Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jonah 2:5

The waters compassed me about, [even] to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

5. compassed me about ] It would be better, perhaps, to render surrounded me, in order to show that this is a different word from that in Jon 2:3, and then in the second clause of this verse, where the word is the same as in Jon 2:3, to render compassed me about, instead of closed me round about.

to the soul ] i. e. so as to endanger my soul, or life. Comp. Psa 69:1 (where similar language is used figuratively) and Jer 4:10.

the weeds ] The Heb. word is sph, which so often occurs in the name Red Sea (lit., sea of sph). “The sph of the sea, it seems quite certain, is a seaweed resembling wool. Such sea-weed is thrown up abundantly on the shores of the Red Sea.” Smith’s Bible Dict., Art. Red Sea.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

The waters compassed me about even to the soul – Words which to others were figures of distress (Psa 69:2. See the introduction to Jonah), the waters have come even to the soul, were to Jonah realities. Sunk in the deep seas, the water strove to penetrate at every opening. To draw breath, which sustains life, to him would have been death. There was but a breath between him and death. The deep encompassed me, encircling, meeting him wherever he turned, holding him imprisoned on every side, so that there was no escape, and, if there otherwise had been, he was bound motionless, the weed was wrapped around my head, like a grave-band. The weed was the well known seaweed, which, even near the surface of the sea where man can struggle, twines round him, a peril even to the strong swimmer, entangling him often the more, the more he struggles to extricate himself from it. But to one below, powerless to struggle, it was as his winding sheet.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 5. The waters compassed me about even to the soul] So as to seem to deprive me of life. I had no hope left.

The weeds were wrapped about my head.] This may be understood literally also. He found himself in the fish’s stomach, together with sea weeds, and such like marine substances, which the fish had taken for its aliment.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

The former part of this verse seems to be an ingeminating of what was said Jon 2:3, and bears the self-same meaning and interpretation.

The waters; literally, the waters of the sea; metaphorically, afflictions; mystically, temptations; these last arising from his own guilt, and from the tokens of Gods displeasure against him in so unusual a manner.

Compassed me about, even to the soul; to the endangering his life, and were forerunners (as he apprehended) of worse miseries, the foretastes of an eternal damnation: it was a miracle of providence to preserve my life, it was no less wonder of free grace to save my soul.

The depth closed me round about; he was carried to the bottom of the sea, lay as in the deepest hole of the sea.

The weeds were wrapped about my head; not immediately, as some conjecture, by the fish pulling them from the bottom of the sea and swallowing them down, where they wrapped Jonahs head; but mediately, when the fish swam amidst these: or rather it is a comparative speech; I was no more likely to escape drowning, than a man in the depth of the sea, wrapped up in, and held fast down by, the weeds in the bottom of the sea.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

5. even to the soulthat is,threatening to extinguish the animal life.

weedsHe felt as if theseaweeds through which he was dragged were wrapped about his head.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

The waters compassed me about, [even] to the soul,…. Either when he was first cast into the sea, which almost suffocated him, and just ready to take away his life, could not breathe for them, as is the case of a man drowning; or these were the waters the fish drew into its belly, in such large quantities, that they compassed him about, even to the endangering of his life there. So the Targum,

“the waters surrounded me unto death.”

In this Jonah was a type of Christ in his afflictions and sorrows, which were so many and heavy, that he is said to be “exceeding sorrowful”, or surrounded with sorrow, “even unto death”, Mt 26:38; see also Ps 69:1;

the depth closed me round about; the great deep, the waters of the sea, both when he fell into it, and while in the belly of the fish: thus also Christ his antitype came into deep waters, where there was no standing, and where floods of sin, and of ungodly men, and of divine wrath, overflowed him; see Ps 18:4;

the weeds were wrapped about my head; the sea weeds, of which there are great quantities in it, which grow at the bottom of it, to which Jonah came, and from whence he rose up again, before swallowed by the fish; or these weeds were drawn into the belly of the fish, along with the water which it took in, and were wrapped about the head of the prophet as he lay there; or the fish went down with him into the bottom of the sea, and lay among those weeds; and so they may be said to be wrapped about him, he being there, as follows. The Targum is,

“the sea of Suph being over my head;”

the same with the Red sea, which is so called, Ps 106:9; and elsewhere, and that from the weeds that were in it; and R. Japhet, as Aben Ezra observes, says the sea of Suph is mixed with the sea of Joppa; that is, as a learned man e observes, by means of the river Rhinocorura, through which the lake of Sirbon mingles with the great sea; and which lake itself is so called from the weeds in it; yea, was anciently called Suph, and the sea of Suph, or “mare Scirpeum”, hence Sirbon: and the same writer thinks that the father of Andromede, said to be devoured by a whale about Joppa, had his name of Cepheus from hence.

e Texelius, Phoenix, l. 3. c. 6. p. 242, 243, 244, 228, 229.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

5 Waters surrounded me even to the soul: the flood encompassed me,

Sea-grass was wound round my head.

