Jonah’s Prayer
Realizing that the Lord had graciously delivered him...
Realizing that the Lord had graciously delivered him by sending the fish, Jonah composed this psalm-like prayer. Its careful structure, conforming to the pattern of an individual song of thanksgiving, suggests that it may have been composed after the event, as Jonah recalled his emotions and concerns.
1From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, 2saying:
“In my distress I called to the LORD,and He answered me.From the belly of Sheol I called for help,and You heard my voice.3For You cast me into the deep,into the heart of the seas,and the current swirled about me;all Your breakers and waves swept over me.4At this, I said,‘I have been banished from Your sight;yet I will look once moretoward Your holy temple.’5The waters engulfed meto take my life;the watery depths closed around me;the seaweed wrapped around my head.6To the roots of the mountains I descended;the earth beneath me barred me in forever!But You raised my life from the pit,O LORD my God!7As my life was fading away,I remembered the LORD.My prayer went up to You,to Your holy temple.
The conclusion to Jonah’s psalm-prayer bears similarity to...
The conclusion to Jonah’s psalm-prayer bears similarity to 1:16: The sailors also responded to the Lord’s power to save and acts of mercy with sacrifices and vows.
10And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.