Jonah 1:12 (DBY)

Passage

And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that because of me this great tempest is upon you.

Nearby Context

Jonah 1:10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, What is this thou hast done? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of Jehovah: for he had told them.

Jonah 1:11 And they said unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and more tempestuous.

Jonah 1:12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that because of me this great tempest is upon you.

Jonah 1:13 But the men rowed hard to regain the land; but they could not; for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

Jonah 1:14 And they cried unto Jehovah and said, Ah, Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, Jehovah, hast done as it pleased thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "take", "cast", "forth", "shall", "calm", "great", and "tempest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "take", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And they said unto him What shall..." into verse 13's "But the men rowed hard to regain...", so "said" and "take" belong inside that flow. In Jonah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "said" and "take" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.