Yonah's Prayer/2

Yonah's Prayer

Exegetical Approaches

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Thanksgiving Prayer

Yonah thanked Hashem for saving him from drowning in the sea.

Sources:R. Yosef KaraYonah 2About R. Yosef Kara, Ibn EzraYonah First Commentary 2:2About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Eliezer of BeaugencyYonah 2About R. Eliezer of Beaugency, RadakYonah 2About R. David Kimchi,

Past tense: "שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹלִי" – The fact that Yonah speaks of his salvation in the past tense implies that his prayer is not a request for future salvation but thanksgiving for aid already received.

Role of the fish – This position assumes that Yonah viewed the fish as an instrument of salvation and not as further punishment. Its swallowing of Yonah saved him from drowning in the sea and prompted him to thank Hashem.

Imagery – Yonah's descriptions of the danger from which he was saved all revolve around potential drowning rather than being trapped in the fish, again suggesting that he did not view his presence in the fish as life threatening or necessitating aid. He speaks of being surrounded by water ("נָהָר/ תְּהוֹם יְסֹבְבֵנִי") and overcome by waves ("מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ וְגַלֶּיךָ עָלַי עָבָרוּ"), getting entangled in seaweed ("סוּף חָבוּשׁ לְרֹאשִׁי"), and almost sinking to the depths of the sea ("לְקִצְבֵי הָרִים יָרַדְתִּי"/"תַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי מְצוּלָה") but no where mentions the dangers of the fish itself.

"וַיַּעֲנֵנִי מִבֶּטֶן שְׁאוֹל"

"וַאֲנִי בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה אֶזְבְּחָה לָּךְ"

Yonah's state of mind – This position might suggest that despite Yonah's indifference on the boat and

Petitionary Prayer

Role of the fish – Though the fish prevented Yonah from drowning, Yonah's being trapped inside introduced new suffering and dangers.

Past tense: "שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹלִי" – This position suggests that, despite the sentence being cast in the past tense,  Yonah is asking that Hashem listen to his cries, not that they have already been answered. He states his request in the past form to express his confidence that Hashem will indeed listen to him. Similar expressions can be found in both Psalms¹ and Eichah.²

Imagery – This position understands the imagery used by Yonah to refer to both the sea and the fish.

• "קָרָאתִי מִצָּרָה לִי" – R"E Ben-Menachem suggests that Yonah might be referring to both metaphoric and literal "narrow straits" (his distress and the enclosed belly of the fish).
• "מִבֶּטֶן שְׁאוֹל" – Rashi posits that this refers to the belly if the fish which was like the nether-world.

Why three days? As being trapped in the fish was part of Yonah's punishment, he was not immediately brought to dry land.  It was only after his prayer was accepted that he was spewed out.

"וַאֲנִי בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה אֶזְבְּחָה לָּךְ" – Yonah promises that, after he is saved, he will offer thanksgiving sacrifices and praise Hashem for His salvation.  This is similar to promises made in other petitionary psalms.  See, for example, Tehillim 56:13 and 69:31.

Indifference versus prayer

Cry of Repentance

Sources:AbarbanelYonah 2About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

¹ See, for example, 56:14.  Though the psalm as a whole is clearly a request for salvation, in the last kine, the psalmist states, "הִצַּלְתָּ נַפְשִׁי מִמָּוֶת" as if he were already saved. [See Yalkut Shimoni and Radak there.]

² See, for instance, Eikhah 3:56, where in one breath the poet says "you have listened to my voice (past tense), please do not hide your ears to my cries (request for the future)".