Jonah 2:1-9
Summary for Jonah 2:1-9: 2:1-9 a Realizing that the Lord had graciously delivered him by sending the fish, Jonah composed this psalm-like prayer. Its careful structure, conforming to the pattern of an individual song of thanksgiving, suggests that it may have been composed after the event, as Jonah recalled his emotions and concerns.2:2 b Jonah’s psalm-prayer opens by recalling a previous prayer that was not so polished yet was all the more fervent—his cry for help while on the verge of drowning.
• from the land of the dead (literally from the belly of Sheol): Sheol was thought to be the abode of the dead (see Isa 14:15 c; Ezek 31:15-17 d). The belly metaphor for Sheol is found nowhere else in the Old Testament; it pictures Jonah’s experience of being delivered from Sheol through the belly of a fish.
2:4 e On the brink of drowning, Jonah called out for help, for life, and for God’s renewed presence. It is ironic that Jonah spoke of God as driving Jonah from his presence, for that was Jonah’s own aim in fleeing to Tarshish (1:3 f).
• I will look once more: Either Jonah was confident that he would be rescued and thus worship again in the Temple in Jerusalem, or he was calling to the Lord in his Temple from the sea (cp. 2:7 g).
2:6 h Jonah’s metaphors (roots of the mountains; imprisoned in the earth) reflect ancient concepts of the underworld, with the dead being deep within the earth (see also 2:2 i). At one point Jonah felt hopelessly doomed to death’s prison.
• But: The transition is powerful. Jonah, though certain of his own death, was not beyond God’s gracious reach.
• the jaws of death (literally the pit): The Hebrew term normally denotes the habitat of the dead. Jonah’s language again makes it clear that at this point he considered himself as good as dead.
2:7 j I remembered the Lord: In this context, Jonah’s statement means “I turned my thoughts to the Lord in prayer.”
• earnest prayer ... holy Temple: The Temple was God’s special dwelling place in Israel’s worship, even though God is present everywhere at all times (Ps 139:7-10 k; Jer 23:23-24 l).
Summary for Jonah 2:8-9: 2:8-9 m The conclusion to Jonah’s psalm-prayer bears similarity to 1:16 n: The sailors also responded to the Lord’s power to save and acts of mercy with sacrifices and vows.
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