Jonah 2:10 Study Bible: The LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.

◄ Jonah 2:10 ►

And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

And the LORD commanded the fish
This phrase highlights the sovereignty of God over creation. The LORD's command to the fish demonstrates His authority over all creatures, emphasizing His control over nature. This aligns with other biblical instances where God commands animals, such as the ravens feeding Elijah (1 Kings 17:4-6). The use of "commanded" indicates God's direct intervention and power, reinforcing the theme of divine providence throughout the book of Jonah.

and it vomited Jonah
The act of the fish vomiting Jonah is both literal and symbolic. It signifies Jonah's deliverance from a situation of death and despair, akin to a resurrection. This event prefigures Christ's resurrection, as Jesus Himself refers to Jonah's three days in the fish as a sign of His own death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40). The term "vomited" suggests an involuntary action, indicating that the fish was compelled by God's command, further underscoring God's control over the situation.

onto dry land
The mention of "dry land" signifies a place of safety and new beginnings for Jonah. It contrasts with the chaos of the sea, which often symbolizes danger and judgment in biblical literature. This transition from sea to land marks a turning point in Jonah's mission, as he is given a second chance to fulfill God's command to go to Nineveh. The geographical context suggests that Jonah was likely deposited on the eastern Mediterranean coast, possibly near Joppa, where he initially fled from God's presence. This return to land also symbolizes a return to God's purpose and plan for Jonah's life.

Persons / Places / Events

1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The sovereign God who commands all creation, demonstrating His authority over nature and His mercy towards Jonah.

2. Jonah
A prophet of God who initially fled from God's command but was given a second chance after being swallowed by a great fish.

3. The Fish
A divinely appointed creature used by God to save Jonah from drowning and to transport him back to dry land.

4. Dry Land
The place where Jonah is delivered, symbolizing a new beginning and the opportunity to fulfill God's mission.

Teaching Points

God's Sovereignty
God is in control of all creation, and His plans cannot be thwarted. We can trust in His power and authority in our lives.

Second Chances
Just as Jonah was given a second chance, God offers us opportunities to repent and return to His path. We should embrace these moments with gratitude and obedience.

Divine Deliverance
God's deliverance often comes in unexpected ways. We should remain open to His methods and trust in His timing.

Obedience and Mission
Jonah's deliverance onto dry land was a call to action. We must be ready to act on God's instructions and fulfill our mission.

Repentance and Renewal
Jonah's experience in the fish was a time of reflection and repentance. We should use our trials as opportunities for spiritual renewal and growth.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does Jonah's experience in the fish illustrate God's sovereignty and control over creation?

2. In what ways does Jonah's account encourage us to embrace second chances in our own lives?

3. How can we recognize and respond to God's deliverance in unexpected situations?

4. What lessons can we learn from Jonah about obedience and fulfilling God's mission for us?

5. How can times of trial and reflection lead to spiritual renewal and a deeper relationship with God?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Genesis 1:1-2
The creation account highlights God's sovereignty over all creation, similar to His control over the fish in Jonah's account.

Matthew 12:40
Jesus references Jonah's three days in the fish as a foreshadowing of His own death and resurrection, emphasizing themes of deliverance and new beginnings.

Psalm 139:7-10
This passage speaks to God's omnipresence and His ability to reach us no matter where we are, much like He reached Jonah in the depths of the sea.

Sermons

Triumph, Thanksgiving	W.G. Blaikie	Jonah 2:2-10
Deliverance Waiting on the Assured Hope of it	J.E. Henry	Jonah 2:5-10

People

Jonah

Places

Joppa

Topics

Commanded, Dry, Fish, Jonah, Lord's, Mouth, Onto, Order, Spake, Spoke, Vomited, Vomiteth

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Jonah 2:10

     5602   vomit
     6738   rescue
     8404   commands, in OT
     9311   resurrection, of Christ

Library

Salvation of the Lord
By salvation here we do not merely understand the special salvation which Jonah received from death; for according to Dr. Gill, there is something so special in the original, in the word salvation having one more letter than it usually has, when it only refers to some temporary deliverance, that we can only understand it here as relating to the great work of the salvation of the soul which endureth for ever. That "salvation is of the Lord," I shall this morning try to show as best I can. First, I …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

