Bible HebrewInside the Fish Jonah 2:1–11
A prayer in poetry: lines in pairs, and the verbs of going down and being brought up. Most English Bibles number these verses 1:17 and 2:1–10.
Jonah 2:1
וַיְמַן יְהוָה דָּג גָּדוֹל לִבְלֹעַ אֶת־יוֹנָה וַיְהִי יוֹנָה בִּמְעֵי הַדָּג שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת
Wayman yəḥawwe dāgh gādhōl livlōaʿ ʾeth-yōnā wayhī yōnā bimʿē haddāgh shəlōshā yāmīm ūshəlōshā lēlōth
“Yəḥawwe appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיְמַן | wayman | and appointed |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| דָּג | dāgh | a fish |
| גָּדוֹל | gādhōl | great |
| לִבְלֹעַ | livlōaʿ | to swallow |
| אֶת | ʾeth | (object marker) |
| יוֹנָה | yōnā | Jonah |
| וַיְהִי | wayhī | and was |
| יוֹנָה | yōnā | Jonah |
| בִּמְעֵי | bimʿē | in the insides of |
| הַדָּג | haddāgh | the fish |
| שְׁלֹשָׁה | shəlōshā | three |
| יָמִים | yāmīm | days |
| וּשְׁלֹשָׁה | ūshəlōshā | and three |
| לֵילוֹת | lēlōth | nights |
- Whole verse: In most English Bibles this verse is numbered 1:17, so the rest of chapter 2 is one number lower there (2:2 here is 2:1 there).
- וַיְמַן: Piel of מנה, “count, assign”: “appointed”. The same verb comes back in chapter 4 for a plant, a worm and a wind.
- דָּג: The creature is simply דָּג גָּדוֹל, “a great fish”.
- שְׁלֹשָׁה: With numbers from three to ten, the form with ־ָה goes with masculine nouns: שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים. לַיְלָה, “night”, is masculine too, even though its plural ends in ־וֹת.
Jonah 2:2
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל יוֹנָה אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו מִמְּעֵי הַדָּגָה
Wayyithpallēl yōnā ʾel-yəḥawwe ʾĕlōhāw mimməʿē haddāghā
“Then Jonah prayed to yəḥawwe his God from the belly of the fish.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל | wayyithpallēl | and prayed |
| יוֹנָה | yōnā | Jonah |
| אֶל | ʾel | to |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| אֱלֹהָיו | ʾĕlōhāw | his God |
| מִמְּעֵי | mimməʿē | from the insides of |
| הַדָּגָה | haddāghā | the fish |
- וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל: Hithpael of פלל, “pray”. The ת after the prefix is the mark of the Hithpael.
- הַדָּגָה: Here the fish is הַדָּגָה, with a feminine ending; verses 1 and 11 have הַדָּג. Both forms are used for “fish”, and readers have long discussed the switch.
Jonah 2:3
וַיֹּאמֶר קָרָאתִי מִצָּרָה לִי אֶל־יְהוָה וַיַּעֲנֵנִי מִבֶּטֶן שְׁאוֹל שִׁוַּעְתִּי שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹלִי
Wayyōmer qārāthī miṣṣārā lī ʾel-yəḥawwe wayyaʿănēnī mibbeṭen shəʾōl shiwwaʿtī shāmaʿtā qōlī
“He said, “I called out of my distress to yəḥawwe, and he answered me. From the belly of Sheol I cried for help; you heard my voice.””
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer | and he said |
| קָרָאתִי | qārāthī | I called |
| מִצָּרָה | miṣṣārā | out of distress |
| לִי | lī | to me |
| אֶל | ʾel | to |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| וַיַּעֲנֵנִי | wayyaʿănēnī | and he answered me |
| מִבֶּטֶן | mibbeṭen | from the belly of |
| שְׁאוֹל | shəʾōl | Sheol |
| שִׁוַּעְתִּי | shiwwaʿtī | I cried for help |
| שָׁמַעְתָּ | shāmaʿtā | you heard |
| קוֹלִי | qōlī | my voice |
- קָרָאתִי: The prayer is poetry. Its lines come in pairs that say one thing twice in different words: “I called … he answered me” / “I cried … you heard my voice”.
