◄ Jonah 2:9 ►
But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!"
Study Bible
But I
This phrase marks a pivotal transition in Jonah's prayer. The Hebrew word for "I" is "אָנֹכִי" (anokhi), emphasizing Jonah's personal commitment and responsibility. It signifies a shift from his previous despair to a declaration of faith and intention. In the context of the narrative, Jonah is acknowledging his own role and agency in the situation, setting the stage for his vow to God.

with the voice of thanksgiving
The Hebrew word for "thanksgiving" is "תּוֹדָה" (todah), which implies a confession of praise and gratitude. This phrase indicates Jonah's recognition of God's mercy and deliverance, even before it has fully manifested. Historically, thanksgiving was an integral part of Hebrew worship, often associated with sacrifices and offerings. Jonah's use of "voice" suggests a verbal, public declaration, underscoring the importance of expressing gratitude to God openly.

will sacrifice to You
The act of sacrifice in the Hebrew context, "זָבַח" (zabach), was a central element of worship, symbolizing atonement, dedication, and thanksgiving. Jonah's vow to sacrifice reflects a return to covenantal faithfulness and a desire to honor God with tangible acts of worship. This commitment is significant, given Jonah's previous disobedience, and highlights the transformative power of repentance and divine grace.

I will fulfill
The Hebrew root "שָׁלַם" (shalam) means to complete or make whole. Jonah's promise to fulfill his vows indicates a resolve to restore his relationship with God and adhere to his prophetic calling. This phrase underscores the importance of integrity and faithfulness in one's spiritual journey, as well as the necessity of following through on commitments made to God.

what I have vowed
Vows, or "נֶדֶר" (neder) in Hebrew, were solemn promises made to God, often in times of distress, with the expectation of divine intervention. Jonah's reference to his vows suggests a prior commitment to God, possibly related to his prophetic mission. By reaffirming his vows, Jonah acknowledges his dependence on God and his willingness to submit to God's will, a crucial step in his spiritual renewal.

Salvation belongs to the LORD!
This powerful declaration, "יְשׁוּעָה לַיהוָה" (yeshuah laYHWH), encapsulates the central theme of the Book of Jonah: God's sovereignty and mercy in delivering His people. The term "salvation" implies deliverance, rescue, and victory, all of which are attributed solely to the LORD. This statement serves as a theological affirmation of God's ultimate authority and grace, reminding readers that true salvation is found only in Him. Historically, this proclamation would resonate deeply with the Israelites, reinforcing their understanding of God as their Redeemer and Protector.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jonah
A prophet of God who initially fled from God's command to go to Nineveh, resulting in 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 LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His sovereignty and mercy, especially in the context of salvation.

4. Nineveh
The city to which Jonah was originally commanded to go and preach repentance.

5. The Sea
Represents the chaos and danger from which Jonah is delivered, symbolizing God's control over creation.
Teaching Points
Thanksgiving in Trials
Jonah's prayer from the belly of the fish teaches us to maintain a heart of gratitude even in dire circumstances. Thanksgiving shifts our focus from our problems to God's provision.

The Importance of Vows
Jonah's commitment to fulfill his vows reminds us of the seriousness of our promises to God. We should be faithful in our commitments, recognizing them as acts of worship.

Salvation is God's Sovereign Work
Jonah acknowledges that salvation belongs to the LORD, emphasizing that it is God who initiates and completes the work of salvation. This should humble us and lead us to trust in His power and grace.

Repentance and Obedience
Jonah's experience underscores the necessity of repentance and obedience to God's call. Our disobedience can lead to difficult circumstances, but God is merciful and provides opportunities for repentance.

God's Mercy Extends to All
Jonah's eventual mission to Nineveh highlights God's desire for all people to come to repentance, reminding us of our call to share the gospel with others.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jonah's expression of thanksgiving in Jonah 2:9 challenge your current attitude towards difficult situations in your life?

2. In what ways can you fulfill your vows or commitments to God, and how does this reflect your relationship with Him?

3. How does the acknowledgment that "salvation belongs to the LORD" influence your understanding of God's role in your life and the lives of others?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's mercy despite your disobedience. How can this experience motivate you to share God's message with others?

5. How can the account of Jonah and his eventual obedience to God's call encourage you to step out in faith and share the gospel with those around you?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 3:8
This verse echoes the theme that salvation belongs to the LORD, reinforcing the idea of God's sovereignty in delivering His people.

Romans 10:13
Connects to the theme of calling upon the name of the Lord for salvation, highlighting the universality of God's saving grace.

Hebrews 13:15
Relates to offering a sacrifice of praise, similar to Jonah's vow of thanksgiving.

Psalm 50:14
Discusses offering thanksgiving to God and fulfilling vows, paralleling Jonah's commitment.

Matthew 12:40
Jesus references Jonah's time in the fish as a sign, connecting Jonah's experience to Christ's death and resurrection.
Sermons
A Forgotten VowJ. Hamilton.Jonah 2:9
Jonah's Praise of GodD. Wilson.Jonah 2:9
Salvation is of GodJonah 2:9
Salvation is of the LordJohn D. Lawe, M. A.Jonah 2:9
Salvation is of the LordJames Stewart.Jonah 2:9
Salvation of the LordCharles Haddon Spurgeon Jonah 2:9
ThankfulnessG.T. Coster Jonah 2:9
The Christian's Rejoicing and GloryR. Shittler.Jonah 2:9
What is Salvation?R. F. Horton, D. D.Jonah 2:9
In the Deep and Mighty WatersS. S. ChronicleJonah 2:1-9
Jonah in the SeaS. C. Burn.Jonah 2:1-9
Jonah the Penitent SuppliantJ. O. Keen, D. D.Jonah 2:1-9
Jonah's PrayerA. Raleigh, D. D.Jonah 2:1-9
More of Thanksgiving Beneath the WatersChristian HeraldJonah 2:1-9
The Conflict Between Despair and FaithGeorge Hutcheson.Jonah 2:1-9
The Conflict of Faith and SenseHugh Martin, M. A.Jonah 2:1-9
The Imprisonment of JonahJames Clyde.Jonah 2:1-9
The Prayer of JonahThomas Bissland, M. A.Jonah 2:1-9
The Prophet's PrayerJohn Broad.Jonah 2:1-9
The Return to GodT. T. Carter.Jonah 2:1-9
Triumph, ThanksgivingW.G. Blaikie Jonah 2:2-10
Deliverance Waiting on the Assured Hope of itJ.E. Henry Jonah 2:5-10
People
Jonah
Places
Joppa
Topics
Belongs, Complete, Deliverance, Effect, Lord's, Oaths, Offering, Pay, Praise, Sacrifice, Salvation, Thanksgiving, Voice, Vowed
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jonah 2:9

     5741   vows
     6634   deliverance
     7963   song
     8251   faithfulness, to God
     8676   thanksgiving

Jonah 2:1-9

     8609   prayer, as praise and thanksgiving

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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