Jonah 1:14
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The sailors pray to the LORD by name, pleading not to perish and not to be charged with innocent blood.
What Does Jonah 1:14 Mean?
The sailors who once cried each to his own god now cry to the LORD by name, the God of Israel. Their prayer is urgent and reverent: they beg not to perish for Jonah's life, nor to be held guilty of innocent blood. And they bow to His sovereignty, acknowledging that He has done as it pleased Him. In a few hours these pagans have come a long way toward the true God.
Their prayer is a model of humility, fearing to take a life yet submitting to what God is plainly doing. The very storm that exposed Jonah's flight has become the means of bringing these men to call on the living God. This is how the Lord often works, drawing the unlikely to Himself even through hard providence. The God who concerns Himself with Nineveh is already at work in the hearts of a few sailors, and not one of them is beyond the reach of His mercy.