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| Photo by Jim Tracy |
1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,
Though the prayer occurred in the whale, Jonah didn’t have a pen and paper with him. This was written later and thus is in past tense.
2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and He heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and Thou heardest My voice.
“Hell” here means grave. Because of this and Jesus comparison of Jonah’s experience to His time in the tomb, some believe Jonah actually died while in the whale and God brought him back to life. There is the problem that Jonah prayed from the whale, a difficult thing to do if you are dead. It is equally likely this was a literary devise to express extreme suffering.
3 For Thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me.
He was in the water and drowning.
4 Then I said, I am cast out of Thy sight; yet I will look again toward Thy holy temple.
He repented and turned back towards the worship of God.
5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.
He was swallowed.
6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.
“When I reached the end of my rope, I turned to You.”
8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
When Jonah followed the path of self-righteousness and the lies of believing only his people are worthy of salvation, he was running away from his own Savior.
9 But I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
Jonah truly repented. He promised he would do as he was told.
10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.