Anyone who has spent any amount of time around children know just how many questions they can ask about anything and everything. One of my younger brothers in particular is especially talented at coming up with the most intriguing questions (for example - before the fall, could Adam and Eve hold their breath under water for a really long time, since they wouldn't be able to drown?). When he starting asking questions about Jonah, it brought to mind some of my previous readings; mainly, the debate between whether Jonah died in the fish and was resurrected, or if he was miraculously kept alive for the three days and three nights.
From all the major commentaries I've read (Spurgeon, MacArthur, Gill, Henry) it appears to be assumed that Jonah was kept alive, though they do not particularly address the possibility of his death. In my own readings of the text, I can see how it can be interpreted either way. While I believe Jonah was kept alive while in the whale, I am open to the possibility that perhaps Jonah died and was resurrected. Some of it lies in whether you are interpreting certain parts figuratively or literally. Was Jonah actually in Sheol? Do the bars of the earth closing about him mean death? What is the relation between Jesus' death and burial, and Jonah being in the belly of a great fish? Is there a strong indication either way, concerning whether he was dead or alive? These are just some of the questions that need to be answered before one can definitively go either way. I have discovered that this debate doesn't appear to be very widely know, but if you have an opinion on the matter I want to hear from you. Comment and let me know your thoughts!
Perhaps taking Jonah by itself and finagling the text one might come to the conclusion that Jonah did actually die.
ReplyDeleteHowever, reading Jonah in the context of the rest of Scripture (like the Psalms for instance) we know that a person does not speak to God from Sheol (whatever it is). So Jonah could not have literally descended into Sheol, which we assume is death.
Also, the passage itself doesn't speak of his dying. It speaks of his close call with death, but seems to imply nothing more than a close call.
In addition we see no hint of his being resurrected in the text. Perhaps I'm missing something, but I see no leg for that argument to stand on.
Finally (if my memory serves me correctly) Jesus said, "Just as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the WHALE, so the Son of Man will be 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the EARTH."
Very likely the reason it is not brought up much is that there is so little evidence for it.
There's my comment. ; )
Little Cultist Alert:
ReplyDeleteKind of the 'Schrodinger's Cat' of the Bible: "Given the circumstances it can be said that Jonah is 100% alive and 100% dead simultaneously until the fish spewed him forth. At which point he is only a certain un-given percent alive." ;)
It's mighty hard to pray when you're dead.
He could just have been talking to God up in heaven. But the Bible says he prayed in the belly of the fish indicating not only him living but also being concious.
The Bible and in particular Jesus always refers to death as sleep. That's why they're called cemetaries.
We pray before we sleep and when we wake.
Isaiah - Exactly. Sheol was used figuratively in the Psalms, and it is to be presumed that Jonah is likening being in the fish to being in the grave (Sheol). I can see the argument for his death, but the reasoning for his resurrection just isn't as strong - and you can't have one without the other. ;-) It isn't mentioned specifically in the text, and if he did die and was resurrected, I would suspect that would be the case. The argument for his resurrection relies partly on the fact that in his prayer, he speaks of Yahweh having brought him up from the pit. Yet, he is still remains in the belly of the fish.
ReplyDeleteAs for the sign of Jonah, one could argue that Jonah's dead body was in the fish just as Jesus' dead body was in the earth.
True. It is rather interesting to read the arguments for both sides. I was hoping to be able to find a well known commentator making a defense either way, but it appears that it is non-existant. If Calvin, Spurgeon, and Henry (to name a few) found it unnecessary to even mention the debate, then I would find it reasonable to conclude that it would be due to lack of foundation for the argument of his death/resurrection.
Tragedy101 - The prayer would have come after he was resurrected. It would be a prayer of thanksgiving and praise for Yahweh's deliverance of him from Sheol (the grave, which would imply death). From what I've read, it seems that some would divide his prayer - part of it would have been spoken before his death, and part afterwards - but I'm unclear to how they would interpret and divide the prayer.