Chapter 1
1 The word of the Lord came to JonAh (the son of AmitTai) saying:
2 ‘Get up and go to the great city of
3 But Jonah got up to flee from the face of Jehovah to
Tharsis. So, he went down to Joppa and found a boat that
was sailing to
4 Then the Lord raised a wind upon the sea that created huge swells, and [soon] the boat was in danger of breaking up. 5 This made the sailors so fearful that each started yelling out to his own god. Then those onboard started throwing things into the sea to lighten the ship, but Jonah just went down into the ship’s hold, went to sleep, and started snoring.
6 Then the captain came to him and asked, ‘Why are you snoring? Get up and call to your God so He will save us… so we won’t be destroyed!’
7 Then each man started saying to his neighbor, ‘Come let’s throw lots, so we’ll know the reason why this evil has befallen us!’
So, they threw lots and the lot fell to JonAh. 8 And they said to him, ‘Tell us the reason why this evil has come upon us! What do you do for a living? Where have you come from… from what kind of place and what kind of people?’
9 Then he told them, ‘I am a servant of Jehovah the God of the heavens. I worship the One who made the sea and dry land.’
10 Well at that, the men became very fearful and they asked him, ‘What did you do?’ (because the men realized that he was running away). So he explained [to them what had happened].
11 Then they asked him, ‘So, what should we do to you in order to calm the sea for us?’ And just as they asked this, the sea rose in a great swell.
12 And Jonah told them, ‘Just pick me up and throw me into the sea, then it will become calm for you, for I know that it’s on account of me that these great swells have come upon you.’
13 However, the men pressed on and tried to reach land, but they were unable, for the sea [kept pushing] against them. 14 So, they yelled out to Jehovah and said, ‘Please don’t destroy us over the life of this man, because we don’t want the blood of the righteous held against us. But for You, O Lord, we will do whatever You want.’
15 So, they took JonAh and threw him into the sea, and then the sea stood still and stopped tossing about. 16 So, the men became very fearful of Jehovah, and they made vows to Him and offered sacrifices to Him.
17 Then the Lord ordered a great sea creature to swallow Jonah, and he stayed in its belly for three days and three nights.
Chapter 2
1 Then Jonah prayed to Jehovah his God from out of the belly of the sea creature. 2 He said:
‘In my affliction I yelled to Jehovah my
God,
And He paid attention to me.
I cried from the belly of the
place of the dead,
And then to my voice You did listen!
3 ‘In the heart of the depths of the heart of the sea You
threw me,
And I was surrounded by [water].
All Your waves and their crests poured upon me,
4 And I asked; Have I been pushed from Your eyes?
Surely Your
5 ‘Water poured all around me,
And it entered my soul.
By the deep I was extremely encircled,
And then my head went under.
6 ‘We went down through the fissures of mountains,
And into the earth and its bars of the ages.
O Jehovah my God;
Allow my life to ascend from corruption!
7 ‘My life came very near to [dying],
And then I remembered Jehovah…
May my prayers reach You in Your Holy Temple!
8 ‘There are those who pay attention to foolishness and
lies,
And they’ve abandoned all mercy.
9 But I will offer praise with my voice,
And sacrifice in acknowledgment of You.
All that I’ve vowed I will render to You,
For my salvation by Jehovah!’
10 Then the Lord gave orders to the large sea creature, and it vomited Jonah out on dry land.
Chapter 3
1 Then the word of the Lord came to
JonAh a second time, saying, 2 ‘Get up and go to the great city of
3 ‘So, JonAh got up and went
to
5 Well, the men of
7 Then a proclamation of the king and his great men was
sent throughout
10 Well, when God saw what they were doing, and that they had turned from their wicked ways, God did change His mind over the evil that He said He would do to them, and He didn’t do it.
Chapter 4
1 JonAh was very upset and confused by this, 2 so he prayed to Jehovah and said, ‘O Lord; were these not my words when I was back in my own land? It was because of something like this that I thought about fleeing to Tharsis! For, I knew that You are kind, sympathetic, lenient, and full of mercy, and that You’d change Your mind about doing such evil.
