At their head is the captain. Again, the storyteller wants to point out that the captain’s religious preference is non-Israelite. The captain speaks to Jonah about “your god,” not “our god.” He too is a man of piety. When he finds Jonah sleeping, his first word is not “Why aren’t you helping?” but rather “Why aren’t you praying?” The sailors are persons whose religion calls them to a healthy balance between prayer and action. They are also humane. When Jonah tells them to throw him into the sea,