The Meaning of Jonah 1:1 Explained

Jonah 1:1

KJV: Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

YLT: And there is a word of Jehovah unto Jonah son of Amittai, saying:

Darby: And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

ASV: Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now the word  of the LORD  came unto Jonah  the son  of Amittai,  saying, 

What does Jonah 1:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The book and verse open with a conjunction (Heb. waw, Eng. "Now"). Several versions leave this word untranslated because it makes no substantial difference in the story. Its presence in the Hebrew Bible may suggest that this book was part of a larger collection of stories. About14Old Testament books begin with "And," and they obviously connect with the books that immediately precede them. However what Jonah might have continued is unknown.
"These books remind us of God"s "continued story" of grace and mercy." [1]
The expression "The word of the LORD came to" occurs over100 times in the Old Testament. [2] The writer did not record how Jonah received the following message from the Lord. That is inconsequential here, though often in other prophetic books the method of revelation that God used appears. Likewise the time of this revelation is a mystery and unessential to the interpretation and application of this story. God"s actions are the most important feature in this prophecy.
We do not have any knowledge of Amittai ("truthful") other than that he was Jonah"s father. The recording of the name of an important person"s father was common in Jewish writings, and the presence of Amittai"s name in the text argues for the historical reality of Jonah.
There are several unbiblical Jewish traditions about Jonah"s origin. [3] One held that he was the widow"s son whom Elijah restored to life ( 1 Kings 17:17-24). Another held that he had some connection with the Jerusalem temple even though he was from the North. Another credited him with a successful mission to Jerusalem similar to the one to Nineveh. None of these has any biblical support. They were apparently attempts to fit Jonah into other inspired stories and to glorify the prophet.

Context Summary

Jonah 1:1-16 - Fleeing From God And Duty
Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. He was clearly very patriotic, and did not despair of his country in its darkest days. This commission to Nineveh was therefore not to his taste, because he had no desire to see the great heathen city brought to her knees. Another century would have to pass before Isaiah and Micah would proclaim that the heathen world would turn to God, Micah 4:1; Isaiah 2:2.
Rather than go upon this errand of mercy, Jonah hurried down to the one seaport, that he might escape his duty. Sin is always a descent; we always have to pay heavily in tolls and fares when we take our own way instead of God's, and we must never reckon that opportunity implies permission.
Weary with excitement and travel, the prophet is oblivious to the weighing of the anchor. The disasters that block the way of disobedience are harder than our difficulties in performing God's bidding. Note the divine agency in our lives: the word of the Lord came; the Lord hurled forth a great wind; the Lord prepared a great fish. There were, in these heathen sailors, beautiful traits which ought to have abashed the prophet. Their prayer to their idols and their endeavor to save this stranger Jew are as instructive as remarkable. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jonah 1

1  Jonah, sent to Nineveh, flees to Tarshish
4  He is betrayed by a great storm;
11  thrown into the sea;
17  and swallowed by a fish

What do the individual words in Jonah 1:1 mean?

And came the word of Yahweh to Jonah son of Amittai saying
וַֽיְהִי֙ דְּבַר־ יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־ יוֹנָ֥ה בֶן־ אֲמִתַּ֖י לֵאמֹֽר

וַֽיְהִי֙  And  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
דְּבַר־  the  word 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
יְהוָ֔ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
יוֹנָ֥ה  Jonah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄונָה  
Sense: son of Amittai and a native of Gath-hepher; 5th of the minor prophets who prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II and whom God sent also to prophecy to Nineveh.
בֶן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אֲמִתַּ֖י  of  Amittai 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲמִתַּי  
Sense: the father of Jonah the prophet.
לֵאמֹֽר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.