Jonah 2:4 Study Bible: I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.'

◄ Jonah 2:4 ►

At this, I said, 'I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.'

At this, I said,
This phrase indicates a moment of realization or a turning point for Jonah. It reflects a personal and introspective moment, suggesting a shift in Jonah's attitude and understanding of his situation. This is a common theme in biblical narratives where individuals come to a moment of self-awareness or repentance.

‘I have been banished from Your sight;
Jonah acknowledges his separation from God, which is a consequence of his disobedience. This reflects the broader biblical theme of exile as a result of sin, seen in the expulsion from Eden (Genesis 3) and the Babylonian exile (2 Kings 25). The feeling of being "banished" underscores the seriousness of disobedience and the resulting alienation from God.

yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.’
Despite feeling banished, Jonah expresses hope and determination to turn back to God. The "holy temple" refers to the temple in Jerusalem, which was the center of Jewish worship and the dwelling place of God's presence (1 Kings 8:29-30). This reflects a deep-seated belief in the mercy and forgiveness of God, as well as the importance of the temple as a place of reconciliation and worship. It also prefigures the New Testament understanding of Jesus as the ultimate temple (John 2:19-21), where believers find reconciliation with God.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jonah
A prophet of God who was called to deliver a message of repentance to the city of Nineveh. His initial disobedience led to his being swallowed by a great fish.

2. The Great Fish
The creature appointed by God to swallow Jonah, providing him a place of reflection and repentance.

3. The Holy Temple
Refers to the temple in Jerusalem, symbolizing God's presence and a place of worship and hope for Jonah even in his distress.

4. The Sea
Represents the chaos and separation from God that Jonah experiences due to his disobedience.

5. God
The sovereign Lord who orchestrates events to bring Jonah to repentance and ultimately fulfill His divine plan.

Teaching Points

Repentance and Hope
Jonah's acknowledgment of being "banished" reflects a moment of repentance. Despite feeling distant from God, he expresses hope by turning his thoughts toward the holy temple. This teaches us that no matter how far we feel from God, repentance and hope in His mercy are always possible.

God's Presence in Distress
Jonah's situation in the belly of the fish symbolizes being in the depths of despair. Yet, his decision to look toward the temple signifies faith in God's presence even in the darkest times. We are reminded that God's presence is not limited by our circumstances.

The Power of Prayer
Jonah's prayer from within the fish demonstrates the power of prayer in any situation. It encourages believers to pray earnestly, trusting that God hears and responds to our cries for help.

Divine Discipline and Restoration
Jonah's experience shows that God's discipline is meant to restore and redirect us to His purposes. It is a reminder that God's plans are for our ultimate good, even when they involve correction.

Faith in God's Sovereignty
Jonah's account underscores the importance of trusting in God's sovereignty. Despite Jonah's initial disobedience, God's plan prevails, teaching us to trust in His ultimate control over our lives.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does Jonah's experience in the belly of the fish illustrate the concept of divine discipline and restoration in your own life?

2. In what ways can you relate to Jonah's feeling of being "banished" from God's sight, and how can you apply his response of looking toward the holy temple in your current circumstances?

3. Reflect on a time when you felt distant from God. How did prayer play a role in your journey back to Him, similar to Jonah's prayer from the depths?

4. How does the account of Jonah encourage you to trust in God's sovereignty, even when His plans differ from your own desires or expectations?

5. Consider the connection between Jonah 2:4 and Solomon's prayer in 1 Kings 8:38-39. How does this reinforce the importance of turning to God in times of distress, and how can you apply this principle in your daily life?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Psalm 31:22
This verse echoes Jonah's feeling of being cut off from God's sight, yet it also reflects a trust in God's deliverance.

1 Kings 8:38-39
Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple, where he asks God to hear the prayers of those who turn toward the temple in times of distress, connects to Jonah's hope in looking toward the holy temple.

Lamentations 3:54-56
The writer's cry from the depths and hope in God's hearing mirrors Jonah's situation and his turning back to God.

Sermons

The Backslider's Vow	Joseph B. Owen, M. A.	Jonah 2:4
A Unique Oratory	J.E. Henry	Jonah 2:1-4
De Profundis: Distress and Prayer	W.G. Blaikie	Jonah 2:1-7
In the Deep and Mighty Waters	S. S. Chronicle	Jonah 2:1-9
Jonah in the Sea	S. C. Burn.	Jonah 2:1-9
Jonah the Penitent Suppliant	J. O. Keen, D. D.	Jonah 2:1-9
Jonah's Prayer	A. Raleigh, D. D.	Jonah 2:1-9
More of Thanksgiving Beneath the Waters	Christian Herald	Jonah 2:1-9
The Conflict Between Despair and Faith	George Hutcheson.	Jonah 2:1-9
The Conflict of Faith and Sense	Hugh Martin, M. A.	Jonah 2:1-9
The Imprisonment of Jonah	James Clyde.	Jonah 2:1-9
The Prayer of Jonah	Thomas Bissland, M. A.	Jonah 2:1-9
The Prophet's Prayer	John Broad.	Jonah 2:1-9
The Return to God	T. T. Carter.	Jonah 2:1-9
Triumph, Thanksgiving	W.G. Blaikie	Jonah 2:2-10

People

Jonah

Places

Joppa

Topics

Add, Banished, Cast, Expelled, Holy, Nevertheless, Presence, Sight, Temple, Towards, Yet

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Jonah 2:4

1065 God, holiness of
6112 banishment

Jonah 2:1-9

8609 prayer, as praise and thanksgiving

Jonah 2:2-7

5300 drowning

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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