Jonah 1:7 (WEB)

Passage

They all said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

Nearby Context

Jonah 1:5 Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was laying down, and was fast asleep.

Jonah 1:6 So the ship master came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us, so that we won’t perish.”

Jonah 1:7 They all said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

Jonah 1:8 Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?”

Jonah 1:9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "each", "other", "come", "cast", "lots", "responsible", and "evil". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "each", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "So the ship master came to him..." into verse 8's "Then they asked him Tell us please...", so "said" and "each" 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 "said" and "each" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.