Yonah's Prayer/1

Yonah's Prayer

Introduction

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Thanks For What?

Chapter 2 of Sefer Yonah is devoted to Yonah's prayer from inside the fish.  At first glance, the prayer is one of thanksgiving.  Yonah describes the dangers which he encountered, how he cried out to Hashem, and how Hashem answered him:

EN/HEע/E

(ג) וַיֹּאמֶר קָרָאתִי מִצָּרָה לִי אֶל י״י וַיַּעֲנֵנִי מִבֶּטֶן שְׁאוֹל שִׁוַּעְתִּי שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹלִי. (ד) וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי מְצוּלָה בִּלְבַב יַמִּים וְנָהָר יְסֹבְבֵנִי כׇּל מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ וְגַלֶּיךָ עָלַי עָבָרוּ. (ה) וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי נִגְרַשְׁתִּי מִנֶּגֶד עֵינֶיךָ אַךְ אוֹסִיף לְהַבִּיט אֶל הֵיכַל קׇדְשֶׁךָ.

(3) And he said: I called out of mine affliction Unto the Lord, and He answered me; Out of the belly of the nether-world cried I, And Thou heardest my voice. (4) For thou didst cast me into the depth, In the heart of the seas, And the flood was round about me; All Thy waves and Thy billows Passed over me. (5) And I said: 'I am cast out From before Thine eyes'; Yet I will look again Toward Thy holy temple.

However, given Yonah's dire circumstances, being entrapped in a sea creature with no oxygen, sustenance, or means of escape, Yonah's words are somewhat surprising.  One expects that Yonah's prayer be filled with pleas for future salvation,¹ not thanksgiving for deliverance already received. How can Yonah speak of his ordeal in the past tense when the danger is still at its height?²  For what is he thanking Hashem? Is it possible that, despite appearances, the prayer should be understood differently?

A Turning Point?

Chapter 2 appears to mark a turning point in the book, as Yonah changes from an unwilling  prophet to an obedient one.  While Yonah flees from Hashem's word in Chapter 1, in Chapter 3  he acquiesces to do Hashem's bidding. What leads to this change in behavior?  Has Yonah repented of his ways and changed his perspective or does he head to Nineveh merely out of fear, from lack of other options?  What might we learn from Yonah's prayer about either of these possibilities? Does it contain any hint of remorse or penitence, or, on the other hand, any evidence of continued misgivings? Finally, if Yonah did in fact have a change of heart, why is he still upset in Chapter 4?

Did Yonah Want to Die?

In Chapter 1, Yonah is a portrait of apathy. When everyone on the boat cries out to their gods for aid, Yonah goes to sleep. When actively asked by the sailors to pray, Yonah remains silent. Even when it becomes evident that the storm is due to him, he does not pray for forgiveness or salvation, but rather tells the boatmen to throw him overboard.   It seems as if Yonah cares not whether he lives or dies.³ Why does all this change in Chapter 2? What leads him to pray after being thrown into the sea? Why now is he grateful to be alive?

Textual Questions

In addition to the conceptual questions mentioned above, the chapter also raises several textual questions:

• "נִגְרַשְׁתִּי מִנֶּגֶד עֵינֶיךָ אַךְ אוֹסִיף לְהַבִּיט אֶל הֵיכַל קׇדְשֶׁךָ" (verse 5) – As most of Yonah's prayer focuses on the physical dangers faced by Yonah, this sentence appears somewhat out of place.  To what is Yonah referring when he says, "נִגְרַשְׁתִּי מִנֶּגֶד עֵינֶיךָ"? Is he speaking of a physical or spiritual distancing from God? Moreover, why does he suddenly mention the Mikdash?
• "מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ" (verse 9) – Who is Yonah referring to in these words - the sailors, the people of Nineveh, or idolaters in general? What does he mean when he says, "חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ"? Whom or what are they forsaking? Regardless, how does this sentence relate to the rest of the prayer?
• "וַאֲנִי בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה אֶזְבְּחָה לָּךְ" (verse 9) – How does this statement connect to the previous one regarding the idolaters? Is Yonah comparing or contrasting himself with them?⁴  With what goal?
• "וַיָּקֵא אֶת יוֹנָה" (verse 11) – In describing Yonah's ejection from the fish, the verse writes "it vomited out Yonah".  How are we to understand the choice of verb? Does the fact that vomiting generally has a negative connotation imply that something is amiss about Yonah's salvation or is the choice of verb insignificant?

¹ The question is highlighted by the Midrash10About Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer which replaces the apparent prayer of thanksgiving found in the chater with a request for salvation. It portrays Yonah as pleading with Hashem for his life: "ואמר לפניו: רבש״ע, נקראת מוריד ומעלה, ירדתי – העלני; נקראת ממית ומחיה, הרי נפשי הגיעה למות – החייני". (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 10).

² These questions have led some modern scholars to posit that the prayer is a later addition to the book, borrowed from elsewhere.

³ See R. Natan in Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot12About Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot who suggests that Yonah's whole intent in boarding the boat to Tarshish was to commit suicide: "לֹא הָלַךְ יוֹנָה אֶלָּא לְאַבֵּד עַצְמוֹ בַּיָּם".

⁴ In other words, should the vav of "וַאֲנִי" be understood as "And I..." or "But I..."?