Jonah 1:16 (YLT)

Passage

and the men fear Jehovah--a great fear, and sacrifice a sacrifice to Jehovah, and vow vows.

Nearby Context

Jonah 1:14 And they cry unto Jehovah, and say, `We pray Thee, O Jehovah, let us not, we pray Thee, perish for this man's life, and do not lay on us innocent blood, for Thou, Jehovah, as Thou hast pleased, Thou hast done.'

Jonah 1:15 And they lift up Jonah, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceaseth from its raging;

Jonah 1:16 and the men fear Jehovah--a great fear, and sacrifice a sacrifice to Jehovah, and vow vows.

Jonah 1:17 And Jehovah appointeth a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah is in the bowels of the fish three days and three nights.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fear", "jehovah--a", "great", "sacrifice", and "vows". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fear" and "jehovah--a", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And they lift up Jonah and cast..." into verse 17's "And Jehovah appointeth a great fish to...", so "fear" and "jehovah--a" 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 "fear" and "jehovah--a" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.