Jonah 1:13 (DRB)

Passage

And the men rowed hard to return the land, but they were not able: because the sea tossed and swelled upon them.

Nearby Context

Jonah 1:11 And they said to him: What shall we do with thee, that the sea may be calm to us? for the sea flowed and swelled.

Jonah 1:12 And he said to them: take me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea shall be calm to you: for I know for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

Jonah 1:13 And the men rowed hard to return the land, but they were not able: because the sea tossed and swelled upon them.

Jonah 1:14 And they cried to the Lord, and said: We beseech thee, O Lord let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, oh Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.

Jonah 1:15 And they took Jonah, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from raging.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rowed", "hard", "return", "land", "able", "tossed", "swelled", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rowed" and "hard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And he said to them take me..." into verse 14's "And they cried to the Lord and...", so "rowed" and "hard" 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 "rowed" and "hard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.