# Jonah 02 📖: Jonah's Prayer From the Fish [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Jonah Overview]] | [[Jonah 01]] | [[Jonah 03]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) [[#Verse 01.]] Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish  [[#Verse 02.]] and said, “I called out to the Lord from my distress, and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help, and you heard my prayer. [[#Verse 03.]] You threw me into the deep waters, into the middle of the sea; the ocean current engulfed me; all the mighty waves you sent swept over me. [[#Verse 04.]] I thought I had been banished from your sight and that I would never again see your holy temple. [[#Verse 05.]] Water engulfed me up to my neck; the deep ocean surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. [[#Verse 06.]] I went down to the very bottoms of the mountains; the gates of the netherworld barred me in forever, but you brought me up from the Pit, O Lord, my God. [[#Verse 07.]] When my life was ebbing away, I called out to the Lord. And my prayer came to you, to your holy temple. [[#Verse 08.]] Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs. [[#Verse 09.]] But as for me, I promise to offer a sacrifice to you with a public declaration of praise; I will surely do what I have promised. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” [[#Verse 10.]] Then the Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah out onto dry land. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. - Verse 1- narrative. - Verse 2-9- poetry. - Verse 10- narrative. - Humor- It’s funny to think that Jonah is in the belly of a fish but is singing poetry. ###### Verse 01. - Narrative of what happened. ###### Verse 02. - “I called… I cried out.”- One is a general word for saying something. The other is to literally scream. - Sheol - Underworld. Not necessarily hell. Realm of the dead. - Most scholars believe he is not saying he is dead. He is talking about what we would call a “near-death experience.” ###### Verse 03. - “You threw me…” Even though the sailors threw him overboard, he is admitting it was God who orchestrated things. ###### Verse 04. - Jonah realizes the Lord is disciplining him, which drives him to turn back to the Lord. - "Looking toward the Temple"- When dedicating the Temple, Solomon asked the Lord to grant the request of anyone who prayed to the Lord by turning and praying toward the Temple. This is not to say the Temple itself has any power. It is a way to focus our attention on the Lord. ###### Verse 05. - Jonah is, again, speaking toward a Near-Death-Experience. ###### Verse 06. - Mt. Carmel reached all the way into the Mediterranean Sea. This is likely what he is talking about. - Gates- The Bible seems to talk of Heaven and Hell having gates. This is likely a figurative saying that they are strong areas that have definite spaces. - This Scripture also speaks to the permanence of death. ###### Verse 07. - When he was almost dead, he began to pray. This is why some scholars believe Jonah did not pray until the end of his time in the fish. ###### Verse 08. - This verse divides scholars. It is looked at in three ways. - 1- Some say Jonah is writing to those who live in Israel after the fact. This could be the theme of the entire book of Jonah. Jonah is reminding the people that God is real and powerful. They need to turn from all false gods. - 2- Some scholars say this is Jonah remembering how the sailors prayed, but it did no good. - 3- Some scholars say that Jonah is only partially repentant. He is talking about those who live in Nineveh and saying they are still not worthy of forgiveness. ###### Verse 09. - Jonah says his repentance will come through words and actions. This is the proper way to repent. To repent means to turn around and go the opposite way. Jonah is turning his whole self around. - Jonah realizes that true salvation will not come from his own efforts. It will only come from the Lord. ###### Verse 10. - Spit- vomit. - The timing of the Lord is perfect. The fish could have spit Jonah out into the deep sea. - While it is unknown where this happened, many believe he was spat back onto the land in Joppa. This would place him back where he began the journey. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Jonah's prayer is a psalm of thanksgiving, written in Hebrew poetry (2:2-9). 2. Many lines echo the Psalms. For example, 2:2 resembles Psalm 120:1 and 2:3 resembles Psalm 42:7. 3. "Salvation belongs to the Lord" (2:9) is similar to Psalm 3:8. 4. Sheol (2:2) is the Hebrew name for the realm of the dead. 5. Jonah describes seaweed wrapped around his head (2:5). 6. Praying toward the temple (2:4, 7) recalls Solomon's prayer at the temple's dedication (1 Kings 8:38-39). 7. The Hebrew word for fish in 1:17 is masculine (*dag*), but in 2:1 it is feminine (*dagah*). Scholars are not sure why. 8. Jesus used Jonah's three days and nights in the fish as a sign of His own death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40). 9. In Jewish reckoning, part of a day could be counted as a whole day. 10. In the Hebrew Bible, chapter 2 is numbered 2:2-11. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the sign of Jonah. As Jonah was three days and nights in the fish, Jesus was three days in the heart of the earth and rose again (Matthew 12:40). Salvation belongs to the Lord (2:9). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. Jonah prayed from inside the fish (2:1). What does it teach you that God hears prayers even from the depths of our mistakes? 2. Jonah says those who cling to worthless idols forfeit God's mercy (2:8). What "worthless idols" pull people away from God today? 3. Jonah declares, "Salvation belongs to the Lord" (2:9). How does this truth humble us and give us hope? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 2: In distress Jonah called to the Lord, and He answered. - 📖 verse 7: As his life was ebbing away, Jonah remembered the Lord and his prayer reached God's holy temple. - 📖 verse 9: Salvation belongs to the Lord. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[Matthew 12#Verse 40.|Matthew 12:40]] - Jonah's three days as a sign of Jesus. - 🔗 [[Psalm 120#Verse 01.|Psalm 120:1]] - In distress I called to the Lord. - 🔗 [[Psalm 42#Verse 07.|Psalm 42:7]] - All Your waves have swept over me. - 🔗 [[Psalm 03#Verse 08.|Psalm 3:8]] - Salvation belongs to the Lord. - 🔗 [[1 Kings 08#Verse 38.|1 Kings 8:38-39]] - Prayer toward the temple. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Jonah 02 - SOAP|Troubles Don’t Last Forever]] ## 📂 Internal Notes