How to Follow a Theme Through Scripture
In Jonah 1, Jonah is running from God when a violent storm overtakes his ship. But what happens when you follow that storm beyond Jonah?
Here's one easy way to find out:
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1. Start with the passage.
Read Jonah 1:4: Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
(Jonah 1:4, NIV)
Start with what the passage actually tells you. Who sends the wind? What happens because of it? How do the people in the story respond?
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2. Follow the cross-reference.
A cross-reference helps you explore similar ideas across Scripture. In this case, Jonah's storm leads to Psalm 107:23–26, where another group of people find themselves caught in a storm at sea.
Read the passage and then compare to Jonah 1:4 above.
Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away. (Psalm 107:23-26, NIV)
What sounds familiar? What is different? What does each passage tell you about God, the storm, and the people caught in it?
The goal isn't simply to find another verse containing the word storm. It's to notice how related passages can add to your understanding.
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3. See what a study resource helps you notice.
The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, available with Bible Gateway Plus, notes on Jonah 1:4:
This is the first of a series of events that highlight God's sovereign power at work in nature: providing the fish (v. 17), returning Jonah to dry land (2:10), providing the plant (4:6), providing the worm (4:7), and providing the east wind (4:8).
Explore the note on Jonah 1:4 →
Now you have another trail to follow. Where else in Jonah do you see God acting through the natural world?
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4. Keep following the connections further.
Again, in the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, on Psalm 107:25–29:
God is sovereign over natural events (see 148:8; Job 37:11–12), whether he stirs up devastating weather events (v. 25) or stills the storm (v. 29).
The note covers a wider span than the cross-reference—read through verse 29 to see where the storm ends up.
Explore the note on Psalm 107:25–29 →
Notice what just happened: Jonah led you to Psalms. The study note points you toward another Psalm and the book of Job.
You can keep following those connections, comparing what you find and asking what each passage adds to your understanding.
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5. Bring what you find back to where you started.
Following a theme isn't about collecting as many verses as possible. It's about letting related passages give you more context for the passage you're studying.
Let's go back to Jonah 1:4.
After following these connections, what do you notice now that you might not have noticed before?
Look again at the two notes. Both use the same word: sovereign. One describes God's sovereign power at work in nature throughout Jonah. The other describes God as sovereign over natural events, stirring up the storm and stilling it.
That's a theme you can follow further—through Psalm 148, through Job 37, and anywhere else Scripture shows God at work in wind and sea.
Start with the text, follow the connections, compare what you find, and use trusted study resources to add context along the way. It's a method you can use with a person, phrase, image, or theme anywhere in Scripture.
Keep studying Jonah 1:4 →
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