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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The sailors are terrified to learn Jonah is fleeing from his God and demand to know why he has done it.
What Does Jonah 1:10 Mean?
Jonah's confession deepens the sailors' fear; they are now exceedingly afraid. If this God made the sea, then fleeing Him on the sea is madness, and they grasp the danger at once. Their question, Why hast thou done this, is less an accusation than a cry of astonishment. The narrator adds that they already knew he was fleeing, because Jonah himself had told them.
The pagans understand something the prophet has been suppressing: you cannot run from the Maker of all. Their growing fear of the Lord stands in moving contrast to Jonah's flight from Him. Often those outside the covenant perceive God's seriousness more clearly than those who have grown careless within it. The question Why hast thou done this hangs over every act of running from God. It invites honest reckoning, the kind that can turn a heart back before the storm does its worst.