### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Greek word **kētos**, represented by `{{G2785}}`, refers to **a huge fish** or **whale**. It derives from a word suggesting something that gapes for prey. This term is highly specific in its biblical usage, appearing only **1 time** in **1 unique verse** in the entire New Testament.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The sole appearance of `{{G2785}}` is in a statement by Jesus. In this key passage, the "whale's belly" serves as a prophetic sign. Jesus draws a direct parallel between the experience of the prophet Jonas `{{G2495}}` and his own impending death and burial. He explains that just as Jonas was in the **whale's** belly for three days and nights, the Son `{{G5207}}` of man `{{G444}}` will be in the heart of the earth `{{G1093}}` for the same amount of time [[Matthew 12:40]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words are essential for understanding the context of `{{G2785}}`:
* `{{G2495}}` **Iōnâs** (Jonas): of Hebrew origin (יוֹנָה); Jonas (i.e. Jonah), the name of two Israelites. He is presented as a prophet whose experience serves as a sign [[Matthew 16:4]].
* `{{G2836}}` **koilía** (belly): from ("hollow"); a cavity, i.e. (especially) the abdomen; by implication, the matrix; figuratively, the heart. It is the specific location of Jonas's confinement within the **kētos** [[Matthew 12:40]].
* `{{G5207}}` **huiós** (son): apparently a primary word; a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship. This term is central to the parallel, as it is the "Son of man" who undergoes the typological fulfillment [[Matthew 12:40]].
* `{{G1093}}` **gē** (earth): contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe. The "heart of the earth" is the counterpart to the whale's belly in Jesus's analogy [[Matthew 12:40]].
* `{{G444}}` **ánthrōpos** (man): from ἀνήρ and (the countenance; from ὀπτάνομαι); man-faced, i.e. a human being. It is used in the title "Son of man" to describe the one who would fulfill the sign of Jonas [[Luke 19:10]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{G2785}}` is found entirely within its single use as a prophetic type.
* **A Typological Sign:** The experience of Jonas `{{G2495}}` inside the **kētos** is explicitly defined by Jesus as "the sign of the prophet Jonas" [[Matthew 16:4]]. It is not merely a historical account but a divinely ordained foreshadowing of the death and burial of Christ.
* **Foretelling Entombment:** The "whale's belly" `{{G2836}}` functions as a symbol for the grave. Jesus uses this image to explain that his own time "in the heart of the earth" `{{G1093}}` is the fulfillment of this sign [[Matthew 12:40]].
* **The Greater Fulfillment:** Jesus asserts that "a greater than Jonas is here" [[Matthew 12:41]]. This positions the sign of the **kētos** as a pointer to a far more significant event: the mission of the Son of man `{{G5207}}` to seek and save the lost [[Luke 19:10]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{G2785}}` **kētos** is a term whose biblical significance is concentrated in one powerful image. Though appearing only once, it provides the crucial visual element for the "sign of Jonas," one of the clearest Old Testament types for the burial of Jesus Christ. Its sole function is to connect the prophet's ordeal to the future suffering and entombment of the Son of man, making it a vital piece of New Testament typology.
TRV