The Bible

 

Jonah 2

Study

   

1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,

2 And said, I cried by reason of my affliction to the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardst my voice.

3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods encompassed me: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again towards thy holy temple.

5 The waters encompassed me, even to the soul: the depth inclosed me on every side, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: 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 to thee, into thy holy temple.

8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

9 But I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

   

Commentary

 

Head

  
Photo by Joy Brown

The head is the part of us that is highest, which means in a representative sense that it is what is closest to the Lord. Because of this the head represents what is inmost in us, the thing at the center of our being. In most cases this means intelligence and wisdom, since most of us are in a state of life in which we are led by our thoughts and reason. In the case of the Lord, however, it often represents His perfect love. And in many cases the head is used to represent the whole person.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 577; Apocalypse Revealed 538, 823; Arcana Coelestia 7859, 9656, 10011)