The Bible

Jonah 2 : Jonah in the Belly of the Whale

¹ Then JonahJonah prayed unto the LORDthe LORD his GodGod out of the fish's belly,

² And saidsaid, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORDthe LORD, and he heardheard me; out of the bellybelly of hellhell cried I, and thou heardest my voicevoice.

³ For thou hadst cast me into the deepdeep, in the midst of the seasseas; and the floods compassedcompassed me about: all thy billows and thy waveswaves passedpassed over me.

⁴ Then I saidsaid, I am cast out of thy sightsight; yet I will look again toward thy holyholy templetemple.

⁵ The waters compassedcompassed me about, even to the soulsoul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my headhead.

⁶ I went downdown to the bottoms of the mountainsmountains; the earthearth with her barsbars was about me for everever: yet hast thou brought up my lifelife from corruption, O LORDLORD my GodGod.

⁷ When my soulsoul fainted within me I rememberedremembered the LORDthe LORD: and my prayer camecame in unto thee, into thine holyholy templetemple.

⁸ They that observeobserve lying vanitiesvanities forsake their ownown mercymercy.

⁹ But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voicevoice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowedvowed. SalvationSalvation is of the LORDthe LORD.

¹⁰ And the LORDthe LORD spakespake unto the fish, and it vomitedvomited out JonahJonah upon the dry land.

Study the Inner Meaning

Chapter summary

Exploring the Meaning of Jonah 2

By New Christian Bible Study Staff

In Jonah 2:1-10, Jonah is trapped in the belly of the great fish. He prays for salvation, and in the end, after this terrible trial, he is vomited forth onto dry land.

Before a new church -- either a state of good and truth with a group of people, or a new state of good an truth in ourselves - can come into existence, a period of temptation, of struggle, must occur. During this time a remnant of good and truth from prior states, will be preserved. This happens to us. When we really don't want to do something that we know we should do, we get into a state of spiritual temptation. That's what this chapter is about.

In Arcana Coelestia 756, it says: "In Jonah, 'The waters closed around me, even to my soul, the deep surrounded me. Here... 'the waters' and 'the deep' stand for the full extent of temptation.

This chapter also prophesies, or foreshadows, the combats that Jesus Christ would have with the hells, and his most grievous temptations at the time. The “three days and nights during which Jonah was in the bowels of the fish,” signify the entire duration of the combat with the hells.

In the New Testament, in Matthew 12:39-41, there's a reference back to this story:

"No sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And now One greater than Jonah is here.

For us, then... what? When we've turned away from the Lord, and we're in "the belly of the fish" - in temptations, struggles, combats, and everything looks pretty hopeless - then if we really pray, and seek the Lord's help, he can help us.

Here's a link to an interesting (audio) sermon on this chapter, by Rev. Todd Beiswenger.

Here, too, is a link to Rev. McCurdy's study guide for the Book of Jonah, which is available for free as a .pdf, for your use.

From Swedenborg's Works

Main explanations:

The Inner Meaning of the Prophets and Psalms 212

Other references to this story:

Arcana Coelestia 247, 756, 1691, 3880, 4728, 6726, 8278, ...9050

Apocalypse Revealed 191

References from Swedenborg's drafts, indexes & diaries:

Apocalypse Explained 220, 518, 538, 622, 750

Commentary

Jonah Series, Part 2 of 4 – Prayer from a Desperate Place

By Rev. Todd Beiswenger

To continue browsing while you listen, play the audio in a new window.

We know that when we get in a tight spot, it is time to pray! What makes Jonah's prayer special isn't so much the prayer itself, but it is Jonah's transformation that goes with it. He's realized that his choices have only made him miserable, and he's ready to do God's will.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 458; Heaven and Hell 6; Jonah 2:1-10)

Translate:

The Bible

Jonah 2 : Jonah in the Belly of the Whale

Exploring the Meaning of Jonah 2 $("#stopbutton6").hide();

Commentary

Jonah Series, Part 2 of 4 – Prayer from a Desperate Place

Exploring the Meaning of Jonah 2