But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
to flee.
Jonah 4:2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
Exodus 4:13,14 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send…
1 Kings 19:3,9 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there…
from.
Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Genesis 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
Joppa.
Joshua 19:46 And Mejarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Japho.
2 Chronicles 2:16 And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.
Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
Tarshish.
Isaiah 2:16 And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
Isaiah 23:1,6,10 The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them…
Isaiah 60:9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
away from the presence of the LORD
The phrase "away from the presence of the LORD" indicates Jonah's attempt to escape God's omnipresence, which is a theological impossibility. This reflects a misunderstanding or denial of God's nature, as seen in Psalm 139:7-10, which affirms that one cannot flee from God's presence. Jonah's actions symbolize a spiritual rebellion and a desire to avoid accountability.
He went down to Joppa
Joppa, a port city on the Mediterranean Sea, serves as a geographical point of departure for Jonah's flight. Historically, Joppa was a significant maritime hub, facilitating trade and travel. Jonah's descent to Joppa is both literal and metaphorical, indicating a downward spiritual trajectory away from God's will.
and found a ship bound for Tarshish
The availability of a ship bound for Tarshish suggests the regularity of trade routes and maritime commerce in the ancient world. This detail emphasizes Jonah's determination to pursue his own path, as he actively seeks out a means to escape. The ship represents Jonah's chosen vehicle of disobedience, contrasting with the divine mission he was given.
So he paid the fare and went aboard
Jonah's payment of the fare signifies his commitment to his decision, investing in his rebellion. This act of purchasing passage can be seen as a metaphor for the cost of disobedience, both financially and spiritually. Jonah's willingness to pay reflects his resolve to distance himself from God's command.
to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD
The repetition of Jonah's intent to flee "away from the presence of the LORD" reinforces the futility of his actions. It highlights the central theme of the narrative: human attempts to evade divine will are ultimately in vain. This phrase bookends the verse, emphasizing Jonah's persistent, albeit misguided, effort to escape God's call.
• Jonah’s immediate response to God’s call (Jonah 1:2) is flight, not obedience.
• Tarshish—likely a distant port on the far western edge of Jonah’s world—symbolizes deliberate distance from God’s assignment (Isaiah 66:19; contrast Acts 1:8 where God’s servants are sent outward, not away).
• “Away from the presence of the LORD” reveals Jonah’s mistaken belief that physical distance could spare him from divine oversight. Psalm 139:7–10 and Jeremiah 23:24 affirm the impossibility of escaping God’s presence.
• The verse underscores human freedom to choose defiance, yet also hints at God’s relentless pursuit (Luke 15:4–6).
• “Went down” is literal geography—Joppa sits below Jonah’s hometown area—but also pictures a spiritual descent (Psalm 1:1; James 1:14–15).
• Joppa, a bustling Mediterranean port (2 Chronicles 2:16; Acts 9:36), offers Jonah a ready means to flee, illustrating how opportunities to disobey can appear convenient.
• God allows Jonah to reach the dock, showing that immediate circumstances do not validate our choices (Proverbs 14:12).
• Jonah “found” a ship—providence can be permissive; not every open door is God’s approval (Numbers 22:20–22).
• Paying the fare demonstrates Jonah’s costly commitment to disobedience. Sin often demands a price upfront, with greater costs later (Romans 6:23; Proverbs 13:15).
• Boarding the vessel completes his attempted escape plan, yet God’s sovereignty will soon overrule (Jonah 1:4; Psalm 33:10–11).
• The repetition “away from the presence of the LORD” stresses Jonah’s purposeful rebellion and sets up the contrast with God’s omnipresence displayed through the coming storm (Job 34:21–22).
• Despite Jonah’s flight, God’s mission to reach Nineveh—and Jonah’s heart—remains unchanged (Romans 11:29).
Jonah 1:3 portrays the prophet’s deliberate, costly, and ultimately futile attempt to outrun God. Each step—rising to flee, descending to Joppa, paying passage—highlights human resistance, while Scripture’s cross-references confirm that God’s presence and purposes are inescapable. The verse invites us to recognize our own tendencies to avoid God’s call and to trust that His pursuing love will redirect us, however far we try to sail.
(3) But Jonah rose up to flee.--The motive of the prophet's flight is given by himself (Jonah 4:2). He foresaw the repentance of the city, and the mercy which would be displayed towards it, and was either jealous of his prophetic reputation, or had a patriotic dislike of becoming a messenger of good to a heathen foe so formidable to his own country.Tarshish.--This can hardly be any other than Tartessus, an ancient Ph?nician colony on the river Guadalquivir, in the south-west of Spain. (See Genesis 10:4; 1Chronicles 1:7.)
