Yonah's Prayer/2

Yonah's Prayer

Exegetical Approaches

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Overview

In exploring Yonah's prayer of Chapter 2, commentators are faced with a quandary.  A simple reading of the prayer implies that it is a psalm of thanksgiving, yet the context of the chapter would seem to call for a petitionary prayer or a cry of repentance.  A first group of commentators prefer to adhere to the simple reading of the text and find alternative understandings of the context.  Thus, R"E of Beaugency suggests that, despite being trapped in the fish, Yonah recognized that it was intended as a vehicle of salvation, leading him to praise and thank Hashem.

Others opt to reread the text so as to better fit its context.  Thus, R"E Ben-Menachem suggests that, despite the past tense formulation throughout the prayer, Yonah was requesting aid from Hashem, not thanking him for assistance already delivered. Pointing to other examples in Tehillim, he notes that often a request for deliverance is expressed in the past so as to convey one's confidence that Hashem will indeed bring salvation. Abarbanel goes further to assert that Yonah's words were actually an expression of remorse. A close reading of the verses reveals that many lines of the prayer may imply an acknowledgment of guilt and promise of future obedience.

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, Rashi,Yonah 2About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki R. Eliezer of BeaugencyYonah 2About R. Eliezer of Beaugency, RadakYonah 2Tehillim 56:14About 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.¹ 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 Yonah die, only that he agree to go to Nineveh, He sent the fish to immediately save him. After surviving in the fish for an extended period, Yonah realized that the fish was meant to help and not harm him, leading him to thank Hashem.²
• 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 fish 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 at all, and Yonah might have recognized this at the outset.

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 nowhere 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 compares himself to them as he, too, vows to offer sacrifices in thanksgiving. Through the comparison Yonah highlights how Israelite and idolater alike praise 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. 

When did Yonah pray?

• According to Rashi, R"E of Beaugency, and Radak it took Yonah several days until he realized that the fish was meant to save him, so it was first on day three that he offered thanksgiving.
• This position might alternatively suggest that Yonah thanked Hashem very 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 serves as a heading to the entire event and not as an indicator of how much time passed before Yonah's prayer of verse 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 felt differently and was relieved to be saved.³
• It is also possible that Yonah actually had no change of heart, and that he had never welcomed death:
• Yonah's silence on the boat might have stemmed from guilt rather than complacency. Knowing that he was deserving of punishment (but perhaps not yet ready to change his ways) made him hesitant to request salvation.⁴  He told the sailors to throw him overboard, not because he welcomed death, but to avoid their being collectively punished with him. As such, when he was surprisingly saved, he was immensely grateful.
• In contrast, according to the approach of Yefet and R"Y Kimchi discussed above, Yonah might have known from the outset that he was to be saved. Recognizing that his ordeal (and ultimate salvation) was meant to be a sign to verify his prophecy, there was no reason to pray on the boat, only to thank Hashem afterwards.

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 still have 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.

Sources:R"E Ben-Menachem⁵

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 will indeed listen to him. Other examples where the past form is understood to refer to the future can be found in both Tehillim⁶ and Eikhah⁷ (where they might similarly be meant to express trust in the face of trials).

Role of the fish – According to this approach, Yonah's entrapment in the fish was punishment for his disobedience. Though the fish prevented Yonah from drowning, it simultaneously introduced new suffering and dangers which required Hashem's intervention.

"וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל יוֹנָה... מִמְּעֵי הַדָּגָה" – RadakYonah 2Tehillim 56:14About R. David Kimchi notes that the verse uses the formulation "מִמְּעֵי הַדָּגָה" (from the fish) rather than "במעי הַדָּגָה"  (in the fish) since its point is not to share the physical location of Yonah⁸ but to express that Yonah called out from a point of distress caused by the fish.⁹  If so, this verse, too, supports this idea that Yonah viewed the fish as further punishment and not as an instrument of salvation.

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" – RashiYonah 2About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki posits that this refers to the belly of the fish which was like a grave.
• "בְּרִחֶיהָ בַעֲדִי לְעוֹלָם" – The image of being locked away is very fitting for one who is entrapped in a sea creature with no way 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.

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.

Indifference versus prayer – This position might explain the change in Yonah's behavior in one of two ways:

• Though Yonah might have desired death on the boat, when faced with the reality of imminent demise (and the prospect of it being a long, drawn-out process while trapped in a fish), he felt differently.¹⁰
• Alternatively, Yonah actually might have still welcomed death, preferring it over fulfilling his mission, but after three days in the fish, he realized that Hashem was not giving him that option.¹¹  Hashem had no intentions of allowing him to die and was simply forcing his hand to lead him to prophesy. At this point, Yonah realized that he had no choice but to pray for release.¹²

"מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא" and the relationship to between vs . 9-10 – This position could explain, like Radak, that the "מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא" refers to the idolatrous sailors who had momentarily turned to God and vowed to worship him, but who were soon to revert back to their gods ("חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ"). Yonah says that he, in contrast, fulfills his vows.

