Jonah 1:5 (DRB)

Passage

And the mariners were afraid, and the men cried to their god: and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship, into the sea, to lighten it of them: and Jonah went down into the inner part of the ship, and fell into a deep sleep.

Nearby Context

Jonah 1:3 And Jonah rose up to flee into Tharsis from the face of the Lord, and he went down to Joppe, and found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tharsis from the face of the Lord,

Jonah 1:4 But the Lord sent a great wind to the sea: and a great tempest was raised in the sea, and the ship was in danger to be broken.

Jonah 1:5 And the mariners were afraid, and the men cried to their god: and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship, into the sea, to lighten it of them: and Jonah went down into the inner part of the ship, and fell into a deep sleep.

Jonah 1:6 And the ship master came to him and said to him: Why art thou fast asleep? rise up call upon thy God, if so be that God will think of us that we may not perish.

Jonah 1:7 And they said every one to his fellow: Come and let us cast lots, that we may know why this evil is upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "mariners", "afraid", "cried", "cast", "forth", "wares", and "ship". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "mariners", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "But the Lord sent a great wind..." into verse 6's "And the ship master came to him...", so "light" and "mariners" 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 "light" and "mariners" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.