Jonah 1:3

But Jonah did not go to Nineveh. Instead, he went in the direction opposite to where Yahweh told him to go. He went (down) to Joppa city. There he paid the fare to travel on a ship that was going to Tarshish city. Jonah wanted to escape from Yahweh and avoid doing what Yahweh had told him to do. He got on the ship, and then he went down to a lower deck inside the ship. He lay down, and went to sleep. went (down) OR went OR traveled went (down) Jonah had to travel from a high elevation (Jerusalem city) down to Joppa city which was a low elevation. Joppa was at sea level where a ship could be docked.The repeated “down” communicates that Jonah is going down from Yahweh’s exalted/”up” position.

Jonah (Easy-to-Translate)

In The King James Version

But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

In Context

2"I have seen how wicked are the people who live in the great city called Nineveh. Therefore, go there and warn the people that I am planning to destroy their city because they d sinned." *One day* Yahweh said to the *prophet *Jonah, Amittai’s son OR *There was a prophet in Israel named* Jonah who was Amittai's son. *One day* Yahweh said to him: *One day* Yahweh said to the *prophet *Jonah, Amittai’s son Use words that will indicate that this is a real, historical story. Do not use words that might communicate that this is a folk tale, a fake story or a myth. the great city called Nineveh OR the large/important city called Nineveh* in the Assyria kingdom* the great city called Nineveh Jonah 3:1

4Then Yahweh caused a very strong wind to blow. There was such a violent storm that the sailors thought the ship would break apart.

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Matthew Henry on Jonah 1:2-4

Jonah This book of Jonah, though it be placed here in the midst of the prophetical books of scripture, is yet rather a history than a prophecy; one line of prediction there is in it, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown; the rest of the book is a narrative of the preface to and the consequences of that prediction. In the midst of the obscure prophecies before and after this book, wherein are many things dark and hard to be understood, which are puzzling to the learned, and are strong meat for strong… Read the whole commentary →

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