1:3a

Jonah, however: Other versions say “But Jonah.” This verse clearly contrasts with verse 2. The LORD had told Jonah to do one thing, but Jonah had decided to do something completely different.

got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD: As an Israelite, Jonah knew that the LORD was everywhere—yet he tried to flee from his presence. So in what sense could he flee from the LORD? Perhaps he thought that by leaving Israel, the country where the LORD’s temple was, and going far away to a country where the people did not follow the LORD, there would be less chance that the LORD would bother him with the command to preach to the people of Nineveh.

to flee to Tarshish: One thing is certain: Jonah had no intention of obeying the LORD or of going to Nineveh. Instead, he went in the opposite direction, towards the city of Tarshish. This was probably in the country now known as Spain. In Jonah’s time, it was considered to be at the western end of the world. Nineveh, however, was northeast of Israel. Jonah wanted to get as far away from Nineveh and its people as possible, since he did not want to give the LORD’s message to them.

1:3b

He went down to Joppa: Joppa was a city in Israel on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Ships would stop there to pick up passengers and cargo.

went down: Jonah went from higher land down to the coast.

and found a ship bound for Tarshish: There in Joppa, Jonah found a ship which was ready to sail to Tarshish. The sailors (the men who worked on the ship) were not Israelites but were probably from the country of Phoenicia (Clarke, p. 702; Ellison, p. 370).

1:3c

So he paid the fare: The text does not tell us to whom Jonah paid the money. If it is necessary in your language to supply this information, you could say, “to the owner of the boat.”

fare: This refers to the money Jonah paid to travel on the ship.

1:3d

and went aboard to sail for Tarshish: The Revised Standard Version has: “to go with them to Tarshish.” Most commentators agree that “with them” (omitted by the Berean Standard Bible) refers to the sailors. For example:

went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain (Good News Translation)

However, the Good News Translation makes it sound like Jonah and the sailors got on the ship together, that is, at the same time. This may be confusing, since the crew were probably already on the ship.

1:3e

away from the presence of the LORD: This is the second time this expression has occurred in this verse. See note on 1:3a. The phrase is probably repeated to emphasize it. Most English versions repeat the phrase as the Hebrew text does, although they use different words. For example, compare 1:3a and 1:3e in the Contemporary English Version.

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