The Meaning of Jonah 2:7 Explained

Jonah 2:7

KJV: When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

YLT: In the feebleness within me of my soul Jehovah I have remembered, And come in unto Thee doth my prayer, Unto Thy holy temple.

Darby: When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah; And my prayer came in unto thee, Into thy holy temple.

ASV: When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah; And my prayer came in unto thee, into thy holy temple.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When my soul  fainted  within me I remembered  the LORD:  and my prayer  came in  unto thee, into thine holy  temple. 

What does Jonah 2:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

As Jonah was feeling that his life was ebbing away, his thoughts turned to Yahweh (cf. Psalm 107:5-6; Psalm 142:3; Psalm 142:5-7). Even though he felt far from God his prayer reached the Lord in His heavenly dwelling place.
"As in Jonah 1:6, prayer is presented as the key to the salvation of the one who would otherwise have perished." [1]

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 2:7 mean?

When fainted within me my soul - Yahweh I remembered and went [up] to You my prayer Into temple Your holy
בְּהִתְעַטֵּ֤ף עָלַי֙ נַפְשִׁ֔י אֶת־ יְהוָ֖ה זָכָ֑רְתִּי וַתָּב֤וֹא אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ תְּפִלָּתִ֔י אֶל־ הֵיכַ֖ל קָדְשֶֽׁךָ

בְּהִתְעַטֵּ֤ף  When  fainted 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Hitpael, Infinitive construct
Root: עָטוּף 
Sense: to turn aside.
עָלַי֙  within  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
נַפְשִׁ֔י  my  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
זָכָ֑רְתִּי  I  remembered 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: זָכַר 
Sense: to remember, recall, call to mind.
וַתָּב֤וֹא  and  went  [up] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙  to  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
תְּפִלָּתִ֔י  my  prayer 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: תְּפִלָּה  
Sense: prayer.
אֶל־  Into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הֵיכַ֖ל  temple 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הֵיכָל  
Sense: palace, temple, nave, sanctuary.
קָדְשֶֽׁךָ  Your  holy 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.