New English Translation
Jonah 1:7
7The sailors said to one another, “Come on, let’s cast lots to find out whose fault it is that this disaster has overtaken us.” So they cast lots, and Jonah was singled out.
Jonah 1:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
- New International Version (NIV)Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
Context of Jonah 1:7
5The sailors were so afraid that each cried out to his own god and they flung the ship’s cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold below deck, had lain down, and was sound asleep. 6The ship’s captain approached him and said, “What are you doing asleep? Get up! Cry out to your god! Perhaps your god might take notice of us so that we might not die!” The sailors said to one another, “Come on, let’s cast lots to find out whose fault it is that this disaster has overtaken us.” So they cast lots, and Jonah was singled out. 8They said to him, “Tell us, whose fault is it that this disaster has overtaken us? What’s your occupation? Where do you come from? What’s your country? And who are your people?” 9He said to them, “I am a Hebrew! And I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Read all of Jonah 1Jonah 1:7 word by word
וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֗הוּ לְכוּ֙ וְנַפִּ֣ילָה גֽוֹרָל֔וֹת וְנֵ֣דְעָ֔ה בְּשֶׁלְּמִ֛י הָרָעָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את לָ֑נוּ וַיַּפִּ֙לוּ֙ גּֽוֹרָל֔וֹת וַיִּפֹּ֥ל הַגּוֹרָ֖ל עַל־יוֹנָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- every oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- to his fellowרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
- Comeיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- and let us castנָפַלnâphal · to fall: allotH5307
- lotsגּוֹרָלgôrâl gôrâl · allottedH1486
- that we may knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- for whose causeשֶׁלshel · whichH7945
- this evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: evilH7451
- upon Jonahיוֹנָהyônâh · JonahH3124
Cross-references for Jonah 1:7
- Judges 7:13When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. The man said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.”
- Isaiah 41:6They help one another; one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’
- Joshua 7:14In the morning you must approach in tribal order. The tribe the Lord selects must approach by clans. The clan the Lord selects must approach by families. The family the Lord selects must approach man by man.
- Judges 20:9Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates.
- 1 Samuel 10:20Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot.
- 1 Samuel 14:41Then Saul said, “O Lord God of Israel! If this sin has been committed by me or by my son Jonathan, then, O Lord God of Israel, respond with Urim. But if this sin has been committed by your people Israel, respond with Thummim.” Then Jonathan and Saul were indicated by lot, while the army was exonerated.
- Esther 3:7In the first month (that is, the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus’ reign, pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman in order to determine a day and a month. It turned out to be the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar).
- Psalms 22:18They are dividing up my clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice for my garments.
- Proverbs 16:33The dice are thrown into the lap, but their every decision is from the Lord.
- Matthew 27:35When they had crucified him, they divided his clothes by throwing dice.
- Acts 1:23So they proposed two candidates: Joseph called Barsabbas (also called Justus) and Matthias.
- Acts 13:19After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave his people their land as an inheritance.
- Joshua 7:10The Lord responded to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down?
- Joshua 22:16“The entire community of the Lord says, ‘Why have you disobeyed the God of Israel by turning back today from following the Lord? You built an altar for yourselves and have rebelled today against the Lord.
- 1 Samuel 14:38Then Saul said, “All you leaders of the army come here. Find out how this sin occurred today.
- Job 10:2I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; tell me why you are contending with me.’
Commentaries on Jonah 1:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Come, and let us cast lots - This was a very ancient mode of endeavoring to find out the mind of Divine Providence; and in this case it proves that they supposed the storm to have arisen on account of some hidden crime of some person aboard. A philosopher being at sea in a violent storm. when the crew began to call earnestly to the gods for safety, he said, "Be silent, and cease your prayers; for should the gods know that you are here, we shall all be…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Come, and let us cast lots - Jonah too had probably prayed, and his prayers too were not heard. Probably, too, the storm had some unusual character about it, the suddenness with which it burst upon them, its violence, the quarter from where it came, its whirlwind force. “They knew the nature of the sea, and, as experienced sailors, were acquainted with the character of wind and storm, and had these waves been such as they had known before, they would…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-7Verses 4-7 God sent a pursuer after Jonah, even a mighty tempest. Sin brings storms and tempests into the soul, into the family, into churches and nations; it is a disquieting, disturbing thing. Having called upon their gods for help, the sailors did what they could to help themselves. Oh that men would be thus wise for their souls, and would be willing to part with that wealth, pleasure, and honour, which they cannot keep without making shipwreck of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-8God permitted the use of lots for certain purposes, such as making decisions when people sought his will (see Leviticus 16:8; Joshua 18:6; 1 Chronicles 26:12–16; Acts 1:26). However, divination in general, as it was practiced throughout the ancient world, displeased the Lord because it sought guidance apart from him (Deuteronomy 18:9–13). who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us: In the ancient Near East, people often believed that disasters…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. cast lots--God sometimes sanctioned this mode of deciding in difficult cases. Compare the similar instance of Achan, whose guilt involved Israel in suffering, until God revealed the offender, probably by the casting of lots (Pr 16:33; Ac 1:26). Primitive tradition and natural conscience led even the heathen to believe that one guilty man involves all his associates, though innocent, in punishment. So Cicero [The Nature of the Gods, 3.37] mentions that…Read the comment
Topics related to Jonah 1:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jonah 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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