This chapter contains the prayer of our runaway prophet. Jonah 2 offers us an insightful commentary on the state of Jonah’s heart. He proclaims hope and expresses trust in God’s compassion and power, even in his desperate circumstances. But, he also does not confess his sin. He seems to lack contrition.
Jonah leaves us guessing about the sincerity of his repentance. Don’t leave any room for doubt.
Jonah 2 Commentary
Part of the difficulty in writing a Jonah 2 commentary is that the chapter is densely packed with citations, references, and allusions to other parts of scripture. My Bible shows that in just 10 verses, Jonah’s prayer references portions in 12 chapters of scripture from 5 different books.
The Matthew Henry Commentary highlights something that I’d missed in Jonah 1. The captain called upon Jonah to pray (1:6), but there is no indication that he actually did. Only now in the second chapter is the stiff-necked prophet brought to his knees, at last.
‘Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice.’ Jonah 2:1-2 ESV
Jonah begins his prayer with extremely recognizable language. He cries out to God, with the verb kara קרא. This phrase appears hundreds of times in the Hebrew scriptures in situations like this (e.g. Psalms 3:4, 18:6, 120:1, Lam 3:55-56). We cry out to God because He hears us. Jonah knew God was his only hope.
Also, don’t miss the reference to Sheol שאול. In Jewish belief, she’ol is the underworld, the ultimate resting place of the dead. Jonah describes himself as a dead man. One who resides in the afterlife. And, God still heard him. God delivered Jonah from the place of death.
Jonah Hits Rock Bottom – Yarad
Jonah was thrown overboard in stormy seas. He sank beneath the waves without the promise of deliverance. We see his acknowledgement of the hopelessness of his current situation in the opening lines. Jonah does not deny how bad it is. But, he does respond with faith and hope.
‘For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.’ Jonah 2:3-6 ESV
First, note his phrasing throughout much of the prayer. He uses the passive voice. Jonah is “driven away” from God’s sight. Things happen to him. His retelling conceals his agency. But, the reader knows the choice he made. Second, don’t miss the final appearance of yarad, as Jonah finally hits rock bottom.
Jonah 2 Commentary – Tehom
Stormy seas are terrifying. But, something else also appears in Jonah 2:3-6. The fifth verse translates tehom תהום as “the deep”. Tehom is a word that often appears in relation to water. But, it represents something more.
The roots of tehom go back to the very beginning. God created the heavens and the earth from nothing (ex nihilo). Then, God brooded over a formless and desolate creation, as a bird broods over her young. This reveals the preparation, the intent, and the purpose He would put into ordering all of creation.
And, in this moment before the ordering, darkness was on the face of the deep (tehom). In the Genesis narrative, we see God impose his will upon the waters, ordering them and separating them with dry land (Genesis 1:6-10). This achievement is also reflected in Job 38:8-11.
In the flood narrative, God releases the tehom, essentially undoing creation (Genesis 7:11). So much more that could be written on tehom, exploring themes and interpretations (e.g. here and here). This is but a glimpse of the cultural context for Jonah, when he finds himself engulfed by such primeval waters.
Jonah found himself surrounded by tehom, the very force God once used to unmake creation.
Jonah’s Vow
The prayer of Jonah ends well enough. He affirms God’s supremacy over false idols. He agrees to sacrifice to the Lord and to honor his vow. A flat reading would be sufficient, but I want to draw attention to some of the other passages in the Hebrew scriptures which echo the phrases Jonah used.
‘“While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. “Those who are followers of worthless idols abandon their faithfulness, But I will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.”’ Jonah 2:7-9 ESV
In Hebrew, the phrase for “your holy temple” is heikhal kadshekha היכל קדשך, a compound structure called smikhut that links temple and holiness. Interestingly, the suffix modifies holiness, and not temple. So, it literally reads “the temple of your holiness.” Isn’t that fitting? His holiness is what makes the place special.
Also, let’s clarify that Jonah was not referencing Solomon’s Temple. We see this smikhut in the Psalms of David which predate that structure (Psalm 5:8, 11:4, 138:2). And, Habbakuk 2:18-20 likewise echoes this phrase (and even addresses the foolishness of worshipping idols).
Even from the deepest and darkest places, our prayers will always find the ear of God in heaven.
Dry Land
Do not judge the question of Jonah’s repentance too harshly. God heard and responded to Jonah’s prayer. Jonah was returned to dry land. So, we must be wary of falling into the same trap Jonah did. We do not get to decide whether other people are worthy to receive grace.
‘And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.’ Jonah 2:10 ESV
This is such vivid imagery. Did you know fish can vomit? They do (warning: it’s gross)! God speaks and the fish obeys, expelling the bedraggled prophet onto the shore. Once again, we see in Jonah 2 a commentary on the disobedient follower of God, revealed by the way that everything else obeys.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on this verse is quite insightful:
We have here Jonah’s discharge from his imprisonment, and his deliverance from that death which there he was threatened with—his return, though not to life, for he lived in the fish’s belly, yet to the land of the living, for from that he seemed to be quite cut off—his resurrection, though not from death, yet from the grave, for surely never man was so buried alive as Jonah was in the fish’s belly.
The way that this story of a wayward prophet compares and contrasts with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ is increasingly fascinating to me. I plan to explore it in more depth with a future post.
The Power of Prayer
I would be remiss if I did end by pointing out the obvious. Jonah 2 demonstrates the power of prayer. Over and over in the scriptures, we see that when people are hard pressed, they prayed for help. Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, and even the pagans in Jonah 1 called on God for help.
One of the ways that God shows his mercy is in the way that he always listens. God responded to Jonah by giving him a second chance. Jonah’s prayer serves as a beautiful literary bridge between Jonah’s opposition to God’s plan in chapter 1 and his coming obedience in chapter 3.
In examining his prayer, we saw that Jonah used language that references many other scriptures. I could feel envy over Jonah’s grasp of God’s word. How I wish that I could source scriptural phrasing so neatly to fit my own circumstances!
But, this is a risk we face when examining the prayers of others. Comparison. When we give in to the desire to compare ourselves to others, it unfailingly leads to terrible outcomes. We feel judgmental. We feel inadequate. In the grip of comparison, we lose the wonder of how God has made us individual.
And, because he has made each of us as an individual, he listens to all of us. He hears those of us who are at a loss for words. He hears those who think their words sound so good. Those who are at their lowest and feel the least deserving. And, those who are standing on the mountaintops.
Jonah’s story reminds us that God hears all who pray. What is stopping you from praying, today?
Leave a Reply