nineveh. When reaching land became impossible due to the raging sea, they prayed to Yahweh, something that we have no record that the prophet had done.

Context Summary

Jonah 1:1-16 - Fleeing From God And Duty

Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. He was clearly very patriotic, and did not despair of his country in its darkest days. This commission to Nineveh was therefore not to his taste, because he had no desire to see the great heathen city brought to her knees. Another century would have to pass before Isaiah and Micah would proclaim that the heathen world would turn to God, Micah 4:1; Isaiah 2:2.

Rather than go upon this errand of mercy, Jonah hurried down to the one seaport, that he might escape his duty. Sin is always a descent; we always have to pay heavily in tolls and fares when we take our own way instead of God's, and we must never reckon that opportunity implies permission.

Weary with excitement and travel, the prophet is oblivious to the weighing of the anchor. The disasters that block the way of disobedience are harder than our difficulties in performing God's bidding. Note the divine agency in our lives: the word of the Lord came; the Lord hurled forth a great wind; the Lord prepared a great fish. There were, in these heathen sailors, beautiful traits which ought to have abashed the prophet. Their prayer to their idols and their endeavor to save this stranger Jew are as instructive as remarkable. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Jonah 1:13 mean?

And nevertheless rowed hard the men to return to land but not they could for the sea continued to grow and more tempestuous against them

וַיַּחְתְּר֣וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים לְהָשִׁ֛יב אֶל־ הַיַּבָּשָׁ֖ה וְלֹ֣א יָכֹ֑לוּ כִּ֣י הַיָּ֔ם הוֹלֵ֥ךְ וְסֹעֵ֖ר עֲלֵיהֶֽם

וַיַּחְתְּר֣וּ	And nevertheless rowed hard
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural Root: חָתַר Sense: to dig, row.
הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים	the men
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural Root: אֱנׄושׁ Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
לְהָשִׁ֛יב	to return
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct Root: שׁוּב Sense: to return, turn back.
הַיַּבָּשָׁ֖ה	land
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular Root: יַבָּשָׁה Sense: dry land, dry ground.
וְלֹ֣א	but not
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle Root: הֲלֹא Sense: not, no.
יָכֹ֑לוּ	they could
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural Root: יָכֹל Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
הַיָּ֔ם	the sea
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular Root: יָם Sense: sea.
הוֹלֵ֥ךְ	continued to grow
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular Root: הָלַךְ Sense: to go, walk, come.
וְסֹעֵ֖ר	and more tempestuous
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular Root: סָעַר Sense: to storm, rage.
עֲלֵיהֶֽם	against them
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural Root: עַל Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.

What are the major concepts related to Jonah 1:13?

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Similar Scriptures for Jonah 1:13

		Job 34:29 [3]
		Proverbs 21:30 [3]