Commentaries Dictionaries Concordances

Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

Jonah 1:17

A great fish] Nothing is said of the species of the fish; either a giant shark or a cachalot whale could swallow a man. But the Intro, shows that it is needless to argue whether the miracle of Jonah's remaining alive has ever been paralleled. We have given reasons for our view that the author never meant or expected his story to be regarded as anything but a parable. If that is so, it is useless for us to bring in a difficulty which never even occurred to him.

Continues after advertising

See also Jonah 1:17 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Jonah 1:17. _NOW THE LORD HAD PREPARED A GREAT FISH_] דג גדול _dag_ _gadol_. This could not have been a _whale_, for the throat of that animal can scarcely admit a man's leg; but it might have...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    NOW THE LORD HAD (LITERALLY “AND THE LORD”) PREPARED - Jonah (as appears from his thanksgiving) was not swallowed at once, but sank to the bottom of the sea, God preserving him in life there by miracl...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS CHAPTER 1 The Commission of the Prophet ,His Disobedience, and the Consequences _ 1. The commission (John 1:1) _ 2. The disobedience (John 1:3) 3. The consequences (John...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    JONAH 1:1 TO JONAH 2:1; JONAH 2:10. JONAH VAINLY SEEKS TO EVADE THE MISSION TO WHICH GOD APPOINTS HIM. Jonah is bidden by Yahweh to proclaim judgment on Nineveh for its sin, but he hurries in the oppo...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    PREPARED. appointed, or assigned. From Hebrew. _mdndh, to_ number. Hence, to appoint, as in Job 7:3.Daniel 1:5; Daniel 1:10. and Chaldee. _mynah_ (Daniel 5:25

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _had prepared_ Rather: ASSIGNED, or APPOINTED. (LXX. προσέταξε.) The same word and tense are used of the gourd, the worm, and the East wind, ch. Jonah 4:6-8. They do not necessarily imply any previous...

  • Charles Box Commentaries

    _GOD PREPARED A GREAT FISH -- JONAH 1:15-17:_ These mariners were more obedient than God's prophet. "They took up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging." They were sincer...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    NOW THE LORD HAD PREPARED A GREAT FISH— That there are fishes large enough to swallow a man, there can be no question; the Scripture calls this _a great fish,_ in the general, and therefore there is n...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    GOD'S MESSENGER RUNNING FROM GODTHE CHASTENING OF JEHOVAH TEXT: Jonah 1:11-17 11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and mor...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. NOW THE LORD HAD PREPARED A GREAT FISH TO SWALLOW UP JONAH. AND JONAH...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE MAN WHO DISAGREED WITH GOD JONAH _MARK KIRKPATRICK_ INTRODUCTION The book does not say who wrote it. It is unlikely that Jonah was the author. This is because the story is not very favourable...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    NOW THE LORD. — In the Hebrew, Jonah 2 commences with this verse. HAD PREPARED. — The pluperfect is misleading. Render _appointed,_ and comp. Jonah 4:6, where the same word is used of the _gourd,_ the...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    _[Jonah 2:1]_ וַ יְמַ֤ן יְהוָה֙ דָּ֣ג גָּדֹ֔ול...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE GREAT REFUSAL John 1:1 WE have now laid clear the lines upon which the Book of Jonah was composed. Its purpose is to illustrate God's grace to the heathen in face of His people's refusal to fulfi...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    A PRAYER FROM THE DEPTHS John 1:17; John 2:1-10 The great fish was probably a shark. He who sent the storm prepared the fish. Life is full of contrivances on the part of the great Lover of men. To pl...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    In narrating his own experience on his mission to Nineveh, Jonah intended to teach his people the lesson of the inclusiveness of the divine government, and thus to rebuke their exclusive attitude towa...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the (m) belly of the fish three days and three nights. (m) Thus the Lord would chastise his Prophet with a most terrible s...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    I stay not to enquire what fish this was. Our Lord Jesus himself hath said it was a whale. Matthew 12:40. Neither do I consider myself as called upon to show how Jonah could remain the time here spoke...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    Lectures on the Minor Prophets. W. Kelly. The most cursory reader can hardly avoid seeing that Jonah has a peculiar place among the prophets. There is none more intensely Jewish; yet his prophecy was...

