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Jonah 1

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1 And there is a word of Jehovah unto Jonah son of Amittai, saying:

2 `Rise, go unto Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim against it that their wickedness hath come up before Me.'

3 And Jonah riseth to flee to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah, and goeth down [to] Joppa, and findeth a ship going [to] Tarshish, and he giveth its fare, and goeth down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah.

4 And Jehovah hath cast a great wind on the sea, and there is a great tempest in the sea, and the ship hath reckoned to be broken;

5 and the mariners are afraid, and cry each unto his god, and cast the goods that [are] in the ship into the sea, to make [it] light of them; and Jonah hath gone down unto the sides of the vessel, and he lieth down, and is fast asleep.

6 And the chief of the company draweth near to him, and saith to him, `What -- to thee, O sleeper? rise, call unto thy God, it may be God doth bethink himself of us, and we do not perish.'

7 And they say each unto his neighbour, `Come, and we cast lots, and we know on whose account this evil [is] on us.' And they cast lots, and the lot falleth on Jonah.

8 And they say unto him, `Declare to us, we pray thee, on what account this evil [is] on us? what [is] thine occupation, and whence comest thou? what [is] thy country, seeing thou art not of this people?'

9 And he saith unto them, `A Hebrew I [am], and Jehovah, God of the heavens, I am reverencing, who made the sea and the dry land.'

10 And the men fear a great fear, and say unto him, `What [is] this thou hast done!' for the men have known that from the face of Jehovah he is fleeing, for he hath told them.

11 And they say unto him, `What do we do to thee that the sea may cease from us, for the sea is more and more tempestuous?'

12 And he saith unto them, `Lift me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea doth cease from you; for I know that on my account this great tempest [is] upon you.'

13 And the men row to turn back unto the dry land, and are not able, for the sea is more and more tempestuous against them.

14 And they cry unto Jehovah, and say, `We pray Thee, O Jehovah, let us not, we pray Thee, perish for this man's life, and do not lay on us innocent blood, for Thou, Jehovah, as Thou hast pleased, Thou hast done.'

15 And they lift up Jonah, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceaseth from its raging;

16 and the men fear Jehovah -- a great fear, and sacrifice a sacrifice to Jehovah, and vow vows.

17 And Jehovah appointeth a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah is in the bowels of the fish three days and three nights.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Sacred Scripture #29

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29. This is why three in the Word spiritually understood means complete, perfect, and all together; and since this is its meaning it is used in the Word whenever anything is so described, as in the following instances:

Isaiah went naked and barefoot for three years (Isaiah 20:3). Jehovah called Samuel three times, Samuel ran to Eli three times, and the third time Eli understood what was happening (1 Samuel 3:1-8). David told Jonathan that he would hide in the field for three days; later Jonathan shot three arrows beside the rock; and after that David bowed down to Jonathan three times (1 Samuel 20:5, 12-41). Elijah stretched himself out on the widow’s son three times (1 Kings 17:21). Elijah ordered people to pour water over a burnt offering three times (1 Kings 18:34). Jesus said that the kingdom of the heavens was like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures [of flour] until it was all leavened (Matthew 13:33). Jesus said to Peter that Peter would deny him three times (Matthew 26:34). The Lord said to Peter three times, “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-17). Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17). Jesus said that they would destroy the Temple, and he would build it in three days (Matthew 26:61). Jesus prayed three times in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39-44). Jesus rose on the third day (Matthew 28:1).

There are many other passages where threes are mentioned, and they are mentioned when it is a matter of something finished and completed, because that is what this number means.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.