Jonah 1:14 (KJV)

Passage

Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

Nearby Context

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 for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

Jonah 1:13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

Jonah 1:14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

Jonah 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "cried", "lord", "said", "beseech", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "cried", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring..." into verse 15's "So they took up Jonah and cast...", so "wherefore" and "cried" 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 "wherefore" and "cried" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.