Jonah 1:13 (LSB)

Passage

However, the men rowed desperately to return to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy against them.

Nearby Context

Jonah 1:11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become quiet for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.

Jonah 1:12 So he said to them, “Lift me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will become quiet for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.”

Jonah 1:13 However, the men rowed desperately to return to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy against them.

Jonah 1:14 Then they called on Yahweh and said, “Ah! O Yahweh, we earnestly pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life, and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Yahweh, as You have pleased You have done.”

Jonah 1:15 So they lifted Jonah up and hurled him into the sea, and the sea stood still from its raging.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "however", "rowed", "desperately", "return", "land", "becoming", "increasingly", and "stormy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "however" and "rowed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "So he said to them Lift me..." into verse 14's "Then they called on Yahweh and said...", so "however" and "rowed" 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 "however" and "rowed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.