Verse 6
It took a presumably pagan sea captain to remind Jonah of his duty. The words the captain used are the same as the ones God had used (Jonah 1:2, Heb. qum lek). Jonah should have been praying instead of sleeping in view of the imminent danger that he and his companions faced (cf. Luke 22:39-46). The normal reaction to danger, even among pagans, is to seek divine intervention, but this is precisely what Jonah wanted to avoid. Jonah did not care if he died (Jonah 1:12).
"It is well known how often sin brings insensibility with it also. What a shame that the prophet of God had to be called to pray by a heathen." [Note: Feinberg, p. 16.]
What the captain hoped Jonah’s God would do, He did. He is the only true God, and He does show concern for people (cf. Jonah 4:2; Jonah 4:11). This demonstration of Yahweh’s concern for people in danger is one of the great themes of this book. God showed compassion for the Ninevites and later for Jonah, but Jonah showed little compassion for the Ninevites, for these sailors, or even for himself.
Whereas the first pericope of the story (Jonah 1:1-3) illuminates the lack of compassion that characterized the prophet, this second one (Jonah 1:4-6) reinforces it and implies, in contrast, that God is compassionate. Not only was Jonah fleeing from God’s presence, but he was also displaying a character that was antithetical to God’s. Such is often the case when God’s people turn their backs on Him and run from His assignments.
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