For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me.
Parallel translations
- WEB For you threw me into the depths, in the heart of the seas. The flood was all around me. All your waves and your billows passed over me.
- KJV For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
- NKJV For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.
- NASB “For You threw me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current flowed around me. All Your breakers and waves passed over me.
- NLT You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves.
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
Jonah recognizes that God Himself cast him into the deep waters. It matters because he sees God's sovereign hand even in his judgment, not merely the sailors' action.
Overview
Though the sailors threw him overboard, Jonah confesses, 'You threw me into the depths,' acknowledging God as the ultimate author of his ordeal. The overwhelming waves and billows picture both the literal sea and the weight of divine chastisement. Recognizing God's hand in his suffering is the beginning of Jonah's turning back, for he submits to the One who disciplines him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 42:7Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me.
- Lam 3:54The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
- Ps 69:1–2For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck.
- Ps 69:14–15Rescue me from the mire and do not let me sink; deliver me from my foes and out of the deep waters.
- Ps 88:5–8I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.
- Jonah 1:12–16“Pick me up,” he answered, “and cast me into the sea, so it may quiet down for you. For I know that I am to blame for this violent storm that has come upon you.”
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 2:3 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.