What Does Jonah 1:16 Mean?
Then the men stood in great awe of the LORD, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD, and made vows.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.THE KEY
The Hebrew repeats the same root in “feared a great fear,” “sacrificed a sacrifice,” and “vowed vows,” making the sailors’ awe visible in what they do.
THE MEANING
Awe of the LORD gathers fear into recognition; an offering and vows turn that response toward God. Reverence takes visible shape in what is offered and pledged.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the idea that awe of God is only a private feeling or a claim someone can make; here, awe becomes legible in a person’s response.
THE ROOT
וַיִּירְאוּ יִרְאָה גְדוֹלָה
wayyir’u yir’ah gedolah
GROWS FROM
ירא
To fear or stand in awe; when God is the one feared, the word carries awe.
“stood in great awe of the LORD” in this verse is wayyir’u yir’ah gedolah. The Hebrew says, literally, that they “feared a great fear,” repeating the root in verb and noun where English says “feared exceedingly.” Their awe is directed toward the LORD, and the repeated root gives that recognition weight.
ALSO GROWS
yare: To fear or stand in awe.
יָרֵא
The verb names the sailors’ response to the LORD.
yir’ah: Fear or awe.
יִרְאָה
The related noun echoes the verb in the Hebrew phrase “feared a great fear.”
nora’: Awe-inspiring or fearsome.
נוֹרָא
This related form describes what evokes awe, extending the root’s reach beyond the feeling itself.
וַיִּזְבְּחוּ־זֶבַח
wayyizbeḥu-zevaḥ
GROWS FROM
זבח
To slaughter or sacrifice.
“offered a sacrifice” in this verse is wayyizbeḥu-zevaḥ. The Hebrew pairs the verb and its object from the same root: they “sacrificed a sacrifice.” The repetition makes the act concrete and echoes the verse’s other repeated-root phrases.
ALSO GROWS
zavaḥ: To sacrifice.
זָבַח
This verb describes the sailors’ act.
zevaḥ: A sacrifice.
זֶבַח
This noun names what they offer, repeating the verb’s root.
mizbēaḥ: Altar.
מִזְבֵּחַ
The altar’s name comes from the same root, linking the place of sacrifice to the act.
וַיִּדְּרוּ נְדָרִים
wayyidderu nedarim
GROWS FROM
נדר
To make a vow or pledge.
“made vows” in this verse is wayyidderu nedarim. The Hebrew says they “vowed vows,” repeating the root in verb and noun. Alongside “sacrificed a sacrifice,” this makes their response a sequence of deliberate acts, not just a passing feeling.
ALSO GROWS
nadar: To vow or pledge.
נָדַר
This verb describes what the sailors do.
neder: A vow or pledge.
נֶדֶר
This noun names the commitment, sharing the verb’s root.
THE PATTERN
Awe of God becomes visible in concrete offerings and pledged response.
And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the young man, and do nothing to him, for now I perceive that you are in awe of God, since you have not held back your son, your only son, from me."Offer to God thanksgiving, and make whole your vows to the Most High.Through him, then, let us always carry up a sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.THE THREAD
And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I stand in awe of the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry ground.“I fear the LORD” uses the same ירא (yare) root that is intensified here as “feared ... exceedingly.” Jonah names that awe; the sailors’ sacrifice and vows make their response visible.
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