Yonah's Prayer/2

Yonah's Prayer

Exegetical Approaches

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Thanksgiving Prayer

Yonah offers praise and thanks to Hashem for saving him from drowning in the sea.

Sources:Yefet, 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 deliverance 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.

"וַאֲנִי בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה אֶזְבְּחָה לָּךְ" – Yonah's vow to bring a thanksgiving offering is comparable to others who make similar promises in psalms of thanksgiving.  See, for example, Tehillim 116:17 and 107:22.

"מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא" and the relationship between verses 9-10 – This position might explain the verses in any of the following ways:

• According to R"Y Kara, "מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא" refers to the sailors who had originally trusted in worthless idolatry, but given their salvation, will now forsake their idols (חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ) and recognize Hashem. Yonah, like them, vows to offer sacrifices in thanksgiving. Through the comparison Yonah highlights how all come to recognize Hashem after miraculous salvation.
• R"E of Beuagency, in contrast, suggests that Yonah is contrasting himself with "מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא", those idolaters who trust in their idols and don't realize when it is Hashem who saves them.  Yonah points out that, unlike them, he recognizes the hand of God and will fulfill his pledge to sacrifice to his savior, Hashem.

Three Days

Yonah's state of mind

• This position might suggest that despite Yonah's indifference on the boat and apparent willingness to die, when faced with the immediate danger, he was relieved to be saved. This occurs at the end of the book again. Though Yonah requests that Hashem take his life in 4:3, when struck by the harsh sun, he is happy for shade provided by the gourd and devastated when it is taken away.
• According to Yefet

Did Yonah change

Petitionary Prayer

Y

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 Tehillim¹ 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, Tehillim 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)".