יונה, פרק א׳, פסוק ז׳

When human efforts, discarded cargo, and desperate prayers fail to calm a raging sea, the sailors aboard the ship are forced to confront a terrifying reality. They realize that the fierce weather threatening to tear their vessel apart is not a natural occurrence, but a deliberate act of divine intervention. The primary approach among commentators is that this realization came from a clear visual cue: the sailors looked out and saw other ships passing safely by on calm waters. Their ship alone was trapped in a violent, localized tempest. This unnatural phenomenon led them to the conclusion that the storm was specifically targeting them because of the hidden sins of a single person on board.

Determined to uncover who was responsible for bringing this danger upon them, the crew decides to cast lots. Rather than acting out of panic and rushing the process, they proceed with wisdom and careful deliberation [אברבנאל]. They choose to cast multiple lots, perhaps even using different methods, to completely eliminate the possibility of blind chance. The primary approach among commentators is that if the lots had landed on a different person each time, the crew would have assumed that everyone shared the blame. However, if the results repeatedly pointed to the exact same individual, it would prove beyond any doubt that God was directly guiding the outcome. Furthermore, the process was intended not only to identify the guilty party, but also to single out anyone who might simply know the true reason behind the divine anger [מלבי״ם].

In the end, the outcome is absolute. Every single lot cast, without exception, falls squarely and exclusively on Jonah [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].