6 I went down to the foundations of the mountains;

The earth, its bolts were behind me for ever:

Then raisedst Thou my life out of the pit, O Jehovah my God.

7 When my soul fainted within me, I thought of Jehovah;

And my prayer came to Thee into Thy holy temple.

This strophe opens, like the last, with a description of the peril of death, to set forth still more perfectly the thought of miraculous deliverance which filled the prophet’s mind. The first clause of the fifth verse recals to mind Psa 18:5 and Psa 69:2; the words “the waters pressed ( ) even to the soul” (Psa 69:2) being simply strengthened by after Psa 18:5. The waters of the sea girt him round about, reaching even to the soul, so that it appeared to be all over with his life. T e hom , the unfathomable flood of the ocean, surrounded him. Suph , sedge, i.e., sea-grass, which grows at the bottom of the sea, was bound about his head; so that he had sunk to the very bottom. This thought is expressed still more distinctly in Psa 18:6. , “the ends of the mountains” (from qatsabh , to cut off, that which is cut off, then the place where anything is cut off), are their foundations and roots, which lie in the depths of the earth, reaching even to the foundation of the sea (cf. Psa 18:16). When he sank into the deep, the earth shut its bolts behind him ( is placed at the head absolutely). The figure of bolts of the earth that were shut behind Jonah, which we only meet with here ( from the phrase , to shut the door behind a person: Gen 7:16; 2Ki 4:4-5, 2Ki 4:33; Isa 26:20), has an analogy in the idea which occurs in Job 38:10, of bolts and doors of the ocean. The bolts of the sea are the walls of the sea-basin, which set bounds to the sea, that it cannot pass over. Consequently the bolts of the earth can only be such barriers as restrain the land from spreading over the sea. These barriers are the weight and force of the waves, which prevent the land from encroaching on the sea. This weight of the waves, or of the great masses of water, which pressed upon Jonah when he had sunk to the bottom of the sea, shut or bolted against him the way back to the earth (the land), just as the bolts that are drawn before the door of a house fasten up the entrance into it; so that the reference is neither to “the rocks jutting out above the water, which prevented any one from ascending from the sea to the land,” nor “densissima terrae compages, qua abyssus tecta Jonam in hac constitutum occludebat” (Marck). Out of this grave the Lord “brought up his life.” Shachath is rendered , corruptio , by the early translators (lxx, Chald., Syr., Vulg.); and this rendering, which many of the more modern translators entirely reject, is unquestionably the correct one in Job 17:14, where the meaning “pit” is quite unsuitable. But it is by no means warranted in the present instance. The similarity of thought to Psa 30:4 points rather to the meaning pit = cavern or grave, as in Psa 30:10, where shachath is used interchangeably with and in Jon 2:4 as being perfectly synonymous. Jon 2:7 is formed after Psa 142:4 or Psa 143:4, except that is used instead of , because Jonah is not speaking of the covering of the spirit with faintness, but of the plunging of the life into night and the darkness of death by drowning in the water. , lit., to veil or cover one’s self, hence to sink into night and faintness, to pine away. , upon or in me, inasmuch as the I, as a person, embraces the soul or life (cf. Psa 42:5). When his soul was about to sink into the night of death, he thought of Jehovah in prayer, and his prayer reached to God in His holy temple, where Jehovah is enthroned as God and King of His people (Psa 18:7; Psa 88:3).

But when prayer reaches to God, then He helps and also saves. This awakens confidence in the Lord, and impels to praise and thanksgiving. These thoughts form the last strophe, with which the Psalm of thanksgiving is appropriately closed.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Here in many words Jonah relates how many things had happened to him, which were calculated to overwhelm his mind with terror and to drive him far from God, and to take away every desire for prayer. But we must ever bear in mind what we have already stated, — that he had to do with God: and this ought to be well considered by us. The case was the same with David, when he says in Psa 39:9, ‘Thou hast yet done it;’ for, after having complained of his enemies, he turned his mind to God: “What then do I? what do I gain by these complaints? for men alone do not vex me; thou, God, he says, hast done this.” So it was with Jonah; he ever set before him the wrath of God, for he knew that such a calamity had not happened to him but on account of his sins.

