The Meaning of Jonah 2:2 Explained

Jonah 2:2

KJV: And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

YLT: And he saith: I called, because of my distress, to Jehovah, And He doth answer me, From the belly of sheol I have cried, Thou hast heard my voice.

Darby: and he said: I cried by reason of my distress unto Jehovah, and he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I: thou heardest my voice.

ASV: And he said, I called by reason of mine affliction unto Jehovah, And he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I, And thou heardest my voice.

Discover Jonah 2:2

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Jonah 2:2?

MEANING: What does Jonah 2:2 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Jonah 2:2 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Jonah 2:2?

What is the context of Jonah 2:2?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, [and] thou heardest my voice.

What does Jonah 2:2 Mean?

Study Notes

hell
Heb. "Sheol,"

Sheol is, in the O.T., the place to which the dead go.

(1) Often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, merely, where all human activities cease; the terminus toward which all human life moves (e.g. Genesis 42:38 grave Job 14:13 grave Psalms 88:3 grave

(2) To the man "under the sun," the natural man, who of necessity judges from appearances, sheol seems no more than the grave-- the end and total cessation, not only of the activities of life, but of life itself. Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Ecclesiastes 9:10

(3) But Scripture reveals sheol as a place of sorrow 2 Samuel 22:6 ; Psalms 18:5 ; Psalms 116:3 ; in which the wicked are turned Psalms 9:17 and where they are fully conscious; Isaiah 14:9-17 ; Ezekiel 32:21 see, especially, Jonah 2:2 what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah that sheol is to those who are therein). The sheol of the O.T. and hades of the N.T. (See Scofield " Luke 16:23 ") are identical.

Verse Meaning

Jonah , as many others, called to the Lord out of a distressing situation asking for help, and the Lord responded to his cry with deliverance (cf. Psalm 3:4; Psalm 120:1). The second part of the verse is a parallel restatement of the first part. The prophet compared the fish"s stomach to a burial chamber from which he could not escape. "Depth" is literally the "belly" of Sheol, the place of departed souls that the Hebrews conceived of as under the earth"s surface. Jonah thought that he had gone to join the dead (cf. Psalm 18:4-5; Psalm 30:3).

Context Summary

Jonah 2:1-10 - A Prayer From The Depths

The great fish was probably a shark. He who sent the storm prepared the fish. Life is full of contrivances on the part of the great Lover of men. To plunge beneath the wave is to fall into His arms. More than once the body of a man has been found in the belly of a shark in the Mediterranean. Even those who hold that this story is an elaborate parable must admit that it is probably founded on such a fact. Our Lord's endorsement of this book and incident is very emphatic, Matthew 12:39-41.

The psalm which follows is very helpful to those who have brought themselves into the depths by their wrongdoing. God will hear such out of the depths of Sheol. When you think you are cast out of His sight forever, if you will look toward His holy temple, you will find that His love is gradually extricating you from the pit. To trust in your own efforts and expedients is to regard lying vanities and to forsake your own mercy. "Salvation is of the Lord." All nature waits upon His word. The big sharks and the tiny minnows are alike at the behest of God for the help of man. Only "look again" to God, and then be sure to pay your vows when delivered! [source]

Chapter Summary: Jonah 2

¹ The prayer of Jonah
¹⁰ He is delivered out of the belly of the fish

What do the individual words in Jonah 2:2 mean?

And he said I cried out because of affliction my to Yahweh and He answered me Out of the belly of Sheol I cried [And] You heard my voice

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר קָ֠רָאתִי מִצָּ֥רָה לִ֛י אֶל־ יְהוָ֖ה וַֽיַּעֲנֵ֑נִי מִבֶּ֧טֶן שְׁא֛וֹל שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי שָׁמַ֥עְתָּ קוֹלִֽי

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר	And he said
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: אָמַר Sense: to say, speak, utter.
קָ֠רָאתִי	I cried out
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular Root: קָרָא Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
מִצָּ֥רָה	because of affliction
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular Root: צָרָה Sense: straits, distress, trouble.
לִ֛י	my
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
יְהוָ֖ה	Yahweh
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יהוה Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַֽיַּעֲנֵ֑נִי	and He answered me
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular Root: לְעַנּׄות Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
מִבֶּ֧טֶן	Out of the belly
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct Root: בֶּטֶן Sense: belly, womb, body.
שְׁא֛וֹל	of Sheol
Parse: Noun, common singular Root: שְׁאֹול Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי	I cried
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular Root: שָׁוַע Sense: (Piel) to cry out (for help), shout.
שָׁמַ֥עְתָּ	[And] You heard
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular Root: שָׁמַע Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
קוֹלִֽי	my voice
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular Root: קֹול Sense: voice, sound, noise.

What are the major concepts related to Jonah 2:2?

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