Jonah 1:7
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The sailors cast lots to discover who is to blame for the storm, and the lot points to Jonah.
What Does Jonah 1:7 Mean?
Convinced that such a storm must have a cause, the sailors cast lots, an ancient way of seeking a verdict beyond human reasoning. They want to know on whose account this evil has fallen. The casting is fair and blind, yet the lot lands squarely on Jonah. What looks like chance is quietly governed by the God Jonah is fleeing.
Scripture says elsewhere that the lot is cast into the lap, but its decision is from the Lord. Here God uses even the sailors' rough method to bring His prophet's hidden flight into the open. Sin can be concealed for a while, but God has ways of bringing what is hidden to light, not to destroy but to restore. The exposure that frightens Jonah is the beginning of his rescue. We need not fear being found out by a God whose searching is always aimed at saving.
In the Original Language
goral (גוֹרָל), 'lot' -- a small object cast to discern a decision; the same word later names an allotted inheritance, for what the lot assigns is held to come from God.