Jonah 1:3

"But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD."

Jonah 1:3

(found this here, not recommending site, haven't read it)

Noticed "rose." Was Jonah just sitting around waiting for HaShem to tell him to do something?

What does Tarshish mean? Can't really find a good definition. Seems to be a town that they aren't sure of the location exactly. The jist of what I'm reading is that it was possibly the furthest Jonah could go in his day and age.

Where is it? Right up there on the map :0) In Spain or Turkey or India from what I'm reading.

Where was Jonah at the time? Oh, somewhere near Joppa and above Joppa because he went "down." In other words, who knows?

What does Joppa mean? Beauty and comeliness, also called Yafo or Jaffa. Thought to be one of the oldest ports. Was given to the tribe of Dan.

Where is it? Between Caesarea and Gaza, south of Tel Aviv

Did he really think he could flee the presence of the LORD? Would he have heard Psalms by then? He didn't have a copy sitting on his shelf, so maybe not.

O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

Psalm 139:1-7

But also, genesis 4:16 says "Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD." The above verse from Psalms seems to contradict that idea, that Cain could physically walk away from HaShem. I don't believe the bible contradicts itself, so there must be a different way to look at it. We obviously can't flee from Hashem, He is always watching over us, but it doesn't mean we can't turn our back on God's presence in our life. He might be everywhere, but we can and do ignore Him. So maybe it is not that Jonah thought he could get away from God Himself, but wanted to show that he was definitely NOT going to do what He asked.

I'll never know, but I wonder how much it cost to get on the ship. What did Jonah do that allowed him to have money to buy a fare?

I noticed it is all about going away, getting away, going down, getting away! Away! Away!