He therefore says that he was by waters beset, and then, that he was surrounded by the deep; but at length he adds, that God made his life to ascend, etc. All these circumstances tend to show that Jonah could not have raised up his mind to God except through an extraordinary miracle, as his life was in so many ways oppressed. When he says that he was beset with waters even to the soul, I understand it to have been to the peril of his life; for other explanations seem frigid and strained. And the Hebrews says that to be pressed to the soul, is to be in danger of one’s life; as the Latins, meaning the same thing, say that the heart, or the inside, or the bowels, are wounded. So also in this place the same thing is meant, ‘The waters beset me even to the soul,’ and then, ‘the abyss surrounds me.’ Some render סוף, suph, sedge; others sea-weed; others bulrush: but the sense amounts to the same thing. No doubt סוף, suph, is a species of sedge; and some think that the Red Sea was thus called, because it is full of sedges or bulrushes. They think also that bulrushes are thus called, because they soon putrefy. But what Jonah means is certain and that is, that weed enveloped his head, or that weed grew around his head: but to refer this to the head of the fish, as some do, is improper: Jonah speaks metaphorically when he says that he was entangled in the sedge, inasmuch as there is no hope when any one is rolled in the sedge at the bottom of the sea. How, indeed, can he escape from drowning who is thus held, as it were, tied up? It is then to be understood metaphorically; for Jonah meant that he was so sunk that he could not swim, except through the ineffable power of God.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

CRITICAL NOTES.

Jon. 2:5] This strophe opens like the first, sets forth the peril of death, and describes the thought of miraculous deliverance. Surrounded] Pressed even to the soul (Psa. 69:2; Psa. 18:5). Weeds] Sea-weeds, vast quantities of which were found in the Mediterranean, were bound about his head like a grave band. A peril even to the strong swimmer, entangling him the more he struggles to extricate himself. But to one below, powerless to struggle, it was as his winding-sheet [Pusey].

Jon. 2:6. Bottoms] Cuttings off, ends or extremities, hence foundations (cf. Psa. 18:7-15). It seemed as if the earth itself formed the vault, the living coffin into which he was shut up (Deu. 3:5; Job. 38:10). The bolts of the sea are the walls of the sea-basin, which set bounds to the sea that it cannot pass over [Keil]. Corruption] Lit. the pit (Isa. 38:17; Job. 17:4).

HOMILETICS

THE HORRIBLE PIT.Jon. 2:5-6

The prophet again enlarges on his terrible and apparently hopeless condition, reviews the awful deep from whence he was delivered, and admires the power of God in his salvation.

I. The depth of the pit. The poet or the painter can add nothing to the description here given of the prisoner in the deep. He was cast down into a dark, fearful dungeon, amid horrible gloom and rushing torrents. Forgotten of mankind; confined in anguish and hell. Sin always casts men into extremity and death.

II. The dangers of the pit. His peril was imminent. The terrors of the Almighty, the elements of nature, set themselves in array against him.

1. He was encompassed by waters. Excluded from the atmosphere and light on the surface, he felt almost suffocated beneath the waves. His very soul was submerged, and pressed by the floods so that life was almost extinct. Encompassed me even to the soul.

2. He was barred by the earth. He was carried to the base of the rocks, the roots of the mountains, whose summits overtopped the waves.

3. He was enclosed in the deep. The deep closed me in. He could sink no lower, and it was impossible to rise higher. He was confined on all sides. Earth and sea formed the vault within which he was for ever shut.

4. He was wrapped round with sea-weeds. The alga or weed was bound about his head, and made it like a state of death or living corruption. As the monster within which he was caverned glided through the vast submarine forests, they seemed to enclose him in their green and slippery coverts, or portions of sea-weed, swallowed by the fish, wrapped itself around him.

III. The deliverance from the pit. Thou hast brought up my life. His rescue was like a resurrection of the body, and displayed the grace and power of Jehovah. God delivered him from sufferings described and recorded when he was on dry land. His soul also was recovered to true penitence, and the light of Gods countenance. He could now say, O Lord, my God. A sweet renewed sense of pardoning love is often the pleasant shore on which we step out of the deep mire of our sorrowful troubles.

