Did Jonah die while he was in the belly of the fish?

[Bouncing Bill]

I've never thought he died. I have often thought he must have been very uncomfortable.

 

[Pastorj]

21 hours ago, Bouncing Bill said:

I've never thought he died. I have often thought he must have been very uncomfortable.

 

He was absolutely uncomfortable. The point of the verse is the timeline,  not the experience 

[Bouncing Bill]

17 hours ago, Pastorj said:

He was absolutely uncomfortable. The point of the verse is the timeline,  not the experience 

I understand. It was just a thought. During that experience he did repent and go preach ... and then got mad when God saved the city. He was very human. I like him for that.

[robycop3]

 he was alive. After all, when he was back on land, he remembered God's original instructions to preach to the people of Nineveh.

   Also, I believe he preached a lot more than "Within 40 days shall Nineveh be destroyed". The Assyrians didn't harm madmen who weren't trying to harm anyone, so is Jonah hadn't said a lot more, he woulda been simply humored & ignored as a madman. He likely told the people some of Israel's history & how God had dealt with their enemies, & they knew it was true.(The Assyrians were a very-literate people.) And, he told them to worship God in sincerity, & perhaps He would spare them. However, as the story shows, Jonah was disappointed when God spared Nineveh, as Assyria was the Israelis' enemy.

[Guest Trust God]

He was in Sheol, the realm of the dead (see chapter 2 verse 2).  In chapter 2 verse 6, Jonah says Yahweh brought his life up from the pit.  This is Sheol.

God brought back Lazarus to life after the body of Lazarus stunk from rotting.

In chapter 2, Jonah recounting what happened, says weeds were wrapped around his head.  I believed Jonah drowned and his soul went to Sheol and God had the fish grab or eat the body of Jonah and after three days and three nights, God had the fish give up the body of Jonah.

As a side note:  I believe that Jesus died on a Wednesday and was resurrected on the weekly Sabbath.  He was taken off of the cross before the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread--an annual Sabbath.  The women would have bought the spices on Friday--rested on the weekly Sabbath and went to anoint His body on the first day of the week--Sunday.

God Bless

[SureWord]

20 hours ago, Guest Trust God said:

He was in Sheol, the realm of the dead (see chapter 2 verse 2).  In chapter 2 verse 6, Jonah says Yahweh brought his life up from the pit.  This is Sheol.

God brought back Lazarus to life after the body of Lazarus stunk from rotting.

In chapter 2, Jonah recounting what happened, says weeds were wrapped around his head.  I believed Jonah drowned and his soul went to Sheol and God had the fish grab or eat the body of Jonah and after three days and three nights, God had the fish give up the body of Jonah.

As a side note:  I believe that Jesus died on a Wednesday and was resurrected on the weekly Sabbath.  He was taken off of the cross before the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread--an annual Sabbath.  The women would have bought the spices on Friday--rested on the weekly Sabbath and went to anoint His body on the first day of the week--Sunday.

God Bless

Do you know Yahweh (YHWH) is the name of the Syrian storm god? A Nazi and atheist named Rudolf Kittel added the vowel points to get Yahweh because he believed the Hebrews "borrowed" the Akkadian heathen god of that name.

It should be Yehovah (YHVH) or Jehovah in English. That is the name of God in English 

[Jerry]

I believe Jonah did not die in the belly of the whale - but him being inside the belly of the whale for three days and three nights was a type (picture) of the Lord Jesus Christ being in the heart of the earth (ie. dead) for three days and three nights.

J. Vernon McGee is of the opinion that Jonah did die. From what I can recall, this book was pretty good, though it has been between 15-20 years since I read it.

http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/OTStudies/JonahDeadorAlive/tabid/114/Default.aspx

[SureWord]

11 hours ago, Jerry said:

I believe Jonah did not die in the belly of the whale - but him being inside the belly of the whale for three days and three nights was a type (picture) of the Lord Jesus Christ being in the heart of the earth (ie. dead) for three days and three nights.

J. Vernon McGee is of the opinion that Jonah did die. From what I can recall, this book was pretty good, though it has been between 15-20 years since I read it.

http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/OTStudies/JonahDeadorAlive/tabid/114/Default.aspx

I think he may have died because of some of the language in the passage but I don't go around making it an issue. It's possible the Lord was vague about it so when Jesus referred to the story the Jews knew he was speaking of a death and resurrection but this doesn't mean Jonah actually died just that's how it's portrayed.

But yeah, it was definitely a type.

[BrotherTony]

Personally, I don't believe he died. I believe he was in torment while in the belly of the great fish, but I believe God kept him alive. When this was discussed in both of the Bible colleges I attended, they both taught the belief that Jonah was still alive and in torment. I haven't done a thorough study on it, as I didn't feel it was that important of a subject. I've actually only had a few people ever ask this question.

 

[heartstrings]

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17

A whale shark, basking shark, even an adult great white would have no trouble swallowing a man whole but the digestive juices would begin to dissolve his skin immediately not to mention making it impossible to breathe in there. Maybe I'm wrong but, I always took that word "prepared" to mean that God "prepared" the fish so that Jonah could survive in there. The words about the "belly of Hell" and all that are poetic prophetic references to Christ. In "typology", this passage points to Christ. But brother Jonah was actually inside a great fish, not "Hell".  So I believe Jonah was alive.

