John Calvin Commentary Jonah 1:4

"But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken." — Jonah 1:4 (ASV)

Jonah declares here how he had been, as it were, forcibly brought back by the Lord when he tried to flee from His presence. He then says that a tempest arose in the sea; but he at the same time tells us that this tempest did not arise by chance, as ungodly men are accustomed to say, who ascribe everything that happens to fortune.

God, he says, sent a strong wind on the sea. Some give this rendering: God raised up, deriving the verb from נטל, nuthel; but others derive it more correctly from טול, tul, and we will soon meet with the same word in the fifth verse. As for what took place, he says that there was so great a tempest that the ship was nearly broken.

When he says, The ship thought to be broken, the expression corresponds with the idiom of our language, la navire cuidoit perir. But some take the ship to mean the passengers or the sailors; however, this is strained, and we know that our own language agrees in many of its phrases with Hebrew.

Jonah then meant that a tempest arose, not by chance, but by the certain purpose of God. Consequently, being overtaken on the sea, he acknowledged that he had been deceived when he thought he could flee from God’s presence by crossing the sea.

Although the Prophet speaks here of only one tempest, from this we may still generally gather that no storms, nor any changes in the air that produce rain or stir up tempests on the sea, happen by chance. Rather, heaven and earth are so regulated by a Divine power that nothing takes place without being foreseen and decreed.

But if anyone objects, arguing that it does not seem reasonable for so many to have suffered shipwreck or to have been tossed about by the storm due to one man's fault, the ready answer is that although God was, in a special manner, focused only on Jonah's case, there were nevertheless hidden reasons why He might justly involve others in the same danger.

It is probable that many were sailing then; it was not only one ship on that sea, given the many harbors and islands. But although the Lord may involve many men in the same punishment when He especially intends to pursue only one man, there is nevertheless never lacking a reason why He might refrain from calling any of us before His tribunal, even those who appear most innocent.

And the Lord works wonderfully in His rule over men. It would therefore be preposterous to measure His operations by our wisdom, for God can punish one man in such a way as to simultaneously humble some, chastise others for their various sins, and also test their patience.

Thus, then, the mouths of ungodly men are stopped, so that they may not cry out against God when He executes His judgments in a way that does not align with our fleshly understanding. But I will soon discuss this point more fully.

Indeed, there are instances everywhere in Scripture where God inflicted punishment on a whole people, even when only one man had sinned. And when some murmur and plead their innocence, a reason can always be found why God cannot be seen as dealing cruelly with them.

In fact, if He pleased, He might justly treat them with much greater severity. In short, although God may appear to deal severely with men, He actually spares them and treats them with indulgence.