  • John Brown Commentaries Selected Books of the Bible

    Jonah the Sleeper I. INTRODUCTION A. Last week we began our study of the book of Jonah. 1. As usual, we did a brief background study and you might remember that I shared with you that this little b...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    What the Prophet here briefly relates ought to be carefully weighed by us. It is easily passed over, when we read in a few words that Jonah was swallowed up by a fish, and that he was there three days...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Introduction to Jonah Nineveh-which represents the world in its natural greatness, full of pride and iniquity, regardless of God and of His authority-had deserved the righteous judgment of God. This i...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    NOW THE LORD HAD PREPARED A GREAT FISH TO SWALLOW UP JONAH,.... Not from the creation of the world, as say the Jews p; for this is to be understood, not of the formation or making of it; but of the or...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Ver. 17. _Now the Lord had prepared a great fish_] A whale, Matthew 12:...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Now the Lord prepared a great fish_, &c. We have but an imperfect acquaintance with the natural history of fishes. However, it is a well-attested fact, that there are fishes, sharks, for instance, th...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Now, the Lord had prepared a great fish, not a whale, but a special sea-monster, TO SWALLOW UP JONAH. AND JONAH WAS IN THE BELLY OF THE FISH THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS, being alive and conscious thro...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    JONAH AND THE SEA MONSTER...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    BELLY: _ Heb._ bowels...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    13-17 The mariners rowed against wind and tide, the wind of God's displeasure, the tide of his counsel; but it is in vain to think of saving ourselves any other way than by destroying our sins. Even...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    NOW, Heb. _And_. PREPARED; created at first, say some; but what need that, when a mighty overgrown fish of a double age may do this; by God's will and appointment it attended the ship, and followed it...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Jonah 1:17 LORD H3068 prepared H4487 (H8762) great H1419 fish H1709 swallow H1104 (H8800) Jonah H3124 Jonah...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘And YHWH prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly (innards) of the fish three days and three nights.' Meanwhile YHWH had not forgotten YHWH and as God of land and sea had...

  • Scofield's Bible Commentary

    PREPARED Four prepared things. (Jonah 4:6); (Jonah 4:7); (Jonah 4:8). GREAT FISH No miracle of Scripture has called forth so much unbelief. The issue is not between the doubter and this ancient rec...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    John 1:17 We have no external history of the days spent by the prophet in his living grave. Neither he nor anyone else can tell how far he travelled, how long he rested, what were the aspects of the...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    JONAH 1-4 Jonah buried and risen a type of Christ. I. More than once in the course of our Lord's ministry, among different persons and for different objects, He makes use of the similitude of the pro...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Jonah 1:1. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Jonah's commission and effort to avoid God's will. Swallowed by a great fish. CHARACTERS: God, Jonah, seamen. CONCLUSION: Men may be distinctly called of God to proclaim His message, yet r...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Jonah 1:1. _The word of the Lord came to Jonah._ The word of prophecy, delivered by Christ, the preëxistent Word, as appears from his reasoning with the prophet when angry that Nineveh was spared. Jon...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights._ THE CRUX OF THE MIRACLE The real miracle was that Jonah should survive so long in his strange prison. “That violates the laws of...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.] JONAH 1:11. THE SEA] “Not only increasingly tempestuous, but, like a thing alive and obeying its Master’s will, it was holding on its course, its wild waves tossing themselves and ma...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION JONAH 1:1 Part I. THE MISSION OF JONAH. HIS DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. JONAH 1:1 § 1. Jonah is sent to Nine

  • The Typology of Scripture by Patrick Fairbairn

    But in what presently befell Jonah we are also called to behold the goodness of God; for no sooner is he cast out, as a victim of divine justice, into the raging deep, than a great fish was ready to s...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Jonah Now we come to that interesting prophet Jonah. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedne...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Genesis 1:21; Habakkuk 3:2; Jonah 4:6; Luke 11:30; Matthew 12:40;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    JONAH, AND THE CALVARY MESSAGE Jonah 1:12 INTRODUCTORY WORDS The message of Calvary is not the message of historical Scriptures alone. Beyond doubt, the final Chapter s of the Gospels, and the Epis...

Continues after advertising