Jonah 2

Jonah 2 is the second of the four chapters of the Book of Jonah. In Jonah 1, Jonah was thrown into the sea from the ship on which he was fleeing to Tarshish, and a great fish prepared by the LORD swallowed him. Jonah remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17). Chapter 2 continues directly from this scene. In the Hebrew Bible, 1:17 is numbered 2:1, so chapter 2 has eleven verses.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 Jonah prays from the belly of the fish. He confesses that he cried out in his affliction and the LORD answered him.
• Verses 3–6 He recalls being cast into the deep, covered by the waves, wrapped in weeds, and going down to the roots of the mountains. Even so, he declares that he will look again toward the LORD's holy temple, and he confesses that the LORD brought up his life from the pit.
• Verses 7–9 He says that his prayer came in to the LORD's holy temple. He contrasts himself with those who regard lying vanities, and he promises to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and to pay what he has vowed.
• Verse 10 At the LORD's command, the fish vomits Jonah out upon dry land.

Key Verses

• Jonah 2:2 "Out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice" (KJV). This is a confession that prayer reaches God even from the place of death.
• Jonah 2:9 "Salvation is of the LORD" (KJV). This is the conclusion of the entire prayer.
• Jonah 2:10 The fish vomits Jonah out, and the narrative returns to the mission to Nineveh.

Characters and Places

• Jonah: The son of Amittai, a prophet who fled from God's command.
• The LORD: The one who hears the prayer and commands the fish.
• The great fish: The creature that swallowed Jonah and then vomited him out onto dry land.
• Sheol: A Hebrew term for the place of the dead. The Korean Revised Version usually renders it as eumbu (Hades).
• The holy temple: The Temple in Jerusalem, toward which Jonah says he will look.

Points for Reflection

• The prayer in this chapter resembles the language of several psalms, including Psalm 42:7. Some critical scholars hold that this poem was inserted into the narrative at a later time. Conservative scholars hold that the poem was part of the narrative from the beginning.
• Although Jonah is still in the belly of the fish, the prayer gives thanks for deliverance. For this reason, many interpreters read the fish not as an instrument of judgment but as a means of salvation.
• The text says only "a great fish." It is commonly described as a whale, but the text does not say so. A story of a modern sailor who was swallowed by a whale and survived is sometimes told as an illustration, but it is regarded as unverified.
• Views differ among traditions and scholars as to whether the Book of Jonah should be read as a historical account or as a didactic story.
• The "lying vanities" of verse 8 are commonly understood as a reference to idolatry. The word rendered "mercy" is the Hebrew hesed.
• In Matthew 12 and Luke 11, Jesus speaks of "the sign of Jonah," comparing Jonah's time in the belly of the fish to his own death and resurrection. The story of Jonah is also reported to have been frequently depicted in early Christian art as a symbol of the resurrection.

In the Korean Church

The story of Jonah frequently appears in Sunday school curricula and Bible storybooks. Sermons often take this chapter as their text for themes such as prayer in the midst of suffering, repentance, and vows. Verse 9, "Salvation is of the LORD," is frequently cited as a confession that salvation belongs to God.