Jonah 1:9 - Exposition

I am an Hebrew. This is the name used by foreigners in speaking of Israelites, or by Israelites in speaking of themselves to Gentiles (see Genesis 14:13 ; Genesis 39:14 ; Genesis 41:12 ; Exodus 1:16 ; 1 Samuel 4:6 , for the former use; and for the latter, Genesis 40:15 ; Exodus 2:7 ; Exodus 3:18 ). Convinced that God had miraculously pointed him out as the culprit on whose account the storm was sent, and goaded by the stings of conscience, Jonah loses all his previous indecision and spiritual stupor, and in a manly and straightforward way confesses the truth without disguise. The LXX ; reading differently, renders, δοῦλος κυρίου εἰμὶ ἐγώ , "A servant of Jehovah am I." This makes a tautological statement with the next words, and leaves one of the sailors' questions unanswered. I fear the Lord. I worship, reverence Jehovah, who is not a local deity like the false gods whom you adore, but the Creator of heaven and earth, the Maker and Ruler of sea and dry land. So Abraham calls the Lord the God of heaven ( Genesis 24:7 ), and Daniel ( Daniel 2:37 , Daniel 2:44 ) uses the same expression (comp. Psalms 96:5 ; Jeremiah 10:11 ).