King James Version
Jonah 2:1
1Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,
Jonah 2:1 in other versions
- New International Version (NIV)From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish.
Context of Jonah 2:1
Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, 2And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. 3For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
Read all of Jonah 2Jonah 2:1 word by word
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֣ל יוֹנָ֔ה אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו מִמְּעֵ֖י הַדָּגָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Jonah 2:1
- 2 Chronicles 33:11Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
- Psalms 50:15And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
- Psalms 91:15He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
- Isaiah 26:16Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
- Hosea 5:15I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
- Hosea 6:1Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
- James 5:13Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
- Job 13:15Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
- Psalms 130:1Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
- Lamentations 3:53They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
- Acts 16:24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
Commentaries on Jonah 2:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Then Jonah prayed - out of the fish's belly - This verse makes the first of the second chapter in the Hebrew text. It may be asked, "How could Jonah either pray or breathe in the stomach of the fish?" Very easily, if God so willed it. And let the reader keep this constantly in view; the whole is a miracle, from Jonah's being swallowed by the fish till he was cast ashore by the same animal. It was God that had prepared the great fish. It was the Lord that…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Then - (“And”) Jonah prayed, i. e., when the three days and nights were passed, he uttered this devotion. The word “prayed” includes thanksgiving, not petition only. It is said of Hannah that she “prayed” 1 Samuel 2:1; but her canticle is all one thanksgiving without a single petition. In this thanksgiving Jonah says how his prayers had been heard, but prays no more. God had delivered him from the sea, and be thanks God, in the fish‘s belly, as…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The prayer of Jonah. (1-9) He is delivered from the fish. (10) Verses 1-9 Observe when Jonah prayed. When he was in trouble, under the tokens of God's displeasure against him for sin: when we are in affliction we must pray. Being kept alive by miracle, he prayed. A sense of God's good-will to us, notwithstanding our offences, opens the lips in prayer, which were closed with the dread of wrath. Also, where he prayed; in the belly of the fish. No place is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-9Jonah realized that the Lord had kindly saved him by sending the fish. He then created a prayer similar to a psalm. The prayer's careful structure follows the pattern of a personal song of thanks. This suggests Jonah may have written it after the event, as he remembered his feelings and worries.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-101. his God--"his" still, though Jonah had fled from Him. Faith enables Jonah now to feel this; just as the returning prodigal says of the Father, from whom he had wandered, "I will arise and go to my Father" (Lu 15:18). out of the fish's belly--Every place may serve as an oratory. No place is amiss for prayer. Others translate, "when (delivered) out of the fish's belly." English Version is better.Read the comment
Topics related to Jonah 2:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jonah 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
King James Version — Public Domain except in the United Kingdom (Crown rights)
Commentaries