3 ‘And now, O Master and Lord, please take my life, for it’s better for me to die than to live!’
4 And the Lord asked, ‘Has this [really] grieved you so much?’
5 Then JonAh left the city and sat down in front of it. He put up a shelter and sat under it, so he could just sit and look at the city.
6 Then Jehovah God provided a gourd [plant] that grew up over JonAh’s head to provide him shade (to shade him in this bad [time]). And JonAh became very happy and joyful over the gourd [plant].
7 Then, early the following morning, God sent a worm that killed the [plant], so it dried up. 8 And just as the sun was rising, God sent a burning wind, which (along with the sun) burned the head of JonAh. So, he became very discouraged and was [willing to] resign from his life, for he said, ‘It’s better for me to die than to live!’
9 Then God asked JonAh, ‘Are you [really] that grieved over the gourd [plant]?’
And he replied, ‘Yes, I’m grieved to the point of death!’
10 And Jehovah said, ‘You treated the gourd plant
tenderly, yet you didn’t work hard for it or nourish it… it just grew up one
night, and then the next night it perished. 11 So, shouldn’t I spare the great
city of
Notes
The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?
Throughout the Scriptures we find all the realm of creation divided into three entities, the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (the waters). Now, in contemporary English we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can’t be found. So, Genesis 1:1 could literally be translated as, ‘In an ancient time God made the sky and the ground.’
This description is accurate, because it was the view of man from the earth. There was the land that he stood on, the sky above, and the water. There was no technical understanding of earth as a planet back then, because men didn’t view the earth as we do today, as a ball in space. That wasn’t necessary at the time. However, because of these distinctions that we understand so well today, Bible translators must choose the proper word to provide the right nuance in English, so readers can grasp the proper meaning of the text.
For this reason, you will find the Greek word ourano translated as both heaven(s) and sky herein, depending on the context. You will also find the Greek word ges translated as earth, ground, or land, depending on the context. So, the symbolic words at Romans 3:5, for example, are translated as, ‘The ancient earth and sky weren’t covered by water. However, (obeying God’s instructions) they stood together between the water [that was above and below].’
Notice that the ‘earth and sky’ were located between the water. So, although other Bibles translate this verse as speaking of the ‘heavens and earth,’ the reference is really to that portion of the heavens that are close to the earth (or the sky). Likewise, at Matthew 5:5, where Jesus spoke of the ‘meek’ as inheriting the earth, since he was talking about people receiving an ‘allotment’ on the earth, we have chosen to translate ges as earth, not ground.
And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. thalassa), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassa and rivers are called potamos (or ‘flowing’). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water: ‘The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things they did.’
We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, where it says, ‘Then I saw a new earth and a new sky, because the previous earth and sky had disappeared, as did the sea.’
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Hades: Hell or the Grave?
The Greek word hades (they pronounced it hah-dess) has been translated both as Hell (which is thought of as a place of torture) and as the Grave in other Bible versions (such as the King James). Since one word can’t mean two very different things, which translation is correct?
Hades (like the English word Hell) actually means the place of the dead. However, as pagan Greek philosophy started to develop, then creep into Christianity, the latter-day Greek view of hades (a place of torture) was applied to it. Was this a correct application?
An insight into how the ancient Hebrews and the early Christians understood the word can be gained by looking at how it was applied in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (the ‘Old Testament’), which was the Bible of Jesus’ day. There, the Hebrew word sheol is translated into Greek as hades in every instance, yet in each case, these are obvious references to the grave (the place of the dead), not to a place of conscious torture (see Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10).
Another revealing application of the word hades is found at Revelation the 20:13. It says there, ‘The sea (gr. he thalassa) gave up its dead, death and the grave (gr. thanatos kai ho hades) gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things they did.’