- מִצָּרָה: מִן + צָרָה “distress” + לִי “to me”: “out of the distress (that was) mine”.
- שְׁאוֹל: שְׁאוֹל is the place of the dead, pictured as deep below the earth. Here it has a “belly”, like the fish.
- שָׁמַעְתָּ: The prayer moves from speaking about yəḥawwe (“he answered me”) to speaking to him (“you heard”).
Jonah 2:4
וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי מְצוּלָה בִּלְבַב יַמִּים וְנָהָר יְסֹבְבֵנִי כָּל־מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ וְגַלֶּיךָ עָלַי עָבָרוּ
Wattashlīkhēnī məṣūlā bilvav yammīm wənāhār yəsōvəvēnī kol-mishbārekhā wəghallekhā ʿālay ʿāvārū
“You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current surrounded me. All your breakers and your waves passed over me.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי | wattashlīkhēnī | and you cast me |
| מְצוּלָה | məṣūlā | (into) the deep |
| בִּלְבַב | bilvav | into the heart of |
| יַמִּים | yammīm | the seas |
| וְנָהָר | wənāhār | and the current |
| יְסֹבְבֵנִי | yəsōvəvēnī | surrounded me |
| כָּל | kol | all |
| מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ | mishbārekhā | your breakers |
| וְגַלֶּיךָ | wəghallekhā | and your waves |
| עָלַי | ʿālay | over me |
| עָבָרוּ | ʿāvārū | passed |
- וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי: The wayyiqtol with the prefix ת for “you”, plus ־נִי “me”: “and you threw me”.
- וְנָהָר: נָהָר usually means “river”; in the sea it is the current.
- יְסֹבְבֵנִי: The imperfect יְסֹבְבֵנִי, “surrounds me”, paints an ongoing scene inside an account of the past. The same word is in verse 6.
- מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ: “Your breakers and your waves”: the waves are called God's. Psalm 42:8 has the same line, כָּל־מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ וְגַלֶּיךָ עָלַי עָבָרוּ.
Jonah 2:5
וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי נִגְרַשְׁתִּי מִנֶּגֶד עֵינֶיךָ אַךְ אוֹסִיף לְהַבִּיט אֶל־הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ
Waʾănī ʾāmartī nighrashtī minneghedh ʿēnekhā ʾakh ʾōsīf ləhabbīṭ ʾel-hēkhal qodhshəkhā
“And I said, “I have been driven away from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.””
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַאֲנִי | waʾănī | and I |
| אָמַרְתִּי | ʾāmartī | said |
| נִגְרַשְׁתִּי | nighrashtī | I have been driven away |
| מִנֶּגֶד | minneghedh | from before |
| עֵינֶיךָ | ʿēnekhā | your eyes |
| אַךְ | ʾakh | yet |
| אוֹסִיף | ʾōsīf | I will again |
| לְהַבִּיט | ləhabbīṭ | look |
| אֶל | ʾel | to |
| הֵיכַל | hēkhal | the temple of |
| קָדְשֶׁךָ | qodhshəkhā | your holiness |
- נִגְרַשְׁתִּי: Niphal perfect of גרשׁ, “drive out”, with ־תִּי “I”: “I have been driven out”. The Niphal is the passive here.
- אַךְ: אַךְ can mean “surely” or “yet, but”. Some read the line as hope (“yet I will look again”); others, following an old reading אֵיךְ “how?”, as a lament (“how will I ever look again?”).
- אוֹסִיף: יָסַף “add” + an infinitive means “do again”: אוֹסִיף לְהַבִּיט, “I will add to look” = “I will look again”.
- הֵיכַל: הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ, “the temple of your holiness”: Hebrew often uses a noun (“of holiness”) where English uses an adjective (“holy”).
