Did Jonah die while he was in the belly of the fish ( Jonah 2 )?
Question : " Did Jonah die while he was in the belly of the fish ( Jonah 2 )?"
Answer : Those who accept the literal account of Jonah take one of two main views regarding what happened to Jonah during his time in the belly of the great fish ( Jonah 2 ). One view holds that Jonah died and later returned to life . The second view holds that Jonah remained alive for three days in the belly of the great fish . Both views agree on a literal reading of the book of Jonah and affirm God ’ s supernatural ability to rescue His prophet . The difference is whether to see Jonah 2:10 as a description of a weak and bedraggled Jonah or as a truly resurrected Jonah .
Those who argue that Jonah died and later rose again appeal to Jonah ’ s prayer in Jonah 2:2 : “ From the depths of the grave I called for help .” The use of Sheol , the Hebrew term for “ the grave ,” could mean that Jonah actually died . Yet the words “ the depths of the grave ,” seen as a poetic turn of phrase , could easily refer to an agonizing or horrifying experience .
There ’ s another reason that some argue for Jonah ’ s death and resurrection : Jesus said , “ For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish , so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth ” ( Matthew 12:40 ). The reasoning is that , since Jesus ’ death and resurrection were actual , then Jonah must have also actually died and later returned to life . However , Jesus ’ comparison does not mandate perfect congruency between the two events . Jonah ’ s hopeless situation was illustrative of Jesus ’ death ; Jonah ’ s sudden appearance at Nineveh was illustrative of Jesus ’ resurrection . The three days was an additional similarity . Jonah returned from the edge of death ; Jesus , who is greater than Jonah , returned from actual death . Analogies do not require absolute agreement in every detail .
The Bible does not explicitly state that Jonah died in the belly of the great fish . Those who theorize that he did die rely on inference and speculation . What is the evidence that Jonah stayed alive for the three days he spent in the belly of the great fish ?
First , it is clear that Jonah prayed from inside the fish : “ Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish ” ( Jonah 2:1 ). At the very least , Jonah lived long enough to offer his prayer .
Second , the language of Jonah ’ s prayer is poetic in nature . Terms such as Sheol and the reference to “ the pit ” ( Jonah 2:6 ) do not have to be interpreted so literally as to require physical death .
Did Jonah die in the fish , or was he alive the whole time ? Either interpretation is possible , but the traditional understanding , that Jonah was alive for three days in the belly of a great fish , is more likely . Jonah , who everyone thought was a “ goner ,” emerged from the murky depths to bring God ’ s message of salvation to a lost and dying people . In so doing , he became a wonderful representation of Jesus ’ death , resurrection , and life-giving message .
35