What does Jonas pray from the fish?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Affliction, hope of the temple and vows precede release onto dry land.

Chapter breakdown

The heading introduces the great fish, Jonas’s confident prayer and release. God prepares the fish to swallow him; he remains in its belly three days and nights and prays there to his God. His prayer recalls a cry from affliction and the belly of hell that God heard, the deep sea, encircling flood and passing billows. Though cast from God’s sight, he says he shall see the holy temple again.

Waters encompass him to the soul, the deep surrounds him and the sea covers his head. He describes descent to the mountains’ lowest parts and earth’s bars shutting him in, then says God will bring his life from corruption. In distress he remembered God so his prayer might reach the holy temple. Those vainly observing vanities forsake their own mercy; Jonas vows sacrifice with praise and payment of what he vowed for salvation.

God speaks to the fish, which vomits Jonas onto dry land. The edition explains this speaking as God’s will, obeyed by all things. The chapter supplies no seaweed, physiological explanation or explicit resurrection typology.

The story inside

Three days and nights are specified. The prayer says God will bring life from corruption. The edition explains speaking to the fish as divine will.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Three days and nights are specified.
2
The prayer says God will bring life from corruption.
3
The edition explains speaking to the fish as divine will.

Test your recall

What contrasts with observing vanities?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 101299–101300
2:1. Now the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonas: and Jonas was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.
Lines 101305–101307
2:3. And he said: I cried out of my affliction to the Lord, and he heard me: I cried out of the belly of hell, and thou hast heard my voice.
Lines 101319–101321
2:7. I went down to the lowest parts of the mountains: the bars of the earth have shut me up for ever: and thou wilt bring up my life from corruption, O Lord, my God.
Lines 101331–101335
2:11. And the Lord spoke to the fish: and it vomited out Jonas upon the dry land. Spoke to the fish.... God’s speaking to the fish, was nothing else but his will, which all things obey.