IV. The gratitude to the deliverer. It is a good thing to give thanks to God for blessings received. It is common with God to deliver when nobody else can. Every mercy is the expression of a thought, the manifestation of a purpose. Gods mercies are innumerable, and must be publicly acknowledged to quicken our own hearts and those of others (Isa. 38:17). He brought me up also out of an horrible pit out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (Psa. 40:2-3).

HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES

Jon. 2:5. Trials like water. Deep, heavy, and overwhelming. It is sad to be perfectly sensible of your situation, yet not able to do anything for relief; to struggle, and become more fettered by the effort.

The deliverance.

1. This deliverance was, humanly speaking, most unlikely.

2. It was highly benevolent. Brought up my life. It was a treasure beyond all price that was restored to the prophet.

3. It was Divinely wrought. Yet hast thou.

4. It was recognized and appreciated by Jonah. O Lord, my God. These words are full of meaning, and express the faith and joy of the Prophet [Exell].

Jon. 2:5-6. Bringing up and preservation. Two great blessings traced to the hand of God, and prompting to gratitude on account of the evils described.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

(5) The waters.See reference in margin.

The weeds were wrapped about my head.This graphic touch is quite original. The figure of overwhelming waters is a common one in Hebrew song to represent some crushing sorrow, but nowhere is the picture so vivid as here. At the same time the entire absence of any reference to the fish, which would, indeed, be altogether out of place in this picture of a drowning man entangled in seaweed, should be noticed. That on which the prophet lays stress is not on the mode of his escape, but his escape itself.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

“The waters compassed me about,

Even to the soul,

The deep was round about me,

The weeds were wrapped about my head.”

But his awful experience had gone on. (God does not always step in immediately until we have learned our lesson). He had felt as though the waters had entered into his very soul. The depths of the sea had been all around him, and he had felt weeds wrapping round his head. He had known that he was drowning, which was of course what he had anticipated. Rescue had been far from his mind.

For the whole idea compare Psa 69:1-2. Save Me, O God, for the waters are come into my soul, — I am come into deep waters where the floods overflow me’. But in the case of Jonah the experience had been a literal one.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Jon 2:5. The waters compassed me, &c. Jonah, as we have before observed, speaks this in the bowels of the fish; therefore they seem to mistake the matter, who say that Jonah speaks this in the midst of the sea, before he was swallowed by the fish. The fish swallowed up Jonah, when first he fell to the bottom of the sea, involved with sea-weed, into which he fell. Houbigant. But why may not this (as well as the following verse, which must necessarily be so) be understood figuratively and poetically, describing his situation in the deep, when in the belly of the fish?

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Jon 2:5 The waters compassed me about, [even] to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

Ver. 5. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul ] That is, usque ad animae deliquium, till I laboured for life, and was as good as gone.

The depth closed me round about ] See Trapp on “ Jon 2:3 “ and further observe, that God’s dear children may fall into desperate and deadly dangers, see Psa 18:3 ; Psa 88:3 ; Psa 116:3 . And this for, 1. Prevention, 2. Purgation, 3. Probation, 4. Preparations to further both mercies and duties. Let us not therefore censure ourselves or others as hated of God, because greatly distressed; but encourage ourselves in them, as did David at Ziklag, 1Sa 30:6 . The right hand of the Lord shall change all this.

“ Flebile principium melior fortuna sequetur. ”

The weeds were wrapped about mine head ] Alga as Alligando. The weeds which the fish had devoured, or whereunto the fish, wherein I was, had dived and lain down among them. Or this might befall Jonah in the bottom of the sea, before the fish had swallowed him; for weeds easily wrap about those that swim, or are drowned.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

waters. Compare Psa 69:1.

soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.

depth = an abyss.

weeds = floating sea-weeds.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Psa 40:2, Psa 69:1, Psa 69:2, Lam 3:54

Reciprocal: Psa 18:16 – many waters Jer 18:8 – that nation

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jon 2:5. The original word for soul generally means any living and breathing creature. Jonah means he felt that his entire being was overwhelmed by the water. He not only was a prisoner on the inside of the fish, but that was a water creature and it was in its natural element which was not a suitable place for man. Weeds is from cuwrH which Strong defines, A reed, especially the papyrus. It is the word for flags in Exo 2:3, and hence refers to the reedy plants growing in the water. Doubtless when Jonah was cast overboard he first felt these reeds about him as he sank beneath the water and the impression was still with him for a time.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Jonah sensed his hopelessness as he continued his downward plunge into the deep. He seemed to be in death’s grip rather than God’s. Seaweeds (Heb. suph, reeds) bound his head as the water encased his body (cf. Psa 69:1-2).

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)