MS: וַיִּירְאוּ הַמַּלָּחִים וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אִישׁ אֶל־אֱלֹהָיו וַיָּטִלוּ אֶת־הַכֵּלִים אֲשֶׁר בָּאֳנִיָּה אֶל־הַיָּם לְהָקֵל מֵעֲלֵיהֶם וְיוֹנָה יָרַד אֶל־יַרְכְּתֵי הַסְּפִינָה וַיִּשְׁכַּב וַיֵּרָדַם
LXX: Καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ναυτικοὶ καὶ ἀνεβόησαν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν θεὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκβολὴν ἐποιήσαντο τῶν σκευῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τοῦ κουφισθῆναι ἀπʼ αὐτῶν Ἰωνᾶς δὲ κατέβη εἰς τὴν κοίλην τοῦ πλοίου καὶ ἐκάθευδε καὶ ἔρεγχε
TJ: וּדְחִילוּ סַפְנַיָא וּבְעוֹ גְבַר מִן דְחַלְתֵּיהּ וַחֲזוֹ אֲרֵי לֵית בְּהוֹן צְרוֹךְ וּרְמוֹ יַת מָנַיָא דִבְאִילְפָא לְיַמָא לְאַקָלָא מִנְהוֹן וְיוֹנָה נְחֵית לְאַרְעִית שִׁדָא דְאִילְפָא וּשְׁכִיב וּדְמוּךְ
Verse Breakdown
MS: וַיִּירְאוּ הַמַּלָּחִים וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אִישׁ אֶל־אֱלֹהָיו LXX: Καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ναυτικοὶ καὶ ἀνεβόησαν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν θεὸν αὐτοῦ TJ: וּדְחִילוּ סַפְנַיָא וּבְעוֹ גְבַר מִן דְחַלְתֵּיהּ
MS: vayir’u hammallahim vayiz`aqu ‘ish ‘el-’elohaiv LXX: kai efobethesan hoi nautikoi kai aneboesan hekastos pros ton theon autou TJ: udkhilu sapnaya’ uv`u gbar min dekhalteh
MS: And feared, the sailors, and pleaded, each man, to his god LXX: And feared, the sailors, and cried out, each one, before his god TJ: And they were afraid, and of the treasure/secret pleaded, a man/each man from their fear
MS: וַיָּטִלוּ אֶת־הַכֵּלִים אֲשֶׁר בָּאֳנִיָּה אֶל־הַיָּם לְהָקֵל מֵעֲלֵיהֶם LXX: καὶ ἐκβολὴν ἐποιήσαντο τῶν σκευῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τοῦ κουφισθῆναι ἀπʼ αὐτῶν TJ: וַחֲזוֹ אֲרֵי לֵית בְּהוֹן צְרוֹךְ וּרְמוֹ יַת מָנַיָא דִבְאִילְפָא לְיַמָא לְאַקָלָא מִנְהוֹן
MS: vayyatilu ‘et-hakhelim ‘esher ba’aniyah ‘el-hayam leheqel me`aleyhem LXX: kai ekbolen epoiesanto ton skeuon ton en toi ploioi eis ten thalassan tou koufisthenai ap’ auton TJ: vakhazo ‘arey leyt bhon tsrokh urmo yat manaya’
MS: And threw out the things which were in the ship into the sea to lighten from among them LXX: And threw out the craft-works of the vessel, which were in the ship, into the sea to lighten from them TJ: And they saw because in those things there was no need, so they threw the cargo from the boat to the sea to lighten from among them
MS: וְיוֹנָה יָרַד אֶל־יַרְכְּתֵי הַסְּפִינָה וַיִּשְׁכַּב וַיֵּרָדַם LXX: Ἰωνᾶς δὲ κατέβη εἰς τὴν κοίλην τοῦ πλοίου καὶ ἐκάθευδε καὶ ἔρεγχε TJ: וְיוֹנָה נְחֵית לְאַרְעִית שִׁדָא דְאִילְפָא וּשְׁכִיב וּדְמוּךְ
MS: veyonah yarad ‘el-yarkhetey hasfinah vayishkhav vayeradam LXX: ionas de katebe eis ten koilen tou ploiou kai ekatheude kai eregxe TJ: veyonah neheyt le’ar`it shida’ d’ilpa’ ushkiv udmukh
MS: And Jonah went down into the recesses of the ship and slept deeply LXX: And Jonas went down into the recesses of the boat and slept and snored TJ: And Jonah went down to the lower side of the boat and slept deeply
Critical Reconstruction
Shortest Construction:
“And feared, the sailors, and cried out, each one, before his god. And they threw out the things which were in the ship into the sea to lighten from among them. And Jonah went down into the recesses of the ship and slept deeply.”
Longest Construction:
“And they were afraid, and of the treasure/secret pleaded, a man/each man from their fear. And they saw because in those things there was no need, so they threw the craft-works of the vessel, which were in the ship, into the sea to lighten from them. And Jonah went down into the lower side of the boat and slept and snored.”
Overview:
This verse has two explanatory notes, one from LXX and one from TJ. The first note, from LXX, comes in the final wording, where Jonah is said to be snoring. This is an illustrative point on how deeply Jonah was sleeping: He was in deep sleep, to the point of snoring. The second note comes from TJ, which explains the rationale of the sailors. They saw the cargo on board was not of any use to them at this point, because of the great storm, and decided it was worth throwing it over to preserve the ship. This is an obvious rationale for the sailors, as their boat, and by extension their lives, were more valuable than whatever cargo they were holding. Both of these expansions are explanative notes on how serious, and possibly ironic, the situation was.
What to Look for in a Text
Whenever we do Bible study, it is important to take a strategic approach. Once you have some orientation of the book you are in, otherwise known as context, you must look at the text in a process known as observation. When you are observing a text, you simply look at it and make note of anything that stands out. This includes questions, strange points, and in this comparative study that would also include differences. The expansions both likely came as a part of the observation process. The translators asked questions their recipients would have. First, how could Jonah be asleep in such a serious storm? Well, he must have been in a deep sleep, either supernaturally by God, or deeply enough to be snoring! Second, why would the sailors throw out their cargo, since that would cost them so much money? They must have understood the serious situation they were in, evaluated the cost of their cargo, and decided their lives were worth more! In other words, they counted the cargo as a lost cause, and threw it over. Both of these expansions come from a careful viewing of the text.
But observation can not just happen two thousand years ago. Observation should be one of the first steps whenever we approach a text. We pray, we look at context, and then we begin asking questions. Notice the two expansions on the text, which help us to point out some themes. God shook up the lives of the sailors so much, they were afraid for their lives. Why would God do this? We will see in only a few verses that God would bring these same sailors to repentance when He shows His power over the raging sea. Second, notice Jonah is asleep in the bottom of the boat. This is the prophet of God! What is he doing? A major pastoral role today is crisis counselling, or helping people turn to God when life gets out of hand. This was the perfect time for the prophet, God’s mouthpiece, to work. Yet, he was asleep on the job. Do you see the irony in the story? In a few verses, these sailors are going to throw the prophet overboard, and the curse of the storm will be lifted. Jonah’s departure, not presence, will bring repentance for these sailors. God will work with us or in spite of us, just like He does with Jonah. I would much rather work with God. Wouldn’t you?
