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Jonah 2
From inside the fish, Jonah prays. The chapter is almost entirely a poem of thanksgiving, oddly worded as if the rescue has already happened, even though he is still swallowed. He describes drowning in vivid terms: the deep, the weeds around his head, the bars of the earth closing on him. Notice the tense. He gives thanks for being lifted from the pit before he is on dry land. Only after the prayer does the LORD speak to the fish, and Jonah is vomited out.
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Then Jonah prayed to the LORD, his God, out of the fish’s belly.
- 2
He said, “I called because of my affliction to the LORD. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice.
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For you threw me into the depths, in the heart of the seas. The flood was all around me. All your waves and your billows passed over me.
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I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
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The waters surrounded me, even to the soul. The deep was around me. The weeds were wrapped around my head.
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I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth barred me in forever; yet you have brought my life up from the pit, LORD my God.
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“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD. My prayer came in to you, into your holy temple.
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Those who regard vain idols forsake their own mercy.
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But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation belongs to the LORD.”
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Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.
- 1
MAS Jehová había prevenido un gran pez que tragase á Jonás: y estuvo Jonás en el vientre del pez tres días y tres noches.
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Y oró Jonás desde el vientre del pez á Jehová su Dios,
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Y dijo: Clamé de mi tribulación á Jehová, y él me oyó; del vientre del sepulcro clamé, y mi voz oiste.
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Echásteme en el profundo, en medio de los mares, y rodeóme la corriente; todas tus ondas y tus olas pasaron sobre mí.
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Y yo dije: Echado soy de delante de tus ojos: mas aun veré tu santo templo.
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Las aguas me rodearon hasta el alma, rodeóme el abismo; la ova se enredó á mi cabeza.
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Descendí á las raíces de los montes; la tierra echó sus cerraduras sobre mí para siempre: mas tú sacaste mi vida de la sepultura, oh Jehová Dios mío.
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Cuando mi alma desfallecía en mí, acordéme de Jehová; y mi oración entró hasta ti en tu santo templo.
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Los que guardan las vanidades ilusorias, su misericordia abandonan.
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Yo empero con voz de alabanza te sacrificaré; pagaré lo que prometí. La salvación pertenece á Jehová. Y mandó Jehová al pez, y vomitó á Jonás en tierra.
A prayer stitched from the Psalms
Jonah's words echo the language of Israel's hymnbook: crying out of Sheol, waves passing over him, looking toward the holy temple. A man who fled God's presence prays in borrowed, familiar phrases.
He ends with a jab at others, "Those who regard vain idols forsake their own mercy," and the verdict "Salvation belongs to the LORD." Whether his repentance is as deep as his poetry is a question the next chapters keep open.
Context layers
Keep these closed by default and open them only when you want more context.
- MercyWhat mercy means in the Bible, how it differs from sentimentality, and where Scripture shows its depth most clearly.
- PrayerWhat prayer means in the Bible, how it includes more than asking for things, and where Scripture teaches it most clearly.
- SalvationWhat salvation means in the Bible, how it relates to rescue from sin and judgment, and where to read it clearly.
- Fear of the LordWhat the fear of the Lord means in the Bible, how it relates to wisdom, reverence, obedience, and trust.
- Psalms 103:8-13Key passage connected to Mercy.
- Luke 18:13-14Key passage connected to Mercy.
- Ephesians 2:4-5Key passage connected to Mercy.
- Psalms 62:8Key passage connected to Prayer.
- Matthew 6:5-13Key passage connected to Prayer.
- Philippians 4:6-7Key passage connected to Prayer.
- Ephesians 2:1-10Key passage connected to Salvation.
- Acts 4:10-12Key passage connected to Salvation.
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