Jonah 2:6
אֲפָפוּנִי מַיִם עַד־נֶפֶשׁ תְּהוֹם יְסֹבְבֵנִי סוּף חָבוּשׁ לְרֹאשִׁי
ʾĂfāfūnī mayim ʿadh-nefesh təhōm yəsōvəvēnī sūf ḥāvūsh lərōshī
“Waters closed around me up to my throat; the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| אֲפָפוּנִי | ʾăfāfūnī | surrounded me |
| מַיִם | mayim | waters |
| עַד | ʿadh | up to |
| נֶפֶשׁ | nefesh | (the) throat / life |
| תְּהוֹם | təhōm | the deep |
| יְסֹבְבֵנִי | yəsōvəvēnī | surrounded me |
| סוּף | sūf | seaweed |
| חָבוּשׁ | ḥāvūsh | wrapped |
| לְרֹאשִׁי | lərōshī | around my head |
- נֶפֶשׁ: נֶפֶשׁ often means “life” or “self”, but it can also mean “throat” or “neck”. “Waters up to the נֶפֶשׁ” can be read either way: up to the neck, or threatening life.
- סוּף: סוּף is the reed or weed of the water, the same word as in יַם־סוּף, the “Sea of Reeds”.
- חָבוּשׁ: חָבוּשׁ is a passive participle: “bound, wrapped”.
Jonah 2:7
לְקִצְבֵי הָרִים יָרַדְתִּי הָאָרֶץ בְּרִחֶיהָ בַעֲדִי לְעוֹלָם וַתַּעַל מִשַּׁחַת חַיַּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהָי
Ləqiṣvē hārīm yāradhtī hāʾāreṣ bəriḥehā vaʿădhī ləʿōlām wattaʿal mishshaḥath ḥayyay yəḥawwe ʾĕlōhāy
“To the roots of the mountains I went down; the earth, its bars were behind me forever. Yet you brought up my life from the pit, yəḥawwe my God.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| לְקִצְבֵי | ləqiṣvē | to the roots of |
| הָרִים | hārīm | (the) mountains |
| יָרַדְתִּי | yāradhtī | I went down |
| הָאָרֶץ | hāʾāreṣ | the earth |
| בְּרִחֶיהָ | bəriḥehā | its bars |
| בַעֲדִי | vaʿădhī | (were) behind me |
| לְעוֹלָם | ləʿōlām | forever |
| וַתַּעַל | wattaʿal | yet you brought up |
| מִשַּׁחַת | mishshaḥath | from the pit |
| חַיַּי | ḥayyay | my life |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| אֱלֹהָי | ʾĕlōhāy | my God |
- יָרַדְתִּי: יָרַדְתִּי, “I went down”: the verb of chapter 1 (וַיֵּרֶד, יָרַד), now at its lowest point.
- בְּרִחֶיהָ: The earth's “bars” are pictured as the bolts of a gate shut behind him. בְּרִיחַ “bar” + ־ֶיהָ “her” (אֶרֶץ is feminine).
- וַתַּעַל: The opposite direction: עלה “go up”, in the Hiphil (“cause to go up”), with the prefix ת for “you”: “you brought up”.
- חַיַּי: חַיִּים, “life”, is plural in form. With ־ַי “my” it becomes חַיַּי.
Jonah 2:8
בְּהִתְעַטֵּף עָלַי נַפְשִׁי אֶת־יְהוָה זָכָרְתִּי וַתָּבוֹא אֵלֶיךָ תְּפִלָּתִי אֶל־הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ
Bəhithʿaṭṭēf ʿālay nafshī ʾeth-yəḥawwe zākhārəttī wattāvō ʾēlekhā təfillāthī ʾel-hēkhal qodhshəkhā
“When my life was fainting away within me, I remembered yəḥawwe, and my prayer came to you, to your holy temple.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| בְּהִתְעַטֵּף | bəhithʿaṭṭēf | when fainted |
| עָלַי | ʿālay | within me |
| נַפְשִׁי | nafshī | my soul |
| אֶת | ʾeth | (object marker) |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| זָכָרְתִּי | zākhārəttī | I remembered |
| וַתָּבוֹא | wattāvō | and came |
| אֵלֶיךָ | ʾēlekhā | to you |
| תְּפִלָּתִי | təfillāthī | my prayer |
| אֶל | ʾel | to |
| הֵיכַל | hēkhal | the temple of |
| קָדְשֶׁךָ | qodhshəkhā | your holiness |
- בְּהִתְעַטֵּף: בְּ + an infinitive = “when …”: בְּהִתְעַטֵּף, “when (it) grew faint”. Its subject, נַפְשִׁי, comes after.
