The Meaning of Jonah 2:5 Explained

Jonah 2:5

KJV: The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

YLT: Compassed me have waters unto the soul, The deep doth compass me, The weed is bound to my head.

Darby: The waters encompassed me, to the soul: The deep was round about me, The weeds were wrapped about my head.

ASV: The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; The deep was round about me; The weeds were wrapped about my head.

Discover Jonah 2:5

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Jonah 2:5?

MEANING: What does Jonah 2:5 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Jonah 2:5 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Jonah 2:5?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The waters  compassed me about,  [even] to the soul:  the depth  closed me round about,  the weeds  were wrapped about  my head. 

What does Jonah 2:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jonah sensed his hopelessness as he continued his downward plunge into the deep. He seemed to be in death"s grip rather than God"s. Seaweeds (Heb. suph, reeds) bound his head as the water encased his body (cf. Psalm 69:1-2).

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 2:5 mean?

Surrounded me the waters [even] to my soul The deep closed around me Weeds were wrapped around my head
אֲפָפ֤וּנִי מַ֙יִם֙ עַד־ נֶ֔פֶשׁ תְּה֖וֹם יְסֹבְבֵ֑נִי ס֖וּף חָב֥וּשׁ לְרֹאשִֽׁי

אֲפָפ֤וּנִי  Surrounded  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: אָפַף  
Sense: to surround, encompass.
מַ֙יִם֙  the  waters 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
עַד־  [even]  to 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
נֶ֔פֶשׁ  my  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
תְּה֖וֹם  The  deep 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: תְּהֹום  
Sense: deep, depths, deep places, abyss, the deep, sea.
יְסֹבְבֵ֑נִי  closed  around  me 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
ס֖וּף  Weeds 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: סוּף  
Sense: reed, rush, water plant.
חָב֥וּשׁ  were  wrapped 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: חָבַשׁ  
Sense: to tie, bind, bind on, bind up, saddle, restrain, bandage, govern.
לְרֹאשִֽׁי  around  my  head 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.

What are the major concepts related to Jonah 2:5?

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Similar Scriptures for Jonah 2:5

Psalms 69:1-2 [8]
Lamentations 3:54 [6]
Psalms 40:2 [4]