What is the context?
The sailors cast lots to find who is responsible for the calamity, and the lot falls on Jonah. They question him about his work, origin and people.
He identifies himself as a Hebrew who worships the Lord, the maker of heaven, sea and dry land. The Hebrew יָרֵא, yare (yah-RAY), can express fear or reverence; Brown–Driver–Briggs includes Jonah 1:9 under reverence for God. The BSB conveys that sense with worship.
The sailors become more afraid when they learn whom he serves and that he is fleeing from His presence. His confession makes the contradiction in his conduct plain: he is trying to escape the maker of the very sea on which he travels.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Henry and Cambridge emphasize the force of Jonah’s confession before the frightened sailors. Knowing that the Lord made the sea makes his attempt to flee all the more startling.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.