- אֶת: The object comes first again: “yəḥawwe I remembered”.
- וַתָּבוֹא: וַתָּבוֹא is feminine (“she came”) to agree with תְּפִלָּה, “prayer”, a feminine noun.
- הֵיכַל: “Your holy temple” repeats the end of verse 5. The place he feared he would never see again is where his prayer arrives.
Jonah 2:9
מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי־שָׁוְא חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ
Məshammərīm havlē-shāw ḥasdām yaʿăzōvū
“Those who hold on to empty vanities forsake their steadfast love.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| מְשַׁמְּרִים | məshammərīm | those who hold to |
| הַבְלֵי | havlē | vapors of |
| שָׁוְא | shāw | emptiness |
| חַסְדָּם | ḥasdām | their steadfast love |
| יַעֲזֹבוּ | yaʿăzōvū | forsake |
- מְשַׁמְּרִים: A Piel participle used as a noun: “those who guard, who pay regard to”.
- הַבְלֵי: הַבְלֵי־שָׁוְא, “vapors of emptiness”: two words for what is empty or worthless, joined as a construct chain. Many take it to mean idols.
- חַסְדָּם: חַסְדָּם, “their steadfast love (חֶסֶד)”, is read in two ways: the faithfulness they owe (they give up their own loyalty), or the one who shows them steadfast love (they turn from God). The Hebrew allows both.
Jonah 2:10
וַאֲנִי בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה אֶזְבְּחָה־לָּךְ אֲשֶׁר נָדַרְתִּי אֲשַׁלֵּמָה יְשׁוּעָתָה לַיהוָה
Waʾănī bəqōl tōdhā ʾezbəḥā-lākh ʾăsher nādhartī ʾăshallēmā yəshūʿāthā la-yəḥawwe
“But I, with a voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to yəḥawwe.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַאֲנִי | waʾănī | but I |
| בְּקוֹל | bəqōl | with the voice of |
| תּוֹדָה | tōdhā | thanksgiving |
| אֶזְבְּחָה | ʾezbəḥā | will sacrifice |
| לָּךְ | lākh | to you |
| אֲשֶׁר | ʾăsher | what |
| נָדַרְתִּי | nādhartī | I have vowed |
| אֲשַׁלֵּמָה | ʾăshallēmā | I will pay |
| יְשׁוּעָתָה | yəshūʿāthā | salvation |
| לַיהוָה | la-yəḥawwe | (is) to yəḥawwe |
- וַאֲנִי: וַאֲנִי, “but I”, sets the speaker against “those who hold to vanities” in verse 9.
- אֶזְבְּחָה: Two cohortatives, אֶזְבְּחָה and אֲשַׁלֵּמָה: “let me sacrifice”, “let me pay”, a resolve: “I will…”.
- לָּךְ: לָּךְ is again the pausal form of לְךָ, “to you” (see 1:11).
- נָדַרְתִּי: Jonah promises what the sailors did in 1:16: a sacrifice and vows, with the same verbs, זבח and נדר.
- יְשׁוּעָתָה: יְשׁוּעָה “salvation” with an extra ־ָה, a poetic lengthening. There is no verb: “salvation (is) to yəḥawwe”.
Jonah 2:11
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה לַדָּג וַיָּקֵא אֶת־יוֹנָה אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָׁה
Wayyōmer yəḥawwe laddāgh wayyāqē ʾeth-yōnā ʾel-hayyabbāshā
“Then yəḥawwe spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out onto the dry land.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer | and spoke |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| לַדָּג | laddāgh | to the fish |
| וַיָּקֵא | wayyāqē | and it vomited out |
| אֶת | ʾeth | (object marker) |
| יוֹנָה | yōnā | Jonah |
| אֶל | ʾel | onto |
| הַיַּבָּשָׁה | hayyabbāshā | the dry land |
- וַיָּקֵא: Hiphil of קיא, “vomit”. After the long poem, the story is short and plain again.
- הַיַּבָּשָׁה: הַיַּבָּשָׁה, “the dry land”: Jonah named it in 1:9 as something God made, and the sailors could not reach it in 1:13.
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