Notice here that those who die at sea are differentiated from those who are buried in graves (hades) and in other places (thanatos). So, Hades is better translated as grave.
In the book of Job, another word that is used once in the Christian Era Scriptures and often translated as Hell, is found in two scriptures. That Greek word is word is Tartarus, which refers to the place where evil gods or angels are sent. For more information, see the linked document ‘Is There a Burning Hell?’
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Why the Name Changes?
You may have noticed that we have started putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we’ve started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiJah, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.
We all know that the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example), is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah? For Jonathan means Jehovah has Given. So, the name was originally pronounced Yo-nuh-thahn. Then the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift.
In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] Jehovah, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. So, why have we substituted a capital ‘J’ for the letters ‘ie’ in both of the above cases? Well, we recognize that there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter ‘J’ in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, we have the choice of changing all names that start with ‘J’ (such as Jesus, John, Jonah, Joshua, Jeremiah, etc.) to start with the letters ‘Ie’, or for consistency, we can change all the ‘Ies’ into ‘Js’, which is what we have done.
Does this mean then that we are setting out a new rule for name spelling? Absolutely not, for centuries ago a Bible translator first established this rule when he spelled the name Eliou (Greek spelling, pronounced ay-lee-ou) and wrote it as EliJah, because this name is regarded as meaning ‘My God is Jehovah.’
Also notice that where a name ends with an iah, as in Jeremiah (Jehovah exalts), we have often spelled it iJah, because the i would typically be pronounced as a long e followed by a y in Hebrew, and writing it without the i (as in JeremJah) misses this nuance. So we have rendered it JeremiJah, which is similar to the way it is often pronounced by modern-day Hebrew-speaking Jews, YeremiYah.
Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is
‘El’ (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly
pronounce Ee-lee-ay-zer and means God [has] Helped) should actually be
pronounced Ehlee-EhZer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially
in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city.
So, AiLam probably meant the City of
Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to ‘the Lord’ or ‘the God.’ Also, the letters ‘Ben’ and ‘Bar’ mean ‘the son of.’ ‘Beth’ means ‘the house of,’ ‘Beer’ refers to a ‘well,’ ‘Is’ or ‘Ish’ means ‘Man,’ etc.
Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places, and where they should be? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship. All we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by Greek-speaking Jews.
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Jehovah
Although there are no existing ancient Christian Era Scripture (New Testament) manuscripts that contain the full name Jehovah, there are four reasons why we (and other Bible scholars and translators) believe that it existed in the original text. They are:
1. The Name is found in many of the Hebrew Scripture texts that are quoted by Jesus and his disciples
2.
Jesus mentioned God’s having a Name in ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ and at John
3. The Name still appears in a combined form in Revelation where the word hallelujah is used (Hallel means praise, u implies second person, and Jah is a shortened form of Jehovah.)
4.
The fact that Christians who lived in
That the Name Jehovah (which means, He who Causes to Be, or, The Creator) was originally in the Bible, is documented in all ancient Hebrew texts. And it is most likely that the Septuagint translation which Jesus and his Apostles used (most quotations they gave seem to have come from an ancient Septuagint) carried that Name, but probably in the four Hebrew characters that represent the English consonants YHWH.
Notice this comment by Robert Hanhart, who contributed the Introduction to ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture.’ He stated therein that, ‘All Greek biblical texts of Jewish origin found to date, whether from pre-Christian or Christian times, transmit the name יהוה Jehovah not in the form κύριος [Lord] encountered in all the LXX [Septuagint] manuscripts of Christian origin, but in some form of the Tetragrammaton.’ (See: ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture,’ 2002, book, p.7, by Martin Hengel. Introduction by Robert Hanhart, published by Baker Academic. ISBN 0-8010-2790-X).
You will see how in the book of Isaiah, for example, God is often referred to in Greek as Kyrios ho Kyrios, or, Lord the Lord (see Isaiah 48:16 LXX). And these are obvious examples of texts where God’s Name was omitted, for such sentences should clearly read Jehovah the Lord, or Lord Jehovah.
