The Inner Meaning of the Prophets and Psalms #211
211. Internal Meaning of Jonah, Chapter 1 (1)
The conversion of the nations, which are meant by Nineveh. (11, 9)
1-3 Those who were of the Jewish nation were commanded to teach the Word to the nations round about, but they would not, and thus they kept the Word among themselves alone. (11, 2, 2)
4-6 Knowledges [cognitiones] began to perish with them, and yet they lived unconcernedly. (2)
7-9 The nations perceived that the state of the church was perverted among themselves, because of the loss of knowledges [cognitiones] among the Jews, and that the latter were unwilling to impart them to others outside of themselves. (11, 2)
10-13 They should reject those things which were from the Jewish nation, because they were falsified, so that they might be saved. (11, 2)
14-16 They prayed unto the Lord for salvation, which was effected for them, when the falsities from the Jewish nation had been removed. (17, 3)
17 [See next chapter.] (7, 6, 11)
Jonah 1:4-6
4
But Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty storm on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up.
5
Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was laying down, and was fast asleep.
6
So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us, so that we won't perish."