Jonah 1 · Verse 9

Jonah 1:9

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.
Jonah 1:9, King James Version

Jonah 1:9 in other translations

BSB“I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”
WEBHe said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”
ASVAnd he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land.
YLTAnd he saith unto them, ‘A Hebrew I am, and Jehovah, God of the heavens, I am reverencing, who made the sea and the dry land.'
DARBYAnd he said unto them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the God of the heavens, who hath made the sea and the dry land.
BBEAnd he said to them, I am a Hebrew, a worshipper of the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.
WebsterAnd he said to them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land.

What does Jonah 1:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
9. I am an Hebrew--He does not say "an Israelite." For this was the name used among themselves; "Hebrew," among foreigners (Ge 40:15; Ex 3:18). I fear the Lord--in profession: his practice belied his profession: his profession aggravated his guilt. God ... which ... made the sea--appropriately expressed, as accounting for the tempest sent on the sea. The heathen had distinct gods for the "heaven," the "sea," and the "land." Jehovah is the one and only true God of all alike. 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 (De 4:21). This is what makes Jonah a suitable type of Messiah, who bore the imputed sin of the people.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 I fear the Lord - In this Jonah was faithful. He gave an honest testimony concerning the God he served, which placed him before the eyes of the sailors as infinitely higher than the objects of their adoration; for the God of Jonah was the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land, and governed both. He also honestly told them that he was fleeing from the presence of this God, whose honorable call he had refused to obey. See Jon 1:10.

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 1:9 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.

וַיֹּ֥אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם'a.lei.Hemto themH413
עִבְרִ֣י'iv.Ri[am] a HebrewH5680
אָנֹ֑כִי'a.No.khiIH595
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
יְהוָ֞הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵ֤י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ha.sha.Ma.yimthe heavensH8064
אֲנִ֣י'a.NiIH589
יָרֵ֔אya.Re'[am] fearingH3373
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whoH834
עָשָׂ֥ה'a.Sahhe madeH6213
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַיָּ֖םhai.Yamthe seaH3220
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
הַיַּבָּשָֽׁה\׃hai.ya.ba.Shahthe dry landH3004

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

Cross references for Jonah 1:9

  • Psalms 146:5-6

    Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:

  • Psalms 95:5-6

    The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

  • Nehemiah 9:6

    Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

  • Psalms 136:26

    O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

  • Nehemiah 1:4

    And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

  • Genesis 14:13

    And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.

  • Acts 14:15

    And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

  • Job 1:9

    Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

  • Revelation 16:11

    And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

  • Revelation 11:13

    And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

  • Daniel 2:44

    And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

  • Genesis 39:14

    That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I am.
Ge 14:13; 39:14; Php 3:5
and I.
2Ki 17:25,28,32-35; Job 1:9; Ho 3:5; Ac 27:23; Re 15:4
the Lord. or, Jehovah. the God.
Ezr 1:2; 5:11; 7:12,13; Ne 1:4; 2:4; Ps 136:26; Da 2:18,19,44
Re 11:13; 16:11
which.
Ne 9:6; Ps 95:5,6; 146:5,6; Ac 14:15; 17:23-25

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

Context

  • Jonah 1:8

    Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

  • Jonah 1:9

    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.

  • 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.

Read all of Jonah 1

Jonah 1:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y él les respondió: Hebreo soy, y temo á Jehová, Dios de los cielos, que hizo la mar y la tierra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et il leur dit: Je suis Hébreu, et je crains l’ Éternel, le Dieu des cieux, qui a fait la mer et la terre.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und er sprach zu ihnen: Ich bin ein Hebräer; und ich fürchte Jehova, den Gott des Himmels, der das Meer und das Trockene gemacht hat.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et dixit ad eos: Hebræus ego sum, et Dominum Deum cæli ego timeo, qui fecit mare et aridam.