The Fainting Soul Revived
WHEN man was first made, there was no fear of his forgetting God for it was his highest privilege and delight to have communion with his Maker. "The Lord God walked in the garden in the cool of the day," and Adam was privileged to hold fellowship with God, closer, perhaps, than even the angels had in heaven. But the spell of that sacred harmony was rudely broken by man's disobedience and his dreadful fall. Ever since our first parent tasted of the forbidden fruit, which brought death into our world, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916

The Soul.
Man as we behold him is not all there is of man. He is a wonderful being. He stands in the highest order of God's creation. He Is A Compound. Man was created a physical and spiritual organism. He possesses an animal and a spiritual life. Thus he is connected with two worlds. The physical creation is termed the "outward man," and the spiritual, the "inward man." "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." 2 Cor. 4:16. "For we know …
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

An Address to a Soul So Overwhelmed with a Sense of the Greatness of Its Sins, that it Dares not Apply Itself to Christ with Any
1-4. The case described at large.--5. As it frequently occurs.--6. Granting all that the dejected soul charges on itself.--7. The invitations and promises of Christ give hope.--8. The reader urged, under all his burdens and fears, to an humble application to him. Which is accordingly exemplified in the concluding Reflection and Prayer. 1. I have now done with those unhappy creatures who despise the Gospel, and with those who neglect it. With pleasure do I now turn myself to those who will hear me …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
"O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past finding out" (Rom. 11:33). "Salvation is of the LORD" (Jonah 2:9); but the Lord does not save all. Why not? He does save some; then if He saves some, why not others? Is it because they are too sinful and depraved? No; for the Apostle wrote, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (1 …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

Whether the Fire of Hell is Beneath the Earth?
Objection 1: It would seem that this fire is not beneath the earth. For it is said of the damned (Job 18:18), "And God shall remove him out of the globe [Douay: 'world']." Therefore the fire whereby the damned will be punished is not beneath the earth but outside the globe. Objection 2: Further, nothing violent or accidental can be everlasting. But this fire will be in hell for ever. Therefore it will be there, not by force but naturally. Now fire cannot be under the earth save by violence. Therefore …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Revelation of the Old Testament in Writing.
"Then I said, I will not speak any more in His Name. But His word was in my heart as a burning fire, shut up in my bones: and I was weary with forbearing, but I could not."--Jer. xx. 9. Altho the miracles performed for and in the midst of Israel created a glorious life-center in the midst of the heathen world, yet they did not constitute a Holy Scripture; for this can not be created except God speak to man, even to His people Israel. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

But Though Prayer is Properly Confined to Vows and Supplications...
But though prayer is properly confined to vows and supplications, yet so strong is the affinity between petition and thanksgiving, that both may be conveniently comprehended under one name. For the forms which Paul enumerates (1 Tim. 2:1) fall under the first member of this division. By prayer and supplication we pour out our desires before God, asking as well those things which tend to promote his glory and display his name, as the benefits which contribute to our advantage. By thanksgiving we duly …
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith

God's Sovereignty and Prayer
"If we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us" (1 John 5:14). Throughout this book it has been our chief aim to exalt the Creator and abase the creature. The well-nigh universal tendency now, is to magnify man and dishonour and degrade God. On every hand it will be found that, when spiritual things are under discussion, the human side and element is pressed and stressed, and the Divine side, if not altogether ignored, is relegated to the background. This holds true of very much of the …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

The Pilgrim's Progress
FROM THIS WORLD TO THAT WHICH IS TO COME. THE SECOND PART. DELIVERED UNDER THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM. WHEREIN IS SET FORTH THE MANNER OF THE SETTING OUT OF CHRISTIAN'S WIFE AND CHILDREN, THEIR DANGEROUS JOURNEY, AND SAFE ARRIVAL AT THE DESIRED COUNTRY. By JOHN BUNYAN. 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Nathaniel Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, near the Church, 1684. THE AUTHOR'S WAY OF SENDING FORTH HIS SECOND PART OF THE PILGRIM. Go now, my little book, to every …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Jonah
The book of Jonah is, in some ways, the greatest in the Old Testament: there is no other which so bravely claims the whole world for the love of God, or presents its noble lessons with so winning or subtle an art. Jonah, a Hebrew prophet, is divinely commanded to preach to Nineveh, the capital of the great Assyrian empire of his day. To escape the unwelcome task of preaching to a heathen people, he takes ship for the distant west, only to be overtaken by a storm, and thrown into the sea, when, by …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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