Jonah 2

General context

Jonah prays "unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly." He says he cried "by reason of mine affliction" and was heard: "out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice." He describes being cast "into the deep, in the midst of the seas," with floods around him and "all thy billows and thy waves" passing over. He reports what he said then: "I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple." Waters closed him in "even to the soul," the depth shut round him and "the weeds were wrapped about my head." He went down "to the bottoms of the mountains," with the earth's bars about him for ever, "yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God." When his soul fainted he remembered the Lord, and his prayer came "into thine holy temple." One line turns outward: "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy." He ends with a promise and a statement: "I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord." Then "the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land."

Cited passages: Jonah 2:1, Jonah 2:2, Jonah 2:3, Jonah 2:4, Jonah 2:5, Jonah 2:6, Jonah 2:7, Jonah 2:8, Jonah 2:9, Jonah 2:10

Jonah 2 (KJV)

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Historical context

The narrator places the prayer "out of the fish’s belly," so everything in it is spoken from inside. The prayer itself is in the past tense about the rescue, "he heard me" and "thou heardest my voice" and "hast thou brought up my life from corruption," while the release is not reported until verse 10. The text does not say how long the prayer took, and the three days and three nights come from 1:17 rather than from here. The phrase "thy holy temple" is named twice with no place given and no description. The "belly of hell" is the prayer's own phrase for where he was, alongside "the deep," "the seas" and "the bottoms of the mountains," and the chapter does not reconcile those images with the fish. Nineveh, the sailors and the errand are not mentioned in this chapter. What Jonah vowed is not recorded, only that he says he will pay it.

Cited passages: Jonah 2:1, Jonah 2:2, Jonah 2:6, Jonah 2:10, Jonah 1:17, Jonah 2:4, Jonah 2:7, Jonah 2:9

Literary context

The prayer is made of water: "the deep," "the seas," "the floods," "thy billows and thy waves," "The waters," "the depth," and weeds around the head. The downward line from chapter 1 continues to its lowest point, "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains," and the shutting is made permanent, "the earth with her bars was about me for ever." Against that the prayer sets two reversals, both introduced by "yet": "yet I will look again toward thy holy temple" and "yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption." The temple is named at both ends of the turn, first as a direction of looking, then as the place the prayer arrives. After long sentences the prayer ends in three short ones, and the last is five words, "Salvation is of the Lord." The narrator then answers the prayer with one sentence of action, and the words "dry land" repeat Jonah's own confession at 1:9.

Cited passages: Jonah 2:3, Jonah 2:5, Jonah 2:6, Jonah 2:4, Jonah 2:7, Jonah 2:9, Jonah 2:10, Jonah 1:9

Key moments

1. Prayer from inside (Jonah 2:1). Jonah prays to the Lord his God out of the fish's belly.
2. Out of the belly of hell (Jonah 2:2). He says he cried from the belly of hell and was heard.
3. Yet I will look again (Jonah 2:4). Cast out of sight, he says he will look again toward the holy temple.
4. The bottoms of the mountains (Jonah 2:6). He describes going down to the mountains' roots with the earth barred about him.
5. My prayer came in unto thee (Jonah 2:7). When his soul fainted he remembered the Lord and his prayer reached the holy temple.
6. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). He promises sacrifice and payment of his vow and ends the prayer in five words.
7. Vomited on dry land (Jonah 2:10). The Lord speaks to the fish and it puts Jonah out on dry land.

For reflection

The prayer thanks the Lord for a rescue in the past tense while Jonah is still inside the fish, and the release is only reported afterwards. What does the chapter change by putting the thanksgiving before verse 10?

People in this chapter

• Jonah