Jonah 1:16 (GNV)

Passage

Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice vnto the Lord, and made vowes.

Nearby Context

Jonah 1:14 Wherefore they cryed vnto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let vs not perish for this mans life, and lay not vpon vs innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done, as it pleased thee.

Jonah 1:15 So they tooke vp Ionah, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from her raging.

Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice vnto the Lord, and made vowes.

Jonah 1:17 Nowe the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallowe vp Ionah: and Ionah was in the belly of the fish three dayes, and three nightes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "feared", "lord", "exceedingly", "offered", "sacrifice", "vnto", and "vowes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "feared" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "So they tooke vp Ionah and cast..." into verse 17's "Nowe the Lord had prepared a great...", so "feared" and "lord" 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 "feared" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.