Attributed commentary excerpt
Tyndale Open Study Notes on Jonah 1:17
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Modern study notes
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
1:17 Some critics consider it impossible that Jonah could be delivered from death in the belly of a great fish. In making this judgment, they oppose themselves to one of the book’s main theological themes—that God is supremely sovereign over nature. If God exists, and he created and controls nature (1:9, 16; see also Gen 1:21), a miraculous event of this magnitude is not unfathomable. The book presents the fish episode as a historical event. • No indication is given as to the species of the fish, nor is identifying a species crucial to validating the significance of the account. Granted God’s creative power, the fish that swallowed Jonah might well have been specially formed and appointed by the Lord for this particular event. If God exists and can work miracles, Jonah’s need for oxygen and protection from digestive processes poses no problem (cp. Dan 3:14-27). On the other hand, certain species are large enough to have served the purpose (e.g., the whale shark), and similar incidents have been recorded in modern times. • Jesus later referred to Jonah’s stay in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights in predicting the duration of his time in the grave (Matt 12:39-41). • Arranged for is the first of four occurrences of the same Hebrew word in the book (see Jon 4:6, 7, 8). All four occurrences speak of God’s effortless control over the forces of nature.
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This excerpt is attributed to its named commentary. It is included as a historical study resource and should be evaluated in light of Scripture and other relevant evidence.
