Were the sailors in Jonah chapter 1 saved? Jonah 1:16 says that they feared the Lord, offered a sacrifice, and made vows. Why does Jonah 3:5 use the term, "God", instead of the "Lord"? Did the Ninevites have a true conversion?

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Curt Hayashida
member, Community Bible Church (Non-denominational)
Vallejo, CA

:wr50:
I think the sailors were converted. It fits the whole "missionary" tenor of the book. Jonah was afraid God would be gracious to the heathen (see 4:2; and meanwhile he wasn't converting the Israelite masses!). So despite himself, Jonah preaches the gospel to heathen sailors.

I don't think the Ninevites were affected in the same degree. There were likely more than a few notable conversions. Remember, "a little leaven levens the whole lump." "Suppose there were [only ten] righteous within the city ...." And there was, indeed, a public repentance for sin, though it may have been mainly superficial. God honored it for the time being, but at a later date, long after Jonah's visit was a tattered memory and sin reigned again in Nineveh, God broke "the rod of his anger" (Is. 10:5) and tossed it on the ash heap of history.

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Rev. Bruce G. Buchanan
ChainOLakes Presbyterian Church, CentralLake, MI


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[quote:7ca651a68d="cih1355"]Were the sailors in Jonah chapter 1 saved? Jonah 1:16 says that they feared the Lord, offered a sacrifice, and made vows[/quote:7ca651a68d]
I don't think the passage really addresses whether or not the sailors were saved. Joppa was not an Israelite town -- it was probably under the sway of the Phoenicians during this period.

The book of Jonah has everyone in the book doing the will of the Lord -- the storm, the sailors, the fish, the people of Nineveh, the worm, the goard and even the east wind. Everyone in this book does the will of the Lord except the prophet of the Lord.

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John Stevenson
http://JohnStevenson.net
Ordained Teaching Elder with St Andrews PCA, Hollywood, FL

The thrust of the passage seems to indicate the the mariners (KJV) or rather sailors did not know the LORD. Notice the language of the passage: "Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god...(v. 5)". There seemed to a smorgasbord of idolatry on the ship. However after Jonah was tossed overboard and the sea ceased, Scriptures says:"Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly,...(v.16)". So in response to the greatness of the living God, they humbly gave Him worship and made vows. I'm not going to dogmatically say they came to name the LORD subsequent to this event, but I will say this encounter brought about a clear Copernican revolution within the orbit of their beliefs.

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Bro. Derek Pulliam
Sunday School Superintendent
Believers' Chapel (nondenominational Sovereign Grace Assembly in the innercity)
Baltimore, MD


Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the idle. Charles Spurgeon

I think they were saved, just like Naaman the Syrian. They were confronted with God and submitted. Fearing the Lord is usually a reference to godly fear, a trademark of God's people.

Often Elohim is used by foriegners to name God. That seems to be the eveangelical use of the term in the OT. Notice that Ecc. also uses "God" instead of "LORD" in the whole book because it's appeal was wider than just Israel.


I think they were. The repentence wasn't qualified in the text, and Jonah was ticked off that Israel's enemies were now serving God. I don't think he would be upset if his enemies were just faking it.

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Patrick
OPC
MDiv, RTS Jackson.

"He does well, that discourses of Christ; but he does infinitely better, that by experimental knowledge, feeds and lives on Christ." Thomas Brooks.

I started reading a book about Jonah this morning...and what impressed me is the thought of what Jonah must've felt like being sent to the GENTILES...I thought of Peter's reaction, as well as Paul's when it came to recognizing that Jesus was also the Messiah to the gentiles. I bet Jonah had the same feelings, only stronger. "You're sending me to THEM!"

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Janice
AKA Professor Plum

Following in the footsteps of Christiana and heading toward the Celestial City!

"I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. " ~ Anon.