Yonah's Prayer/2

Yonah's Prayer

Exegetical Approaches

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Thanksgiving Prayer

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

Sources:Beit Midrash of R. Saadia GaonYonah 2About Beit Midrash of R. Saadia Gaon, Yefet b. Eli the KaraiteYonah 1:3About Yefet b. Eli the Karaite, R. Yosef KaraYonah 2About R. Yosef Kara, 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 of punishment. Its swallowing of Yonah saved him from drowning in the sea, prompting him to thank Hashem.

• According to R"E of Beaugency, Yonah's near drowning was a chastisement from Hashem for his attempt to avoid his mission. However, as Hashem did not intend that he die, only that he agree to go to Nineveh, He sent the fish to save him.
• See, in contrast, Yefet the KaraiteYonah 1:3About Yefet b. Eli the Karaite and R"Y Kimchi cited in Radak Sefer HaShorashim s.v. ברחin Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem who maintain that Yonah had never disobeyed Hashem, reading "וַיָּקׇם יוֹנָה לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה" to mean that Yonah "hastened" rather than fled. According to them, the whole purpose of the storm and being swallowed by the sea was that outsiders see Yonah's miraculous salvation and recognize him as a true prophet. As such, there was no element of punishment in the episode as at all.

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 ("אֲפָפוּנִי מַיִם/ 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 Tehillim 107:22.

"מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא" and the relationship between verses 9-10 – This position might explain the verses in either 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, decided to forsake their idols (חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ) and recognize Hashem. Yonah, like them, vows to offer sacrifices in thanksgiving. Through the comparison Yonah highlights how Israelite and idolater alike come to recognize Hashem after miraculous salvation.
• R"E of Beaugency, 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.¹ 

When did Yonah pray? This position might suggest that Yonah did not wait for three days before praying but thanked Hashem soon after being swallowed, realizing right away that he had been saved.  If so, the phrase "וַיְהִי יוֹנָה בִּמְעֵי הַדָּג שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת" at the beginning of the chapter should be read as a heading to the entire event (and not an indicator of how much time passed before Yonah's prayer of verse 2).²

Why three days? If the fish was simply a vehicle for salvation, it is not clear why Hashem did not have the fish immediately expel Yonah.  It is possible that it simply took three days for the fish to reach dry land.

Indifference vs. prayer

• This position might suggest that despite Yonah's indifference on the boat and apparent willingness to die, when faced with the immediate danger of drowning, he was relieved to be saved.³
• It is also possible that Yonah had never wanted to die. Knowing that he was guilty and deserving of punishment (and perhaps not yet ready to change his ways) made him hesitant to request salvation while on the boat. He told the sailors to throw him overboard only to avoid their being collectively punished with him (but not because he welcomed death).⁴

Did Yonah change?

• According to this position, Yonah might not have fundamentally changed his positions and feelings about the mission. The close encounter with death convinced him that he had no choice but to prophesy to Nineveh, but he might have still done so only grudgingly. As such, he is still upset in Chapter 4 after completing his mission. [For various approaches as to why Yonah had not wanted to relay Hashem's words, see Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem.]

Petitionary Prayer

Yonah's prayer was a request for deliverance from both the sea and fish.

Role of the fish – This approach views the fish as a vehicle of punishment.  Though the fish prevented Yonah from drowning, Yonah's being trapped inside introduced new suffering and dangers and constituted further punishment for his disobedience.

Past tense: "שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹלִי" / "וַיַּעֲנֵנִי" – R"E Ben Menachem asserts that despite the prayer being cast in the past tense, it is a request for the future. When Yonah says, "שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹלִי", he is asking that Hashem listen to his cries, not stating that they have already been answered. He formulates his request in the past form only to express his confidence that Hashem would indeed listen to him. Other cases where the past form is understood to refer to the future so as to express  trust in the midst of trials can be found in both Tehillim⁵ and Eichah.⁶

Imagery – This position understands the imagery used by Yonah to refer to the dangers posed by both the sea and the fish, as he requests deliverance from both.

• Sea imagery – Yonah speaks of being engulfed by waves (מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ וְגַלֶּיךָ עָלַי עָבָרוּ) and deep water (תְּהוֹם יְסֹבְבֵנִי), wrapped in seaweed (סוּף חָבוּשׁ לְרֹאשִׁי), and sinking to the ocean floor (וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי מְצוּלָה בִּלְבַב יַמִּים).
• "קָרָאתִי מִצָּרָה לִי" – R"E Ben-Menachem suggests that Yonah might be referring to both metaphoric and literal "narrow straits", to both 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.
• "בְּרִחֶיהָ בַעֲדִי לְעוֹלָם" – The image of being locked away from land s an appropriate image for one who feels like he has no escape from a sea creature.

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

Did Yonah change? This approach might suggest that Yonah prayed for salvation, but not for forgiveness.  No where in the psalm does he acknowledge guilt or promise to act differently.

"וַיָּקֵא אֶת יוֹנָה" – The image of the fish "vomiting" Yonah out has negative connotations,⁷ perhaps implying that Hashem was still angry at Yonah, despite His willingness to save him.

Cry of Repentance

Sources:AbarbanelYonah 2About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

Role of the fish

Past tense

וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי נִגְרַשְׁתִּי מִנֶּגֶד עֵינֶיךָ

הָאָרֶץ בְּרִחֶיהָ בַעֲדִי לְעוֹלָם

בְּהִתְעַטֵּף עָלַי נַפְשִׁי אֶת י״י זָכָרְתִּי

מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ

וַאֲנִי בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה אֶזְבְּחָה לָּךְ – According to this position, "וַאֲנִי בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה" should be understood as Yonah promising to utter confession rather than thanksgiving.  As evidence of this usage, see Ezra 10:11.⁸

אֲשֶׁר נָדַרְתִּי אֲשַׁלֵּמָה

יְשׁוּעָתָה לַי״י

¹ Cf. Radak who suggests similalrly

² R"E of Beaugency instead claims that it was only after a couple of days of surviving in the fish that Yonah realized that Hashem did not intend to kill him but rather to save him. Thus, it was first on day three that he offered thanksgiving.

³ This switch in mindset occurs again at the end of the book. Though Yonah requests that Hashem take his life in 4:3, when he is struck by the harsh sun, he is happy for the shade provided by the gourd and devastated when it is taken away.

⁴ See also Yefet who suggests that Yonah knew from the outset that he was to be saved.  He told the sailors to throw him overboard knowing that Hashem wanted his miraculous salvation to serve as a sign to verify his prophetic status.

⁵ See, for example, Tehillim 56:14.  Though the psalm as a whole is clearly a request for salvation, in the last line, the psalmist states, "הִצַּלְתָּ נַפְשִׁי מִמָּוֶת" as if he were already saved. [See Yalkut Shimoni and Radak there.]

⁶ 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)".

⁷ Se Vayikra 18:25, 28 and 20:22 where Hashem warns that those who sin will be vomited out of the land.

⁸ See also Divrei HaYamim II 33:16 where the nation brings a "Todah" sacrifice, but in the context of repentance.