Since the words God and Lord both seem to have been substituted in the text wherever God’s Name originally appeared, it is difficult to know where to reinsert the Name in place of the titles. We could refer to the Hebrew texts and insert it wherever the Name appears there, but that would be out of harmony with the purpose of presenting this translation of the Septuagint on its own merit. So, wherever the term the Lord appears in obvious reference to God, we have decided to insert the Name Jehovah.
The rule that other translators have adopted for inserting God’s Name is to simply use it wherever the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears in the oldest existing Hebrew texts (which aren’t that old). However, it can be proven that these texts and such insertions are unreliable. For example, there is the instance when Abraham was talking to three ‘men,’ one of whom he referred to as the Lord (יהוה). In this case, Abraham was obviously speaking to a messenger from God (likely His representative, Michael), because, as God told Moses, ‘No man can see God and live.’ So, in such instances we have left the term ‘Lord’ unchanged, because that is likely the actual word Abraham used.
Also, in the writings of many of the Prophets, you will notice that they were often spoken to by God’s messengers, who they referred to as the Lord. And these messengers (angels) thereafter went on to give them messages from Jehovah. For example, notice the wording of Jeremiah 2:1 as an example: ‘Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, Go and yell in the ears of Jerusalem! Tell them that Jehovah says …’ So, in this Bible you’ll see an interspersing of the term the Lord, when referring to the angel messenger, and Jehovah, when referring to God.
Probably the most striking and confusing reference to the Lord is found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and you made the heavens with your hands. But they’ll pass away while you still remain. For like clothes they will grow old. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them. Yes, you’re the one and your years will never expire.’
As you can see, the reference to the Lord here appears to be speaking of God (Jehovah). And if you go back to the scripture Paul was quoting (Psalm 102:25-27), you’ll see that it appears to be speaking of Jehovah there also from the context of the surrounding verses, and because the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears there in both the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts. Yet, the entire First Chapter of Hebrews is discussing Jesus and his special position before God. And Paul is clearly quoting Psalm 102:25-27 to make the point that Jesus made the heavens and the earth, that he will remain through the ages, and that he will eventually rebuild (repair) them after they grow old.
So, either Paul misapplied this scripture, which seems unlikely, or both Hebrew and Greek versions of Psalm 102 have been badly corrupted through the years, which our research proves is possible. As the result (because the answers are unclear), we have deviated from our rule of capitalizing the first letter of the words You and Your in many places in Psalm 102 and Hebrews 1, and from inserting the Name Jehovah where its use may be in doubt. However, this opens another can of worms, for it brings into question major portions of the Hebrew text and the use of the Tetragrammaton rule altogether.
It has also been suggested that since Jesus ‘shines with the same glory, is the exact image of His (God’s) being, and is responsible for everything that’s said through His power,’ as we were told at Hebrews 1:3, anything that is said about God also applies to Jesus.
Of course, the easy answer to why Paul used Psalm 102 in reference to Jesus, is because Jesus is actually Jehovah, as many theologians claim. But this is proven untrue by the other words in the same First Chapter of Hebrews. For notice the following verses:
-
Hebrews 1:3 ‘He sat down at the right hand of the Great One in the highest places.’
-
Hebrews 1:4 ‘He has become so much greater than the [other] messengers [of God] and so different, that he has inherited a [special] name among them.’
-
Hebrews 1:5 ‘For example, to which of His [other] messengers did He ever say, You’re my son. Today I’ve become your Father. Or, I will become his Father and he will become My son.’
-
Hebrews 1:9 ‘You loved righteousness and hated wickedness. That’s why God (your God) anointed you with the oil of great joy among those who are your partners.’
-
Hebrews 1:13 ‘And to which one of His messengers did He ever say, Sit here on My right until I set your enemies as a stool for your feet?’
(For more information on this subject, please see the linked document Who Was Jesus?)
