The “Pregnant” Fish
Jonah 2:1
1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish….
I had always thought that the fish is Jonah’s punishment. But, I hadn’t read closely enough. Rather than being his punishment, the fish is Jonah’s salvation. Jonah is thrown overboard into the sea, and would surely have drowned, were it not for the fish that the Lord sends to save him.
In chapter 2, we will see that the time Jonah spends in the belly of the beast gives him time to reflect, which, I’m sure, is part of God’s plan.
Is it possible that your current problem or difficultly can be used by God to get you to reflect on your life and its direction?
P.S. In Hebrew, the first time the fish is mentioned, it is a masculine noun.
1:17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
The Hebrew word is “dahg".
Then, in 2:1, with Jonah in its belly, the fish has become a feminine noun.
2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish….
The Hebrew word has become “dahg-ah”.
Why?
Because Jonah is in the fish’s belly! It’s like the fish has become a mama fish, pregnant with Jonah. It’s a fun little Hebrew flourish.
Then, in 2:10 (getting ahead of ourselves) guess what happens?
2:10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
It reverts back to the masculine version of the word! “Dahg”. Jonah has been vomited up, and is no longer in the belly of the fish.
How fun is that?!
(I’m telling you, this is a really sophisticated little book.)
