The Bible — World English Bible

Jonah 2

In brief

Jonah 2 records the prayer of a prophet who had run from God's command. Thrown into the sea and swallowed by a great fish, he is at the end of himself. From the depths he cries out to the Lord, remembers him and discovers that he has been heard. The chapter is a psalm of thanksgiving: Jonah tells what he went through, acknowledges that salvation comes from God alone, and is then set back on dry land at the Lord's command. Jesus would later see in it a sign of his own resurrection.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-2Jonah prays from inside the fish
  2. v. 3-6In the depths: telling God about the distress
  3. v. 7-8Remembering the Lord and turning from worthless idols
  4. v. 9-10Thanksgiving, vows kept and a return to dry land

1Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh, his God, out of the fish’s belly.

2He said, “I called because of my affliction to Yahweh. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice.

3For 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.

4I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’

5The waters surrounded me, even to the soul. The deep was around me. The weeds were wrapped around my head.

6I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth barred me in forever: yet have you brought up my life from the pit, Yahweh my God.

7“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yahweh. My prayer came in to you, into your holy temple.

8Those who regard lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

9But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”

10Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.

Key verses

Verse 2
He said, “I called because of my affliction to Yahweh. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice.

Jonah does not start by justifying himself. He simply tells God about his distress and notes that he was heard, even from a place where he thought he was lost.

Verse 7
“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yahweh. My prayer came in to you, into your holy temple.

This is the turning point of the chapter: when the soul runs out of strength, remembering the Lord is what sets a person back on their feet. The prayer reaches God, far beyond the place where Jonah finds himself.

Verse 9
But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”

Jonah ends with gratitude and a commitment. The closing words sum up the message of the book: salvation is not earned, it comes from the Lord.

Verse 10
Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.

God speaks to the fish and Jonah is returned to the land. The same God who sent the storm also directs the rescue, and Jonah can set out again toward his mission.

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What the sermons say

Jonah in the Fish: What He Went Through for YouThis sermon follows the three movements of Jonah's prayer: far from the Lord's face, the God slow to anger, then the sign of Jonah. It sees a call to return to God and to the mission he entrusts.Read the summary →The Sign of Jonah: God Sends the StormFor the pastor, the heart of the book is in verse 7: Jonah remembers the Lord and his prayer rises to him. The question put to the listener: what do you do when your will goes against God's?Read the summary →Jonah 4: God's Mercy Disturbs Your PreferencesThe sermon recalls Jonah's flight to Tarshish, the storm and the three days in the fish, which it presents as a real prayer of repentance, before turning to his anger at the grace shown to Nineveh.Read the summary →Nineveh Repents: God Will Not Despise a Broken HeartThis sermon quotes the prayer of chapter 2, “Salvation belongs to Yahweh”, and reads Nineveh's repentance in light of what Jonah himself discovered at the bottom of the sea.Read the summary →

Frequently asked questions about Jonah 2

What is the message of Jonah 2?

Jonah 2 shows that you can pray to God from the worst of places. The prophet who was running away ends up at the bottom of the sea, and that is where he remembers the Lord and is heard. The chapter ends with a central conviction of the book: salvation belongs to God alone, and he gives Jonah his life back.

Why does Jonah pray inside the fish?

Because he has reached the end of his resources. In verse 1 he prays to the Lord his God from inside the fish, and he then tells what he went through: the deep, the waves, the feeling of being driven far from God's sight. His prayer is made of storytelling and gratitude more than requests.

What does the sign of Jonah mean?

Jonah 2 is known as the sign Jesus points to when he speaks of three days and three nights. Just as Jonah comes out of the depths alive, Jesus comes out of the tomb alive. This link comes from Jesus' own teaching, and it gives the chapter a reach far beyond the prophet's story.

Articles quoting Jonah 2

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World English Bible translation — public domain.