Skip to Content
intertextual.bible
Go to Related Reading
About this book

Jonah

About this book

Jonah’s Prayer

Chapter 2

1 Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish⁠

2 and said, “I called out to the Lord from my distress, and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help,⁠ and you heard my prayer. 3 You threw me into the deep waters, into the middle of the sea; the ocean current engulfed me; all the mighty waves you sent swept over me.⁠ 4 I thought I had been banished from your sight and that I would never again see your holy temple.⁠

The Ninevites Repent and God Forgives

5 Water engulfed me up to my neck; the deep ocean surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.⁠ 6 I went down to the very bottoms of the mountains; the gates of the netherworld barred me in forever,⁠ but you brought me up from the Pit,⁠ O Lord, my God.⁠ 7 When my life was ebbing away, I called out to the Lord. And my prayer came to you, to your holy temple.⁠ 8 Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs.⁠ 9 But as for me, I promise to offer a sacrifice to you with a public declaration of praise; I will surely do what I have promised.⁠ Salvation belongs to the Lord!”⁠

Jonah Returns to Dry Land

10 Then the Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah out onto dry land.

Continue to Micah

Texts in conversation

Compare Jonah 2:9 and Jonathan Jonah 2:10

Hebrew Bible · Targum

Share:

Summary

In the Hebrew version of Jonah, salvation belongs to God. In the Aramaic translation in Targum Jonathan, Jonah’s rescue comes through prayer to God, emphasizing prayer as the means of deliverance.

Passages

Jonah 2:9

Hebrew Bible
7 When my life was ebbing away, I called out to the Lord. And my prayer came to you, to your holy temple.8 Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs.9 But as for me, I promise to offer a sacrifice to you with a public declaration of praise; I will surely do what I have promised. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”10 Then the Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah out onto dry land.
539–332 BCE Read in Jonah

Jonathan Jonah 2:10

Targum · Targum Jonathan to the Prophets
8 When my soul grew faint within me, I remembered worshiping the LORD, and my prayer came before You, to Your holy temple.9 I am not like the nations that worship idols. They do not know the source of their well-being.10 And I, with thankful praise, will offer my sacrifices before You. I will fulfill what I pledged. My life is rescued through prayer before the LORD!”11 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it spat out Jonah onto dry land.
400–500 CE Read in Jonathan Jonah

References

“... As befits a tradition with some sort of synagogal connection, 7g. makes frequent reference to prayer. Where MT speaks of calling upon, or crying out to, the Lord 7%. normally has a specific mention of prayer. Prayer is commended as having equal merit with sacrifices (Hos 14:3; Joel 2:14; Mal 1:11), and it brings deliverance from trouble (Jon 2:10); but prayer without reformation of ways is regarded as futile (Hos 2:4; Zech 7:13). Failure to pray at all may involve the most severe penalty (Amos 6:9f.). ...”
Kevin J. Cathcart and Robert P. Gordon, The Targum of the Minor Prophets, ArBib 14 (Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1989), 8.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Last updated

Jonah 2:9 and Jonathan Jonah 2:10

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library