Jonah 1:8 (YLT)

Passage

And they say unto him, `Declare to us, we pray thee, on what account this evil <FI>is<Fi> on us? what <FI>is<Fi> thine occupation, and whence comest thou? what <FI>is<Fi> thy country, seeing thou art not of this people?'

Nearby Context

Jonah 1:6 And the chief of the company draweth near to him, and saith to him, `What--to thee, O sleeper? rise, call unto thy God, it may be God doth bethink himself of us, and we do not perish.'

Jonah 1:7 And they say each unto his neighbour, `Come, and we cast lots, and we know on whose account this evil <FI>is<Fi> on us.' And they cast lots, and the lot falleth on Jonah.

Jonah 1:8 And they say unto him, `Declare to us, we pray thee, on what account this evil <FI>is<Fi> on us? what <FI>is<Fi> thine occupation, and whence comest thou? what <FI>is<Fi> thy country, seeing thou art not of this people?'

Jonah 1:9 And he saith unto them, `A Hebrew I <FI>am<Fi> , and Jehovah, God of the heavens, I am reverencing, who made the sea and the dry land.'

Jonah 1:10 And the men fear a great fear, and say unto him, `What <FI>is<Fi> this thou hast done!' for the men have known that from the face of Jehovah he is fleeing, for he hath told them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "declare", "pray", "thee", "account", "evil", "thine", "occupation", and "whence". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "declare" and "pray", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And they say each unto his neighbour..." into verse 9's "And he saith unto them A Hebrew...", so "declare" and "pray" 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 "declare" and "pray" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.