Jonah 2:2

KJV

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.

KJV (with Strong's)

And said {H559}, I cried {H7121} by reason of mine affliction {H6869} unto the LORD {H3068}, and he heard {H6030} me; out of the belly {H990} of hell {H7585} cried {H7768} I, and thou heardest {H8085} my voice {H6963}.

Complete Jewish Bible

he said, "Out of my distress I called to ADONAI, and he answered me; from the belly of Sh'ol I cried, and you heard my voice.

Berean Standard Bible

saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.

American Standard Version

And he said, I called by reason of mine affliction unto Jehovah, And he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I, And thou heardest my voice.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Jonah 2:2 records the prophet Jonah's desperate and profound prayer from the depths of the great fish, expressing his anguish and acknowledging God's immediate and merciful response. This verse encapsulates the paradox of divine hearing even from the most seemingly impossible and hopeless circumstances, highlighting God's attentiveness to the cries of His afflicted servants, regardless of their prior disobedience.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is the opening declaration of Jonah's prayer, found in [Jonah 2:1-9](/jonah/2-1-9 "Jonah's Prayer from the Fish's Belly"). The preceding chapter, [Jonah 1](/jonah/1 "Jonah's Disobedience and the Storm"), details Jonah's initial disobedience to God's command to preach in Nineveh, his flight by ship, the divine storm, his being cast overboard, and the Lord's provision of a great fish to swallow him. Thus, Jonah's prayer is offered from a place of extreme confinement and near-death, serving as a pivotal turning point from his rebellion to a renewed, albeit reluctant, submission to God's will. The prayer itself is structured as a psalm of thanksgiving and lament, reflecting a profound spiritual journey from despair to hope.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Jonah lived during the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753 BC), a period of relative prosperity for Israel but also moral decline. The city of Nineveh, to which Jonah was commanded to go, was the capital of Assyria, a formidable and cruel empire that would later devastate Israel. For a prophet of Israel, being sent to such an enemy nation was deeply unpalatable, contributing to Jonah's flight. The concept of "Sheol" (translated as "hell" or "grave" here) was the common ancient Near Eastern understanding of the realm of the dead, a dark, silent, and inescapable pit. For Jonah to describe the fish's belly as "the belly of hell" [Jonah 2:2](/jonah/2-2 "Jonah 2:2 - Jonah's Prayer") underscores the absolute despair and sense of being cut off from life, akin to being in the grave. The sea itself was often viewed as a chaotic, dangerous realm, representing forces beyond human control, further emphasizing Jonah's utter helplessness apart from divine intervention.
* **Key Themes:** [Jonah 2:2](/jonah/2-2 "Jonah 2:2 - Jonah's Prayer") contributes significantly to several key themes within the book of Jonah. Firstly, it powerfully illustrates the **sovereignty of God**, demonstrating His control over creation (the storm, the fish) and His ability to pursue and rescue His disobedient servant even in the most extreme circumstances. Secondly, it highlights the **nature and power of prayer**, showing that genuine cries for help, even from a place of deep despair and self-inflicted trouble, are heard by God. This underscores God's **unfailing mercy and compassion**, as He does not abandon Jonah despite his rebellion, offering a path to repentance and restoration. Finally, the verse foreshadows the theme of **deliverance from the depths**, a motif that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament, particularly in the resurrection of Christ, as referenced by Jesus Himself in [Matthew 12:40](/matthew/12-40 "Matthew 12:40 - The Sign of Jonah").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **cried (Hebrew, _qârâʼ'_):** (H7121) This primitive root signifies "to call out to," "to address by name," or "to proclaim." In Jonah's context, it denotes a desperate, urgent appeal, not merely a whisper but a loud, earnest cry for help directed specifically to the LORD. It implies a direct, personal invocation of divine assistance.
* **affliction (Hebrew, _tsârâh'_):** (H6869) Derived from a root meaning "tightness," this feminine noun conveys a sense of constriction, distress, anguish, tribulation, or trouble. It perfectly describes Jonah's physical confinement within the fish and his emotional and spiritual anguish over his dire predicament and the consequences of his disobedience. It is a state of being hemmed in with no apparent escape.
* **hell (Hebrew, _shᵉʼôwl'_):** (H7585) This term refers to "Hades" or "the world of the dead," often translated as "grave" or "pit." It is conceived as a subterranean retreat, the common destination for all the dead. For Jonah to describe the fish's belly as "the belly of hell" is a powerful **hyperbole** and **metaphor**, conveying that his situation was as dire and hopeless as being in the very realm of the dead, cut off from life and light.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me":** This opening clause immediately establishes the context of Jonah's prayer as a response to his deep distress. The phrase "I cried" (qârâʼ) indicates an urgent, desperate appeal, while "by reason of mine affliction" (tsârâh) highlights the profound physical and emotional anguish that prompted his cry. Crucially, the declaration "unto the LORD, and he heard me" asserts God's immediate and active response, demonstrating His attentiveness even to the cries of a disobedient prophet from an impossible situation. This sets a tone of hope and divine responsiveness within the lament.
* **"out of the belly of hell cried I, [and] thou heardest my voice":** This second clause powerfully reiterates and intensifies the first, employing vivid imagery. "Out of the belly of hell" (beṭen shᵉʼôwl) is a potent **metaphor** for the fish's stomach, equating it with the realm of the dead, emphasizing the utter hopelessness and near-death experience Jonah endured. The repetition of "cried I" reinforces the intensity of his plea, while " thou heardest my voice" echoes the earlier "he heard me," but now directly addresses God ("thou"), making the experience even more personal and affirming God's direct intervention and salvation. This parallelism underscores the miraculous nature of God's hearing and deliverance from such an extreme predicament.