A profound moral lesson lies in the choice of this refuge by Jonah. A man who tries to escape from a clearly-recognised duty--especially if he can at the time supply conscience with a plausible excuse--is in danger of falling all the lower, in proportion as his position was high. Jonah, commanded to go to Nineveh, in the far north-east, instantly tries to flee to the then farthermost west. Often between the saintly height and an abyss of sin there is no middle resting-point. The man with the highest ideal, when unfaithful to it, is apt to sink lower than the ordinary mortal.
From the presence of the Lord.--Rather, from before the face of Jehovah. The words may imply (1) the belief in a possibility of hiding from the sight of God (as in Genesis 3:8), a belief which, as we gather from the insistence on its opposite in Psalms 139, lingered late in the popular conception; (2) a renunciation of the prophetic office. (Comp. Deuteronomy 10:8; 1Kings 17:1); (3) Flight from the Holy Land, where the Divine presence was understood to be especially manifested. Commentators have generally rejected the first of these as implying ignorance unworthy of a prophet; but, on embarking, Jonah went below, as if still more securely to hide, and used the same expression to the mariners, who would certainly take it in its literal and popular sense. . . .
Verse 3. - Tarshish; probably, Tartessus, a Phoenician city on the south coast of Spain, and therefore in the opposite direction to Nineveh. He was sent to the far east; he flees to the distant west. From the presence of the Lord; literally, from the face of Jehovah. This may mean, from God s special presence in Jerusalem or the Holy Land, as banishment from Cannaan is called "casting out of his sight" (2 Kings 17:20, 23; 2 Kings 23:27); or, from serving the Lord as his minister (Deuteronomy 10:8), Jonah preferring to renounce his office as prophet rather than execute his mission. The former seems the most natural explanation of the phrase. Kimchi says that Jonah supposed that the spirit of prophecy would not extend beyond the land of Israel. He could never have thought to escape from God's all-seeing eye. His repugnance to the duty imposed upon him arose partly from national prejudice, which made him loth to interfere in Gentile business, and partly, as he himself says (Jonah 4:2), because he feared God's compassion would spare the Ninevites on their repentance, and that thus his prediction would be discredited, and mercy shown to heathens already inimical to Israel, if not known to him as the future conquerors of his people. Joppa. This is the modern Jaffa (called Japho in Joshua 19:46), a town on the seacoast thirty miles in a northwesterly direction from Jerusalem. "Jaffa," says Dr. Thomson ('The Land and the Book,' p. 8, etc.), "is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was given to Dan in the distribution of the land by Joshua, and it has been known to history ever since. It owes its existence to the low ledge of rocks which extends into the sea from the extremity of the little cape on which the city stands, and forms a small harbour. Insignificant as it is, and insecure, yet, there being no other on all this coast, it was sufficient to cause a city to spring up around it even in the earliest times, and to sustain its life through numberless changes of dynasties, races, and religions, down to the present hour. It was, in fact, the only harbour of any notoriety possessed by the Jews throughout the greater part of their national existence. To it the timber for both the temples of Jerusalem was brought from Lebanon; and no doubt a lucrative trade in cedar and pine was always carried on through it with the nations who had possession of that goodly mountain. Through it, also, nearly all the foreign commerce of the Jews was conducted, until the artificial pert of Caessarea was built by Herod .... The harbour, howewer, is very inconvenient and insecure. Vessels of any considerable burden must lie out in the open road-stead - a very uneasy berth at all times; and even a moderate wind will oblige them to slip their cables and run out to sea, or seek anchorage at Haifa, sixty miles distant .... The road-stead is liable to sudden and unexpected storms, which stir up a tumultuous sea in a very short time .... The landing also is most inconvenient, and often extremely dangerous. More boats upset, and more lives are lost in the breakers at the north end of the ledge of rocks that defend the inner harbour than anywhere else on this coast." Went down into it; ἀνέβη [ἐνέβη, Alex.] εἰς αὐτό, "went up into it" (Septuagint). Went on board; or, as Jerome says, sought a hiding place in the ship (comp. ver. 5). With them. With the crew. Jonah had told them (ver. 10) that he was flying from God's service, but, knowing and earing nothing about Jehovah, they took him on board when he paid his fare, and thought nothing of his private reasons for joining them