And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.
- KJV And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
- NKJV So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
- NASB Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.
- NLT Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
At God's command the fish vomits Jonah onto dry land. It matters because God, having heard his prayer, completes his deliverance and gives him a fresh start.
Overview
The fish obeys the Lord's word instantly, again showing creation serving its Maker. Jonah is returned to 'dry land,' the very realm he confessed God had made (1:9), and given a second opportunity to obey. This deliverance, like a man emerging alive after three days, stands as the sign of Jonah that Jesus applied to His own resurrection.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 8:26–27“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.
- Ps 33:9For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.
- Gen 1:3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
- Matt 8:8–9The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
- Isa 50:2Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
- Jonah 1:17Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.
- Gen 1:7So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so.
- Gen 1:11Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so.
- Ps 105:31He spoke, and insects swarmed—gnats throughout their country.
- Ps 105:34He spoke, and the locusts came—young locusts without number.
- Gen 1:14And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.
- Gen 1:9And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Three days in the belly of the fish is the sign Jesus gave of his own death and resurrection (Matt 12:40); and God's mercy on pagan Nineveh foreshadows the gospel going to the nations.
How Jonah 2:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.