Did Yonah repent? According to this approach, Yonah prayed for salvation but not for forgiveness.  No where in the prayer does he acknowledge guilt or promise to act differently. In fact, he might even allude to his objections to the mission in the prayer itself.  If one posits that Yonah's disobedience related to a theological problem with temporary repentance that stems from fear, his suggestion that the sailors' new found faith will be short-lived (see above point) is an expression of this very concern.¹³ If so, Yonah's prayer for salvation and fulfilling of his mission stemmed from a lack of other options rather than a fundamental change in belief.

"וַיָּקֵא אֶת יוֹנָה" – The image of the fish "vomiting" Yonah out has negative connotations,¹⁴ perhaps implying that despite His willingness to save Yonah, Hashem was still angry at his recalcitrant prophet.

Yonah in Chapter 4 – After he fulfills his mission Yonah is still upset, supporting the reading that Yonah's prayer did not reflect a fundamental change in outlook.

Cry of Repentance

Yonah's prayer is an expression of remorse for his disobedience and a promise to change his ways.

Sources:AbarbanelYonah 2About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

Past tense – This approach assumes that all the verbs relating to Hashem's salvation formulated in the past tense should be understood as if they were written in the future tense.  Yonah is requesting that Hashem hear his cries and save him, not stating that this has already happened.¹⁵

Role of the fish – This position views the fish as a means to rebuke Yonah for his flight and reluctance to chastise Nineveh.

Why three days? As the fish was meant to punish and teach Yonah a lesson, it only released Yonah after he repented. Moreover, the extended period of entrapment was a very effective means to help Yonah appreciate the futility of trying to flee from Hashem.

When did Yonah pray? This position might suggest that it took time for Yonah to internalize Hashem's message, acknowledge his mistakes, and repent. Thus, he only prayed after three days in the fish.

Indifference vs. prayer – According to this position, Yonah's entrapment in the fish is what led to his change, leading him to recognize that he could not even choose death as a means of avoiding Hashem's will.

Expressions acknowledging sin and expressing regret – Abarbanel notes that many lines in the prayer betray Yonah's acknowledgment that it is impossible to flee from Hashem and his promise to change his ways:

• "וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי נִגְרַשְׁתִּי מִנֶּגֶד עֵינֶיךָ" –  Abarbanel reads the word "נִגְרַשְׁתִּי" as if it were an active rather than passive verb, meaning "I cast myself out".  In these words, Yonah acknowledges his attempt to run away and avoid prophesying.
• "אַךְ אוֹסִיף לְהַבִּיט אֶל הֵיכַל קׇדְשֶׁךָ" – These very next words betray Yonah's recognition of the futility of this wish. He admits that since Hashem so desires, he is destined to eventually return and prophesy again (to "see the hall of Hashem's holiness").
• "הָאָרֶץ בְּרִחֶיהָ בַעֲדִי לְעוֹלָם" – Abarbanel suggests that the image of the earth closing its bars on Yonah similarly expresses Yonah's recognition that he can't run away from God, for the earth can bar his way.
• "וַאֲנִי בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה אֶזְבְּחָה לָּךְ" – According to this position, in these words Yonah is not promising to bring a thanksgiving sacrifice, but rather offerings of penitence¹⁶ accompanied by confession (תודה=וידוי).¹⁷
• "אֲשֶׁר נָדַרְתִּי אֲשַׁלֵּמָה" – This statement points to Yonah's promise to fulfill his mission.

"מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ" and relationship to verse 10 – This approach might understand this verse in several ways, depending on what one assumes lay behind Yonah's initial disobedience:

• Idolaters can repent – Yonah might be referring to the sailors who forsook their idols (חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ) for Hashem. Until this point, Yonah had doubted whether idolators could ever truly repent, making him hesitant to rebuke the people of Nineveh for nought.  The sailors' actions filled him with hope for Nineveh, making him willing to continue on his mission and state "אֲשֶׁר נָדַרְתִּי אֲשַׁלֵּמָה".‎¹⁸
• Short-lived repentance – Alternatively, Yonah is expressing almost the exact opposite idea, noting that all too often repentance is insincere and short-lived (חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ).
• Will prophesy despite this – It was perhaps for this very reason that Yonah initially refused to chastise the people of Nineveh, feeling that the city did not deserve salvation if they were to repent only out of fear.¹⁹ At the conclusion of his prayer, Yonah says that despite this reality of potentially insincere repentance, he will nonetheless continue his mission ("אֲשֶׁר נָדַרְתִּי אֲשַׁלֵּמָה").
• Will prophecy because of this – According to Abarbanel, in contrast, Yonah takes comfort in the phenomenon of temporary repentance.  Knowing that Assyria was destined to exile the ten tribes, he had been reluctant to be the vehicle through which Israel's enemy was saved from destruction. Recognizing, though, that Assyria was likely to soon revert to her old ways and once again deserve punishment, he was more willing to chastise them now.

