1. The Tale of JONAH
from the Hebrew Bible
c. 400 BCE

2. Review: Jonah 1

3. The book of Jonah is a good example of the terse style of biblical narrative:
CHAPTER 1
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:
2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD…

4. As we read Chapter 2, ask yourself if some kind of change has come over Jonah OR IS THE IRONY CONTINUING?

5. CHAPTER 2 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
2 He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.
7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’ ”
10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

6. What Do YOU Think? 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD
his God.
2a “In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.”

7. What Do YOU Think? 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD
his God.
2a “In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.”

8. What Do YOU Think? So when did this occur? Did we miss it?
1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
2a “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.”
So when did this occur? Did we miss it?

9. What Do YOU Think? 2b “From deep in the realm of the dead
I called for help, and you listened
to my cry.”

10. What Do YOU Think? 2b “From deep in the realm of the dead
I called for help, and you listened
to my cry.”

11. What Do YOU Think? 2b “From deep in the realm of the dead I called for
help, and you listened to my cry.”
Could Jonah be referring to his time on the boat?
But he was sleeping, not praying!

12. 1:6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep
1:6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Cry out to your god!”

13. What Do YOU Think? 2b “From deep in the realm of the dead I called for
help, and you listened to my cry.”
He can’t be referring to his time inside the fish.
He’s using a past tense, and he’s still inside the fish!

14. What Do YOU Think?
3 “You hurled me into the depths.”

15. What Do YOU Think? 3 “You hurled me into the depths.”
Who hurled Jonah into the depths? The LORD??

16. What Do YOU Think? 3 “You hurled me into the depths.”
1:12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea…”

17. What Do YOU Think?
4 “I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight’…

18. What Do YOU Think? 4 “I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight’…
Banished? Did anyone BANISH Jonah from the LORD?

19. What Do YOU Think? 4 “I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight’…
1:3 But Jonah ran away…to flee from the LORD.

20. What Do YOU Think? 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed…
6 “But you, LORD my God, brought my
life up from the pit.”

21. What Do YOU Think? 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed…
6 “But you, LORD my God, brought my
life up from the pit.”

22. What Do YOU Think? 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed…
6 “But you, LORD my God, brought my
life up from the pit.”
Wait, Jonah. You’re still in a fish’s belly
at the bottom of the sea!

23. What Do YOU Think? 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.”

24. What Do YOU Think? 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.”

25. What Do YOU Think? 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.”
WHO is turning away from God here?

26. What Do YOU Think? 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.”
1:16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.

27. What Do YOU Think? 9 “But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.”

28. What Do YOU Think? 9 “But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.”
Here’s an expression of faith on the part of Jonah…

29. What Do YOU Think? 9 “But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.”
Here’s Jonah’s most recent expression of faith:
“I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God
of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

30. Has much changed? Jonah in the belly of the fish:
Jonah in the belly of the ship:
Jonah in the belly of the fish:
Has much changed?

31. We’ll find out when
we read Ch. 3-4.