Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Jonah 1:6 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 6. 6So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse places the rejected command 'Arise' on the captain's lips as he urges Jonah to pray.
The sea Jonah chose becomes the LORD's storm
This verse is one part of that explanation in Jonah 1:4–6. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Jonah 1:4–6
Read Jonah 1:4–6 together. This verse places the rejected command 'Arise' on the captain's lips as he urges Jonah to pray. Read Jonah 1:4–6 as one complete scene: The LORD hurls a great wind at the sea; frightened sailors pray and lighten the ship, while Jonah sleeps until the captain orders him to arise and call upon his God.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The storm turns Jonah's private refusal into danger for other people and begins the book's ironic contrast between a passive prophet and responsive outsiders. Within that movement, this verse places the rejected command 'Arise' on the captain's lips as he urges Jonah to pray.
What Remains True
The captain's command echoes the LORD's rejected 'Arise,' calling the prophet back to awareness and prayer.
How It Can Shape Life
- Receive a needed wake-up call even when it comes from someone outside your expected religious circle.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Jonah 1:4–6 — The Great Storm Exposes the Sleeping ProphetSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Jonah 1:4–6, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Jonah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew forms, morphology, repeated roots, clause relationships, names, and the base wording behind translation discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Jonah.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 1:4–6
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Jonah with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Material lexical, grammatical, textual, historical, seafaring, city, repentance, and divine-relenting notes within the unit.
Exact location: NET Bible Jonah PDF, printed pp. 1728–1732, translation and translator notes on 1:4–6
Open source ↗