"יְשׁוּעָתָה לַי״י" – This exclamation can be understood simply as a final request for salvation.  Abarbanel, however, relates it to Yonah's fears regarding Israel's destruction at the hands of Assyria. Yonah states that he is willing to rebuke and lead Nineveh to repentance, recognizing that he must simply trust that Hashem will ultimately save Israel, too, in His mercy. And so he ends his prayer with a cry for Israel's ultimate salvation.

"וַיָּקֵא אֶת יוֹנָה" – The choice of verb is not meant to express displeasure with Yonah but the fact that once he no longer deserved punishment, he had no place in the fish and was immediately expelled.

Yonah in Chapter 4 – If Yonah's prayer reflected a change in perspective, one must explain why he is upset after fulfilling his mission:

• According to Abarbanel, Yonah is not upset about having done Hashem's bidding, but only about the aftermath of Assyria's salvation: that their survival meant that Israel was soon to be destroyed. Yonah requested to die so that he not witness the destruction of the ten tribes.
• Alternatively, Yonah's change of heart was itself short-lived.  When in danger, he turned to Hashem, acknowledged his sin and promised to do Hashem's bidding despite his personal misgivings. After the fact, though, those misgivings returned, leading him to regret his actions. If so, perhaps Yonah's salvation by the fish (despite his short-lived repentance) is a reiteration of one of the key messages of the book - that mercy might sometimes trump pure justice and that there might be value to even temporary change.

¹ Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer even portrays Yonah's stay in the fish as vacation-like.  Yonah enters the fish as if "entering a synagogue", is given light in the fish's belly, and taken on a tour of the sea, with the fish's eyes serving as windows to Hashem's wonders!

² See Rashi and Radak who also make this point.

³ It should be noted that a similar switch in mindset occurs again at the end of the book. Though Yonah requests that Hashem take his life in the beginning of Chapter 4, when he is later struck by the harsh sun, he is happy for the shade provided by the gourd and devastated when it is taken away, apparently not yet ready to die..

⁴ See R"Y KaraYonah 1:5Yonah 2About R. Yosef Kara who opines that Yonah did not pray as he knew he had sinned and his prayer would not be accepted.

⁵ See Da'at Mikra, Trei Asar: Yonah, (Jerusalem, 1973): 1-19. The analysis below differs in certain key areas from that of R"E Ben Menachem, but concurs in reading the prayer as one of request for salvation not yet received.

⁶ See, for example, Yalkut ShimoniTehillim 56:14About Yalkut Shimoni and RadakTehillim 56:14About R. David Kimchi on Tehillim 56:14.  Though the psalmist states, "הִצַּלְתָּ נַפְשִׁי מִמָּוֶת", as if he were already saved, this is a  request for the future, as evidenced by the rest of the psalm which is clearly petitionary in nature). See Radak on Tehillim 3:5, 4:2, 31:6, and 41:13 similarly.

⁷ 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)".

⁸ Such information would be redundant as the reader was just told that Yonah had been swallowed.

⁹ He compares it to the verse, "מִמַּעֲמַקִּים קְרָאתִיךָ י״י" (Tehillim 131:1), which does not mean to say that the speaker is praying from a physically low place, but from the depths of despair.

¹⁰ According to this possibility it is likely that Yonah began to pray soon after being swallowed.

¹¹ See Rashi, R"E of Beaugency and Radak above who all point out that after Yonah found himself still alive after an extended period in the fish, he realized that Hashem intended to save him.  They, however, portray Yonah as being happy about this fact.

¹² According to this reading, Yonah first prayed on day three.

¹³ See D. Henshke, "למשמעו של ספר יונה", Megadim 29 (1998): 75-90 who goes further to suggest that the entire "prayer" is meant to be read satirically as a message of defiance against Hashem's system of justice. Yonah intentionally makes a prayer which describes someone crying out to Hashem from a place of fear and being saved nonetheless – in order to mock such an "absurd" scenario.  Such insincere repentance is  exactly what Yonah objected to.  He himself does not request forgiveness or mercy from his danger, for he recognizes that he is not so deserving.  Instead, he argues with Hashem, expressing his disagreement with Hashem's modus operandi.

¹⁴ See Vayikra 18:25, 28 and 20:22 where Hashem warns that those who sin will be vomited out of the land.

¹⁵ See the note above for other examples in Tehillim where hopes for the future are expressed in the past tense.

¹⁶ Abarbanel, instead, understands "אֶזְבְּחָה לָּךְ" metaphorically, suggesting that the "זבח" refers to Yonah's fulfilling of his mission.  His obedience will be viewed with favor like an offering, as Shemuel says, "הִנֵּה שְׁמֹעַ מִזֶּבַח טוֹב" (Shemuel I 15:22).

¹⁷ See Ezra 10:11 for evidence of this usage of the word "תּוֹדָה".  See also Divrei HaYamim II 33:16 where the nation brings a "Todah" sacrifice, but in the context of repentance.

¹⁸ See R. Tzvi Romm, "The Failed Teshuvah of Nineveh", in the Benjamin and Rose Berger Torah to Go Series (2015): 10-14, who makes this point.

¹⁹ See D. Henshke, "למשמעו של ספר יונה" cited above and Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem for elaboration on this reading of Yonah.