Jonah 1:14

So they cried out to the LORD: “Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life! Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The mariners cry out to Yahweh while the sea rages against them in Jonah 1:13, immediately before they pick up Jonah to cast him into the waters in Jonah 1:15. They address their plea directly to God as they face imminent death.

The words — The terms אָנָּה (a.Nah) and נָא (na') combine to mean "we beg you" and "please," highlighting the sailors' urgent supplication. The verb וַ/יִּקְרְא֨וּ (va/i.yik.re.'U) literally translates to "and they called out," marking their direct invocation.

The thread — The statement that God does as He pleases appears in Psalms 115:3 and Psalms 135:6, which affirm divine sovereignty over the heavens, earth, and seas. The request to avoid being charged with innocent blood aligns with the atonement principle in Deuteronomy 21:8 regarding the shedding of innocent life.

Why it lands — The verse records the sailors' acknowledgment of God's absolute authority and their explicit plea to avoid guilt for Jonah's impending death. It demands the reader note that human supplication operates within the bounds of divine sovereignty without altering its course.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.

Cross-references

Psalms 115:3 Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.
Psalms 135:6 The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.
Deuteronomy 21:8 Accept this atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, and do not hold the shedding of innocent blood against them.” And the bloodshed will be atoned for.
Ephesians 1:11 In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,
Psalms 107:28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.
Daniel 4:34 But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
Jonah 1:5 The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him.
Matthew 11:26 Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.
Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.