Jonah 2:10
And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Jonah's three-day entombment in the fish occurred around 760 BC during his mission to Nineveh. Jesus explicitly confirmed this miracle's historicity in Matthew 12:40: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Christ treats Jonah as historical type, not mythology. Early church fathers universally accepted Jonah's experience as literal prefigurement of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. The fish's vomiting onto dry land symbolizes resurrection—death could not hold Jonah, just as the tomb could not hold Christ.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's sovereign command over the fish demonstrate His power over all creation to accomplish His redemptive purposes?
- In what ways does Jonah's deliverance onto dry land prefigure Christ's resurrection and our spiritual resurrection from death to life?
- How should God's persistent grace toward rebellious Jonah shape your confidence in His covenant faithfulness despite your failures?
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Analysis & Commentary
And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. This verse demonstrates God's sovereign command over all creation. The Hebrew vayomer YHWH la-dag vayaqe et-Yonah el-hayabashah (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה לַדָּג וַיָּקֵא אֶת־יוֹנָה אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָׁה) shows God speaking to the fish—divine Word accomplishes His purposes. The verb qo (קוֹא) means to vomit or spew out, suggesting forceful expulsion. This wasn't natural fish behavior but miraculous obedience to God's command.
"Upon the dry land" (el-hayabashah) completes Jonah's resurrection typology. Just as Christ rose from the tomb on the third day and appeared to witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:4-5), Jonah emerges from his watery tomb onto solid ground—delivered from death, restored to ministry. The fish, which seemed like judgment, becomes instrument of salvation. This teaches God's discipline is redemptive, not merely punitive. As Hebrews 12:6 states, "whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth."
Jonah's prayer from the fish's belly (chapter 2) contains no explicit repentance for disobedience—it's mostly thanksgiving for deliverance. Yet God delivers him anyway, demonstrating hesed (steadfast covenant love) that persists despite human failure. God's purposes will prevail: Jonah will go to Nineveh (3:1-3). This prefigures the gospel—salvation comes not from our perfect repentance but God's perfect grace that brings us to repentance (Romans 2:4).