The word that is translated lord (gr. kyrios) is found throughout the Bible in Greek texts and is usually used as a term of respect for men, such as a king, governor, or homeowner… and it is also frequently translated as master. So, whenever you see the term master used in the Bible, recognize that it is translated from the same Greek word as lord. And as translators, it’s easy to see how inappropriate it is to always refer to God as ‘the Lord.’ This was something that was started by later Jewish copyists, and the custom was adopted in English Bibles in the Fifteenth Century. Yet, even then the translators showed where God’s name once appeared in the Hebrew text by capitalizing all the letters, as in LORD (see Exodus 6:1). And in the King James Bible, the name Jehovah still does appear in four texts (see Exodus 6:3).
Some have objected to putting the name Jehovah
in the Greek text, for they say that that use of the Name would have
been offensive – and might have resulted in stoning – if
Jesus and his disciples had actually spoken it. Yet, the Name had to
be used when preaching to the Gentiles, or they simply wouldn’t have
known which Lord the disciples were talking about (remember, they
were polytheistic). And to call God the Lord when most gods
(and many men) were also called lord, would have been very confusing
to everyone that Jesus’ disciples preached to, both Jews and
Gentiles. So, we question whether the use of God’s Name was
considered as offensive prior to
The reason why the Name was removed from later copies of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel was because Jewish Scribes had become so awed with God’s Name that they refused to write it or say it, so, they started substituting the term ‘the Lord’ (the Master) wherever His Name was found. And since all existing versions of the Septuagint come from the Second Century or later, it isn’t surprising that God’s Name has been omitted from such modern texts. The fact that the name Jehovah was once there is well substantiated from ancient Bible manuscripts, both Hebrew and Greek. In fact, a verse in the Jewish Talmud claims that Jesus received his miraculous powers because he had sewn the Holy Name (Jehovah) into his skin, which indicates both their (his enemy’s) recognition of Jesus’ miraculous powers and the common view of God’s Name.
What about the Christian Era Scriptures?
Recognize the fact that most early Christian Congregations
(especially the one in
Perhaps Christians would more deeply appreciate the need to use the name Jehovah, rather than the title ‘Lord,’ when referring to God, if they understood that the term ‘the Lord’ in the language of the Canaanites was ‘Baal’ or ‘Beel.’ And the same term in modern-day Arabic is ‘Allah.’
Then, what of those who prefer a more exact Hebrew pronunciation of the Name (which is Yahweh, Yahwah, or Yehwah)? That is commendable if their reasons are consistent. For, if their concern is to properly pronounce Bible names (not a hatred for God’s name as it is pronounced in English), then they will also be found promoting the proper Hebrew pronunciation of His son’s name, Ieshuah, or Iehoshuah… or at least the proper pronunciation of his name in Greek, Iesous.
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Whale or Large Fish?
It is amazing how Bible scholars have labored over the answer to this question over the years, for although it would seem logical that Jonah would have been able to survive inside (perhaps in the lungs) of an air-breathing whale, it is thought that the word used in this account refers to a cold-blooded fish; so some have concluded that he was in the belly of a large shark or jewfish.
The word that the texts use for this animal in Greek is ketos (pronounced kay-toss), which simply means a creature that lives in the sea. The problem with modern scientifically-trained men is that they view all things by what they were taught in modern schools; and everyone knows that whales and dolphins aren’t fish, they are mammals… thus the dilemma.
However in ancient languages, animal types weren’t classified as they are today. And although we may have adopted some of their ancient words to categorize them (such as herpeton or reptile), almost all animals were simply grouped into five different divisions; clean animals, wild animals (game), things that fly, things that creep or crawl (herpeton), and things that live in the water.
Realize that there was no word for mammal in ancient
languages. So, laboring over whether the Bible says that Jonah was swallowed by
a whale or a shark is simply ignorant nit picking by people who have too
few serious matters to worry about. We don’t know whether whales live in the
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