[SureWord]

6 hours ago, heartstrings said:

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17

A whale shark, basking shark, even an adult great white would have no trouble swallowing a man whole but the digestive juices would begin to dissolve his skin immediately not to mention making it impossible to breathe in there. Maybe I'm wrong but, I always took that word "prepared" to mean that God "prepared" the fish so that Jonah could survive in there. The words about the "belly of Hell" and all that are poetic prophetic references to Christ. In "typology", this passage points to Christ. But brother Jonah was actually inside a great fish, not "Hell".  So I believe Jonah was alive.

Unless he was dead then he was in hell, aka the heart of the earth.

 

 

[Martyr_4_FutureJoy]

On 5/25/2021 at 12:18 PM, SureWord said:

I think he may have died because of some of the language in the passage but I don't go around making it an issue. It's possible the Lord was vague about it so when Jesus referred to the story the Jews knew he was speaking of a death and resurrection but this doesn't mean Jonah actually died just that's how it's portrayed.

But yeah, it was definitely a type.

I'm glad you mentioned it that way - Jesus saying and so on.

Yes,  Jesus knew Jonah died ,  and how long, and that He HImself also gave this as the only sign that He is God to those He told this.     It is something all the Jews knew at that time,  and they knew they would have to make sure no one thought Jesus fulfilled this word, this sign,  as they did not want anyone believing Jesus is God.    Well,  Jesus fulfilled it perfectly,  and the Jews who did not want to follow Him had to pay a lot of money and make up some false stories to try to prevent people from finding out.

Jesus was not vague at all.  He was and is very specific, as are the rest of Scripture ,  but so much baloney was written from babylon as a source over a thousand years ago and introduced to into Christendom (so-called, worldly,  anti-Jesus Christendom(the harlot/ beast/ false one world church) ) that much of Christendom remains in the dark about many things.

The full description is available, or was available, somewhere online years ago, (and in the published works of some ,  though I have no idea if it has been in print in the last 40 or more years or not)   and is completely in line with all Scripture from the beginning thru the end,  from Genesis thru the Apocalypse,   but I don't know where it is now or if it is available online anymore - so much has been deleted, censored from the internet sources.   I honestly thought it would be 'easily' accessible and clearly understood by everyone abiding in Jesus, readily confirmed by the assemblies in Him, bu those assemblies are rare or hard to find also, and apparently not many care to find out.  

The importance, not casual and not vague,  is in being the only sign Jesus gave to some,  the only sign to confirm to them , if they cared to accept it, that He is God.    Further,  other aspects throughout Scripture must be changed to make it different, to make it conform to churches doctrines that don't adhere to God's Word. (most obviously the whore of babylon, and the daughters of the whore,  which are immense not just in size, but in influence almost everywhere in the world if not everywhere) .

 

[Jerry]

Sometimes Jeff you just don’t make any sense.

[Bouncing Bill]

 

Sheol

She'ol, translated as "grave", "pit", or "abode of the dead", is the underworld of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. It is a place of darkness to which all the dead go, both the righteous and the unrighteous, regardless of the moral choices mad

[Jordan Kurecki]

On 3/4/2020 at 9:48 AM, PastorMatt said:

According to Jonah 2:2 & Matthew 12:40 some believe that Jonah did die in the belly of the whale. Since Jonah prayed and Jesus compared it to his literal resurrection, does that mean that Jonah did the same thing?

Jonah 2:2 And 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.

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

For the record I believe that Jonah was alive for three day and three nights, I'm just wanting to see what every here thinks/believes.

Hey Matt, 

I just happened to look at this verse yesterday and spent a considerable amount of time studying and reflecting on the Hebrew word "sheol" [Hell in Jonah 2:2]

I believe that many have a very narrow understanding of the English word "Hell". Many think "Hell" only refers to a place of punishment, Webster 1828 defines "Hell" as "the place of the dead", which is much more in line with the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades. I have a theory that "hell" in English has changed in meaning over the years and come to be more specific than the word originally was. In Luke 16 both the Rich man and Lazarus seems to be in "Hades". It seems that at least prior to the death of Christ, all people both righteous and unrighteous went to "Sheol" and "Hades", though the experience in "Sheol" and "Hades" would be different for the righteous vs the unrighteous. 

Consider the UBS Translators Handbook comments on Jonah 2:2:
"The prayer is described as coming from deep in the world of the dead, or “out of the belly of Sheol” (neb). In other words the worshiper is pictured as having “one foot in the grave,” to use an English idiom, or in “the jaws of death,” as Luther expresses it" Price, B. F., & Nida, E. A. (1978). A translators’ handbook on the Book of Jonah (p. 77). Stuttgart: United Bible Societies.

The NET Notes also are helpful in understanding this: 

Sheol was a name for the place of residence of the dead, the underworld (see Job 7:9–10; Isa 38:17–18). Jonah pictures himself in the belly of Sheol, its very center—in other words he is as good as dead. Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Jon 2:1–2). Biblical Studies Press.

I believe Jonah's language was figurative. Jonah being in the belly of the fish was a picture of Christ being dead. You could say Jonah was a type. I don't see how Jonah could cry out to God if he had already died and actually went to Sheol, unless God answered Jonah's prayer while he was actually in Sheol.