Why didn’t Jonah just jump off the boat?

Since in the Jewish mind prophecy is more about pattern than prediction and fulfillment, Jonah in some ways is a type, model, similitude or pattern to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself makes reference to how Jonah is a type of Him.

Jesus ALLOWED Himself to be crucified. He didn’t crucify Himself.

So in effect Jumping in the ocean would have been suicide. The model says OTHERS must kill Jonah.

And what happens after they toss him to his death? Peace!

What happens after Jesus’s sacrificial death?

We have peace with God.

One could argue from the language employed that they got saved.

Another unfortunate case of coulda, woulda, shoulda. Like the question...how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?...the world may never know.

I would say ultimately the way it played out God got the glory. We have been locked in a spiritual battle since the garden. Paul, does a good job of pointing it out. David was well aware of it when you read his words before facing Goliath and during facing him. Is just clear he is aware it is a spiritual battle.

Naaman is a good story to show the spiritual battle mixed with the culture and the beliefs of the time. After he is healed of leprosy he tries to to offer Elisha a gift. Which Elisha takes no gift. So anyway we can pick up the story in 2Kings 5:15-19, 15And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 16But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. 18In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing. 19And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.

They believed that a god inhabited everything. We oft think that when they worshipped idols that the idol was the god. The idol was a body a temple for the god that it would inhabit. So our God being the true God as the God of the Hebrews other nations would have recognized that he inhabited everything in that country. The mountains, wind, water, and the dirt. So Naaman becomes a follower of the true God and he ask for the dirt because he is gonna take it home. Spread it out and pray or worship on it as to him it is the very presence of God because he inhabits it as he has claimed Israel as his own and his possession and territory.

We see the same thing when the Philistines placed the Ark in the temple of Dagon. When he is fallen over and his head removed. It says that they do not step in that area even today. Reason being they saw that God had defeated Dagon so in that area it now belongs to him so they don't step on that area or soil as now the Hebrew God inhabits it.

So in ancient cultures their sea gods inhabited the waters and the waters would represent the mood of that god. Was he mad, at peace, and etc. So when Jonah tells them his God is the God of the Hebrews. In ancient times gentile nations on rough seas would have made some sacrifice to appease their god. Throwing that sacrifice overboard to the god. Which I am sure that proved to be futile to appease their false god. So Jonah being a servant of the true God. When he is cast over to appease our God. The calming of the seas would have been proof that the true God did also inhabit the very waters outside his country or territory. God would have shown in spiritual battle with other false gods that he was God of all and his power was not only in Israel but even outside of it. As he is God of all the earth and creation.

So while the story does not go into this I have no doubt that some of those there that day would come to realization that this strange God to them was in fact a God who had power unlike what they had seen. God would be known amongst those gentiles and he get the glory as the true God.

I'm pretty sure only through faith in the finished work of the cross for sins is the only way unto salvation. Yes?

Jonah seems to parallel many peoples lives. God tells us to do something, we refuse, next we find ourselves in some sort of storm. Instead of repenting we make it so we're forced into a situation that we cannot escape without God.

Jonah choosing not to jump when he knew the storm was caused by him is very similar to many of us who keep refusing to do the will of God.

If we would ask Jonah why he did not jump, he most likely would give a similar reason that we use when we don't yield to God until we have no other choice.

This thread could easily be a Sermon. So many answers in this thread are the truth and a preacher could have 6 Sundays worth of material here.

What level of understanding they had of these things is subject for debate, no doubt. But the sailors did call upon the name of the Lord and the came to fear God, make vows, and sacrifice. They hadn't done that in past times. Something happened that day. I believe God used the circumstances that transpired to reveal Himself to them. You can characterize it however you like. I call it salvation.

it's my favorite story, the sailors chucked him over because the lord place it on there hearts to, after the sailors cried out to the lord.

God also placed the idea on the heart of Jonah to ask the sailor men to chuck him over.

Why didn’t Jonah just jump off the boat?

My view is this

God made a plan before He created this world and Jonah was a part of that Plan -----God Created Jonah and He knew his heart and he knew already that Jonah would flee from him when He approached him to go to Nineveh ----- and what His plan was to bring him to obey His request -----

Jonah jumping off the ship was not part of God's Plan -----God's Plan included the men who threw him over the side -----

this says it here --

-Jonah asked them to throw him over ----they refuse -----then they pray to God and God answers them and they obey what God wants -----verses 14-15 -----

I say -------Even Jonah knew he was not suppose to jump over himself ------he ask them to do it ------


12 Jonah said to the men, “I know I did wrong—that is why the storm came on the sea. So throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm.”

13 Instead, the men tried to row the ship back to the shore, but they couldn’t do it. The wind and the waves of the sea were too strong—and they were becoming stronger and stronger.

14 So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t say we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Please don’t make us die for killing him. We know you are the Lord, and you will do whatever you want.”

15 So the men threw Jonah into the sea. The storm stopped, and the sea became calm. 16 When the men saw this, they began to fear and respect the Lord. They offered a sacrifice and made special promises to the Lord.

I say --God has a time for everything ----and the time of the fish being there had not yet come -----till the men threw him over ----and Jonah was swallowed by the big Fish at the right time ------


17 When Jonah fell into the sea, the Lord chose a very big fish to swallow Jonah. He was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.

Maybe he didn't know how to swim!

Should have packed his floating. A very good warning for all who would disobey.

I'm not sure where this was stated in the story, but what was God's plan for Nineveh as stated in Jonah's message?

Jonah 3
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

Why would they? You are confusing them with pirates.

Jonah would be a type of Christ in his death, "burial", and resurrection. His tomb was the belly of the whale. But Jonah went to Sheol (Hades in the NT) and then was resurrected.

We should note the following: And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of [Sheol] cried I, and thou heardest my voice. (Jonah 2:2).
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר קָ֠רָאתִי מִצָּ֥רָה לִ֛י אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה וַֽיַּעֲנֵ֑נִי מִבֶּ֧טֶן שְׁאֹ֛ול שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי שָׁמַ֥עְתָּ קֹולִֽי
שְׁא֛וֹל (šə-’ō-wl)
Strong's Concordance
sheol: underworld (place to which people descend at death)
Original Word: שְׁאוֹל
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: sheol
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh-ole')
Definition: underworld (place to which people descend at death)

Those three days and three nights would also be applicable to Christ. However, Jesus of Nazareth was the exact opposite of Jonah in all other respects.

You are technically correct. But pirates are much funnier than mere sailors.

Unless they have you on the plank and are forcing you to walk the plank. Then it is no longer funny. Modern piracy is a very serious threat today.

Sometimes it's ok to just suspend belief and laugh.

yes!

wear your LIFE VEST at all times!

in Exodus 15 Miriam rejoices singing,
the LORD has thrown the horse and it's rider into the sea!
and for 3 days, from leaving Egypt, the Hebrews have gone without water. they find some but it is bitter -

THE BRANCH must be cast into the water to make peace and to heal.

the same with Jonah