Jonah 1 · Verse 11

Jonah 1:11

Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.
Jonah 1:11, King James Version

Jonah 1:11 in other translations

BSBNow the sea was growing worse and worse, so they said to Jonah, “What must we do to you to calm this sea for us?”
WEBThen they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may be calm to us?” For the sea grew more and more stormy.
ASVThen said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
YLTAnd they say unto him, ‘What do we do to thee that the sea may cease from us, for the sea is more and more tempestuous?'
DARBYAnd they said unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
BBEAnd they said to him, What are we to do to you so that the sea may become calm for us? For the sea was getting rougher and rougher.
WebsterThen said they to him, What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be calm to us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

What does Jonah 1:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
11. What shall we do unto thee?--They ask this, as Jonah himself must best know how his God is to be appeased. "We would gladly save thee, if we can do so, and yet be saved ourselves" (Jon 1:13, 14).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 What shall we do unto thee - In these poor men there was an uncommon degree of humanity and tender feeling.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jonah 1:8-12

Jonah gave an account of his religion, for that was his business. We may hope that he told with sorrow and shame, justifying God, condemning himself, and explaining to the mariners what a great God Jehovah is. They said to him, Why hast thou done this? If thou fearest the God that made the sea and the dry land, why wast thou such a fool as to think thou couldst flee from his presence? If the professors of religion…

Read the full comment on Jonah 1:8-12 →

Jonah 1:11 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּאמְר֤וּvai.yo.me.Ruand they saidH559
אֵלָיו֙'e.Lavto himH413
מַה\־mah-what?H4100
נַּ֣עֲשֶׂהNa.'a.sehwill we doH6213
לָּ֔ךְLakhto <the> you
וְיִשְׁתֹּ֥קve.yish.Tokso it may be calmH8367
הַיָּ֖םhai.Yamthe seaH3220
מֵֽעָלֵ֑ינוּme.'a.Lei.nufrom on <the> usH5921
כִּ֥יkiforH3588
הַיָּ֖םhai.Yamthe seaH3220
הוֹלֵ֥ךְho.Lekh[was] goingH1980
וְסֹעֵֽר\׃ve.so.'Erand stormingH5590

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jonah 1:11

  • 1 Samuel 6:2-3

    And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.

  • Micah 6:6-7

    Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

  • 2 Samuel 21:1-6

    Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.) Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord? And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you. …

  • 2 Samuel 24:11-13

    For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, Go and say unto David, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
What.
1Sa 6:2,3; 2Sa 21:1-6; 24:11-13; Mic 6:6,7
calm unto us. Heb. silent from us. wrought, and wastempestuous. or, grew more and more tempestuous. Heb. went and was, etc.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jonah 1:10

    Then were the men exceedingly 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.

  • Jonah 1:11

    Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

  • Jonah 1:12

    And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

Read all of Jonah 1

Jonah 1:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y dijéronle: ¿Qué te haremos, para que la mar se nos quiete? porque la mar iba á más, y se embravecía.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et ils lui dirent: Que te ferons-nous, afin que la mer s’apaise pour nous? car la mer allait grossissant toujours.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und sie sprachen zu ihm: Was sollen wir dir tun, damit das Meer sich gegen uns beruhige? denn das Meer wurde immer stürmischer
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et dixerunt ad eum: Quid faciemus tibi, et cessabit mare a nobis? quia mare ibat, et intumescebat.