As with all psalms, there is a space where the poet realizes that things have changed. In this psalm there are two such gaps that move from death to life.
| Story | Vs | Story |
| וַיְמַן יְהוָה דָּג גָּדוֹל לִבְלֹעַ אֶת יוֹנָה וַיְהִי יוֹנָה בִּמְעֵי הַדָּג שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת | 2.1 | And יְהוָה appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah and it happened Jonah was in the innards of the fish three days and three nights |
| וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל יוֹנָה אֶל יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו מִמְּעֵי הַדָּגָה | 2.2 | and Jonah prayed to יְהוָה his God from the innards of the fish |
| וַיֹּאמֶר קָרָאתִי מִצָּרָה לִי אֶל יְהוָה וַיַּעֲנֵנִי מִבֶּטֶן שְׁאוֹל שִׁוַּעְתִּי שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹלִי | 2.3 | and he said I called out from my trouble to יְהוָה and he answered me from the belly of the grave I cried you heard my voice |
| וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי מְצוּלָה בִּלְבַב יַמִּים וְנָהָר יְסֹבְבֵנִי כָּל מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ וְגַלֶּיךָ עָלַי עָבָרוּ | 2.4 | and you cast me from the depth into the heart of the seas and torrent surrounded me All your breakers and your waves have passed over me |
| וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי נִגְרַשְׁתִּי מִנֶּגֶד עֵינֶיךָ אַךְ אוֹסִיף לְהַבִּיט אֶל הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ | 2.5 | and I, I said I am driven out from before your eyes surely I will again be attentive in your holy temple |
| אֲפָפוּנִי מַיִם עַד נֶפֶשׁ תְּהוֹם יְסֹבְבֵנִי סוּף חָבוּשׁ לְרֹאשִׁי | 2.6 | they enveloped me waters - ever - self abyss surrounding me reed wrapped round my head |
| לְקִצְבֵי הָרִים יָרַדְתִּי הָאָרֶץ בְּרִחֶיהָ בַעֲדִי לְעוֹלָם וַתַּעַל מִשַּׁחַת חַיַּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהָי | 2.7 | of the roots of the hills I descended the earth with her bars about me forever but you brought up my life from destruction יְהוָה my God |
| בְּהִתְעַטֵּף עָלַי נַפְשִׁי אֶת יְהוָה זָכָרְתִּי וַתָּבוֹא אֵלֶיךָ תְּפִלָּתִי אֶל הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ | 2.8 | when I in myself was disabled I remembered יְהוָה and my prayer came to you in your holy temple |
| מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ | 2.9 | those who keep futile emptiness abandon their kindness |
| וַאֲנִי בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה אֶזְבְּחָה לָּךְ אֲשֶׁר נָדַרְתִּי אֲשַׁלֵּמָה יְשׁוּעָתָה לַיהוָה ס | 2.10 | so I in a voice of thanksgiving will offer you what I have vowed to recompense salvation ה to יְהוָה belongs ס |
| וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה לַדָּג וַיָּקֵא אֶת יוֹנָה אֶל הַיַּבָּשָׁה פ | 2.11 | and יְהוָה spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah onto the dry land פ |
Other notes: Verse 2:4b is exactly psalm 42:8b. Verse 2:9 does not appear to participate in the recurrence pattern. It seems on my meagre inspection that there is a more dense recurrence pattern in prose than in poetry. The middle of verse 6 is what the keyword structure surrounds: abyss surrounding me, reed wrapped round my head. I used reed because it reminded me of the Exodus. Maybe that's too great a stretch.
[kindness - I had originally: covenant-merciful-kindness - too long]
Keywords for chapter 2 in relative order
| Word | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 2 | Stem | Vs | ||||||||||||||||||||
דג a fish | ░ | דג | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
יונה Jonah | ░ | יונה | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
יונה Jonah | ░ | יונה | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
במעי was in the innards of | ░ | מעה | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
הדג the fish | ░ | דג | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
שׁלשׁה three | ░ | שׁלושׁ | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ושׁלשׁה and three | ░ | שׁלושׁ | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ויתפלל and prayed | ░ | פלל | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
יונה Jonah | ░ | יונה | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ממעי from the innards of | ░ | מעה | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
הדגה the fish | ░ | דג | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ויאמר and he said | ░ | אמר | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
קולי my voice | קול | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
יסבבני surrounded me | ░ | סבב | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ואני and I | ░ | אני | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
אמרתי I said | ░ | אמר | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
היכל temple | ░ | היכל | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
קדשׁך your holy | ░ | קדשׁ | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
נפשׁ self | ░ | נפשׁ | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
יסבבני surrounding me | ░ | סבב | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
נפשׁי I | ░ | נפשׁ | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
תפלתי my prayer | ░ | פלל | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
היכל temple | ░ | היכל | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
קדשׁך your holy | ░ | קדשׁ | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ואני so I | ░ | אני | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
בקול in a voice of | קול | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ויאמר and spoke | ░ | אמר | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
לדג to the fish | ░ | דג | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
יונה Jonah | ░ | יונה | 11 |
Bob,
ReplyDeleteWould you see Jonah's prayer as the prayer of a dead man and then God brings him back to life?
I am reminded of much New Testament teaching when I read Hebrew poetry - particularly Romans 8:12 on putting to death the deeds of the body and John 3 on being born of the Spirit. The death to life pattern is evident in the psalms e.g. 3:6 and 139:18 - when I awake I am still with you. The sign of Jonah is a sign of the harrowing of Hell from one whose prayer is heard even from the grave (which is in this chapter the word, Sheol). This is the pattern that Jesus said Nicodemus as a teacher in Israel should have known - it is all over the teaching of the OT - e.g. again Job's children. This is the pattern that believers in Jesus need to exercise in the Spirit in order to enable their growth in life now as Paul teaches in Romans 8. Jonah gets his invitation into this pattern in chapter 4.
ReplyDeleteThe results of such engagement in faith are astounding. They go far beyond the practice of credulity such as reading Jonah (or Job) as if they have to be 'historical'. Verse 9 above would fit this lesson.