"For the men in the ship knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord". The person referred to in this statement is________

The person referred to in the statement is Jonah. The statement is a reference to the Biblical story of Jonah, who was a prophet in ancient Israel. In the story, Jonah was commanded by God to go to the city of Nineveh to preach against its wickedness. However, Jonah didn't want to do this and instead decided to flee on a ship to Tarshish. During the journey, a great storm arose, and the men on the ship became fearful for their lives. They eventually realized that Jonah was the cause of the storm because he was running away from God's command, and they threw him overboard to appease God. Jonah was then swallowed by a great fish, and after three days and nights, he was vomited onto the shore by the fish. Therefore, the phrase "For the men in the ship knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord" refers to the realization of the sailors that Jonah was trying to escape from God's will, which caused the storm to come upon them.