But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
Parallel translations
- WEB But Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty storm on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up.
- BSB Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart.
- NKJV But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.
- NASB However, the Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea, so that the ship was about to break up.
- NLT But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God hurls a great storm at the fleeing ship, showing He pursues His runaway prophet. It matters because God sovereignly controls creation to accomplish His purposes of correction and mercy.
Overview
The Lord who commissioned Jonah now sends the wind, demonstrating that even nature serves His will. This storm is not blind misfortune but a deliberate, gracious interruption to turn Jonah back. God's discipline of His own often looks severe, yet it aims at restoration rather than destruction (Hebrews 12:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 107:23–31They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
- Matt 8:24–27And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
- Amos 4:13For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.
- Exod 14:21And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
- Ps 135:7He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
- Exod 10:19And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.
- Num 11:31And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.
- Exod 15:10Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
- Acts 27:13–20And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
- Exod 10:13And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
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Christ at the center
Three days in the belly of the fish is the sign Jesus gave of his own death and resurrection (Matt 12:40); and God's mercy on pagan Nineveh foreshadows the gospel going to the nations.
How Jonah 1:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.