#### Literary Devices
Jonah 2:2 employs several potent literary devices to convey the prophet's desperate state and God's miraculous intervention. The most striking is **Metaphor**, specifically in the phrase "belly of hell" (Hebrew: _beṭen shᵉʼôwl_). While literally in the belly of a fish, Jonah's experience is so dire, so akin to death and being cut off from the living, that he likens it to the underworld, the realm of the dead. This **Hyperbole** emphasizes the extreme nature of his distress and the seemingly impossible odds of survival, making God's act of hearing and delivering him all the more profound. Furthermore, the verse exhibits **Parallelism** through the repetition of the core action and divine response: "I cried... and he heard me" is mirrored by "cried I, and thou heardest my voice." This structural repetition not only adds emphasis but also reinforces the central message that despite the depth of his despair, God unequivocally heard and responded to Jonah's plea.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jonah 2:2 profoundly illustrates the theological truth that God is not confined by human limitations or the boundaries of the physical world. His presence and power extend even to the "belly of hell," demonstrating His omnipresence and omnipotence. This verse underscores that genuine repentance and a cry for help, even from a place of self-inflicted suffering, will be met with divine attention and mercy. It speaks to the boundless nature of God's grace, which pursues and rescues His people even when they stray far from His will, offering hope that no situation is too dire for God to hear and intervene. It also highlights the transformative power of affliction in driving individuals to seek God, leading to a renewed understanding of His salvific power.

* [Psalm 18:6](/psalms/18-6 "Psalm 18:6 - God Hears from the Temple")
* [Psalm 130:1-2](/psalms/130-1-2 "Psalm 130:1-2 - Out of the Depths")
* [Lamentations 3:55-57](/lamentations/3-55-57 "Lamentations 3:55-57 - Crying from the Depths")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jonah's cry from the "belly of hell" offers a powerful and enduring message of hope for all who find themselves in desperate circumstances, whether self-imposed or otherwise. It reminds us that our deepest despair, our most profound sense of being lost or cut off, is never beyond the reach of God's hearing. Just as Jonah, in his physical and spiritual anguish, turned to the LORD and was heard, so too can we, in our moments of affliction, confidently cry out to Him. This verse encourages us to abandon any notion that our past failures or the severity of our present trials could ever silence God's ear or exhaust His mercy. Instead, it calls us to radical trust in His omnipresent care and His willingness to deliver, even when our situation feels like the very pit of death. It challenges us to cultivate a habit of prayer in all seasons, knowing that our God is a God who hears and responds, transforming our cries of anguish into anthems of deliverance.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **What "belly of hell" or desperate situation in your life feels insurmountable, and how does Jonah's experience encourage you to cry out to God from that place?**
* **How does Jonah's immediate declaration that God "heard me" challenge your own expectations or doubts about God's responsiveness to your prayers?**
* **In what ways might your own disobedience or poor choices have led you into difficult circumstances, and how does this verse prompt you to seek God's mercy and deliverance?**

### FAQ

**What does "out of the belly of hell" literally mean in Jonah 2:2?**

Answer: While Jonah was physically in the belly of a great fish, the phrase "out of the belly of hell" (Hebrew: _beṭen shᵉʼôwl_) is a powerful **metaphor** and **hyperbole**. "Sheol" (often translated "hell" or "grave") refers to the realm of the dead, a dark and inescapable pit. By using this phrase, Jonah is conveying the extreme nature of his distress and his profound sense of being utterly cut off from life, as if he were already in the grave or the underworld. It emphasizes the near-death experience and the complete hopelessness of his situation apart from divine intervention. It's not a literal description of hell, but a vivid expression of his despair and the miraculous nature of his preservation.

**Did Jonah truly pray from inside the fish, or is this a poetic reflection after the fact?**

Answer: The text of [Jonah 2:1](/jonah/2-1 "Jonah 2:1 - Jonah's Prayer") explicitly states, "Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly." This indicates that the prayer recorded in [Jonah 2:2-9](/jonah/2-2-9 "Jonah 2:2-9 - Jonah's Prayer") is presented as a genuine prayer offered while he was still inside the fish. While the language is highly poetic and reflective, typical of a psalm of lament and thanksgiving, it is understood to be Jonah's spiritual and emotional response to his dire circumstances *from within* that experience. The miraculous nature of his survival and subsequent deliverance makes the prayer's origin within the fish a central element of the narrative's theological impact.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jonah's experience in the "belly of hell" and his subsequent deliverance serves as a profound Old Testament type pointing directly to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself explicitly draws this parallel, stating in [Matthew 12:40](/matthew/12-40 "Matthew 12:40 - The Sign of Jonah"), "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." Jonah's descent into what felt like Sheol and his miraculous emergence after three days foreshadows Christ's own descent into death and the grave, conquering the power of sin and death. Just as Jonah cried out from the depths and was heard, Jesus, in His humanity, cried out to the Father ([Luke 22:42-44](/luke/22-42-44 "Luke 22:42-44 - Jesus' Prayer in Gethsemane")) and was raised from the "belly of hell" ([Acts 2:24](/acts/2-24 "Acts 2:24 - God Raised Jesus")). Through His resurrection, Christ offers ultimate deliverance from the spiritual "hell" of sin and separation from God, providing a path to new life for all who call upon His name ([Romans 10:9-10](/romans/10-9-10 "Romans 10:9-10 - Confess and Believe")). Jonah's physical salvation from the fish prefigures the spiritual salvation offered to humanity through the resurrected Lord.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Psalms 18:4

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

Psalms 18:6

In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears.

Psalms 120:1

¶ A Song of degrees. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

Psalms 34:6

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard [him], and saved him out of all his troubles.

Psalms 86:13

For great [is] thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

Psalms 88:1

¶ A Song [or] Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day [and] night before thee:

Psalms 88:7

Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves. Selah.