“Then the sailors
Were even more afraid.
They said to him.
‘What is this
That you have done?’
The men knew
That he was fleeing
From the presence
Of Yahweh,
Because he had told them so.
Then they said to him.
‘What shall we do
To you?
How can the sea
Quiet down for us?’
The sea was growing
More and more tempestuous.”
The sailors on this ship were afraid and confused. They did not know what to do. They wanted to know why Jonah had done such a thing as to flee the presence of Yahweh, since he had apparently told them why he was on this ship. They wanted to know what they were going to do with him, Jonah. How could he make the sea quiet down, since it was getting rougher than before?