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H8367 · Hebrew · Old Testament
שָׁתַק
shathaq
Verb
to be still / to quiet down

Definition

Shathaq (H8367) means to be or become quiet, still, or calm — used of the stilling of storms, the quieting of the sea, and the cessation of turmoil. It appears in Jonah 1:11-12 when the sailors ask what they must do to quiet the raging sea.

Usage & Theological Significance

The storm in Jonah 1 is one of Scripture's most dramatic confrontations between nature and God's sovereignty. The mariners ask what will make the sea quiet (yishtoq) — and Jonah's answer points to the typological heart of the story: 'Take me and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you.' The innocent one thrown into judgment quiets the storm for others. Jesus saw in Jonah a sign of himself (Matt 12:40). The stilling of the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:39 — 'Peace! Be still!') echoes this vocabulary, revealing Jesus as the One whose sacrifice ultimately quiets every storm of divine wrath.

Key Bible Verses

Jonah 1:11 Then they said to him, 'What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet (yishtoq) down for us?'
Jonah 1:12 He said to them, 'Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet (yishtoq) down for you.'
Psalm 107:29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Mark 4:39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' And the wind ceased.
Matthew 12:40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

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