Jonah 2:5 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jonah 2:5 kjv
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.
Jonah 2:5 nkjv
The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head.
Jonah 2:5 niv
The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
Jonah 2:5 esv
The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head
Jonah 2:5 nlt
"I sank beneath the waves,
and the waters closed over me.
Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
Jonah 2 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 18:4 | The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. | Overwhelmed by death/trouble |
| Ps 42:7 | Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have swept over me. | Deep waters of trouble |
| Ps 69:1 | Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. | Near-drowning |
| Ps 69:2 | I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold; I have come into the deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. | Sinking in deep waters |
| Ps 88:7 | Your wrath lies heavy upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. | God's wrath, overwhelming |
| Ps 124:4 | then the flood would have engulfed us, the torrents swept over us; | Engulfed by flood |
| Ps 124:5 | then the raging waters would have swept us away. | Swept away by waters |
| Lam 3:54 | The waters closed over my head, and I said, “I am going to die!” | Waters closing, death |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. | God's power over death |
| Ps 30:3 | You brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. | Brought up from the pit |
| Ps 31:4 | Keep me free from the trap that has been set for me, for you are my refuge. | Trapped, seeking refuge |
| Ps 40:2 | He lifted me out of the miry pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. | Lifted from pit/mud |
| Ps 71:20 | Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. | Troubles and depths |
| Job 7:16 | I despise my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath. | Despair of life |
| Prov 13:14 | The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. | Snares of death |
| Heb 2:14 | Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— | Overcoming power of death |
| 1 Pet 3:19 | after being made alive, he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, | Christ's descent/resurrection |
| Acts 2:24 | But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. | God freeing from death |
| Matt 12:40 | For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. | Jonah a type of Christ's death |
| Ps 130:1 | Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD; | Crying from the depths |
| Rev 1:18 | I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. | Christ's victory over death |
| Isa 43:2 | When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. | God's presence in waters |
Jonah 2 verses
Jonah 2 5 meaning
Jonah 2:5 describes Jonah's extreme and desperate situation inside the great fish, reliving his near-death experience in the ocean. The verse vividly portrays his feeling of being utterly engulfed and overcome by the sea, signifying an inescapable plunge into what felt like the very maw of death itself. It encapsulates his sensory and spiritual overwhelm, emphasizing the suffocating reality of his judgment.
Jonah 2 5 Context
This verse is a crucial part of Jonah's prayer from the belly of the great fish (Jonah 2:1-9). After being swallowed by the fish as a consequence of his disobedience and being cast into the sea, Jonah faces a harrowing near-death experience, vividly described in the preceding verses (2:3-4) and here in verse 5. His prayer is a raw, intense lament filled with imagery drawn from Psalms of distress and expressions of being overwhelmed by judgment. He recounts the physical sensations of drowning and the spiritual terror of descending into the watery abyss, a place often associated with Sheol or the realm of death in ancient Israelite thought. The entire prayer showcases Jonah's recognition that his ordeal is a direct result of God's hand in judgment, yet it also subtly hints at a turning point towards seeking God's help even from the direst circumstances. Historically and culturally, the deep sea was often seen as a place of chaos and a boundary between life and death, reinforcing the utter hopelessness Jonah describes.
Jonah 2 5 Word analysis
- The waters (מַ֣יִם – mayim): A literal reference to the sea, but metaphorically it often represents overwhelming trouble, divine judgment, or death in the Bible. It signifies an immense and consuming force.
- closed in over me (אֲפָפ֤וּנִי – 'afafuni): From the verb אָפַף ('afaf), meaning to encompass, surround, or envelop. This powerful verb indicates being completely engulfed, leaving no escape or breath. It implies a sense of being trapped and swallowed.
- to take my life (עַד־נֶפֶשׁ – 'ad-nephesh): Literally "unto the soul" or "up to the throat/life." Nephesh (נֶפֶשׁ) in Hebrew encompasses soul, life, breath, self, and desire. Here, "unto my soul" profoundly means to the very brink of death, threatening his existence itself. It expresses ultimate peril and suffocation.
- the deep (תְּהוֹם – t'hom): This term refers to the abyss, the primeval deep waters mentioned in Gen 1:2. It symbolizes a fearsome, uncontrolled, and sometimes chaotic cosmic power, often associated with the underworld or the realm of death (Sheol) in biblical poetry. It suggests more than just deep water; it points to a spiritual or existential dread.
- surrounded me (סְבָבַ֖נִי – sevavani): From the root סָבַב (savav), meaning to turn around, encircle, encompass. This word reiterates and intensifies the sense of being enclosed already conveyed by "closed in over me," emphasizing a complete and inescapable encirclement.
- weeds (סוּף – suph): Refers to water plants, reeds, or seaweed. Suph is famously part of Yam Suph, the Reed Sea (Red Sea). Here, it paints a vivid picture of entanglement, hindering movement and emphasizing helplessness. It's an image of decay and death's embrace.
- were wrapped around my head (חָב֥וּשׁ רֹאשִֽׁי – chavush ro'shi): Chavush (חָבַשׁ) means to bind, wrap, tie up, or imprison. Rosh (רֹאשׁ) is head. This imagery completes the picture of suffocation and physical immobility. Being wrapped around the head could also allude to the binding for burial, symbolizing the finality of death closing in. It represents ultimate capture and submission to the forces of death.
Jonah 2 5 Bonus section
Jonah's description here resonates deeply with ancient Near Eastern cosmology, where the vast, deep waters were often associated with primordial chaos, the abode of mythical sea monsters, and the entrance to the underworld. For Jonah, an Israelite, to be swallowed by a great fish and thrown into t'hom (the deep) would be an experience transcending mere physical drowning—it would be an encounter with the terrifying boundaries of life and death, an act of divine judgment sending him to the very edge of existence. The specific vocabulary chosen mirrors the suffering expressed in numerous Psalms, particularly those cried out by individuals feeling utterly abandoned by God or descending into Sheol. The passage highlights not just a near-death experience, but a profound descent into the realm of spiritual despair, which precedes his subsequent expression of hope and vow to God. This descent and re-emergence typologically point towards Christ's death, descent into the earth, and resurrection after three days, fulfilling the prophetic sign He Himself referred to (Matt 12:40).
Jonah 2 5 Commentary
Jonah 2:5 encapsulates the raw despair of one facing certain death, delivered through a powerful, poetic, and vivid recounting. Jonah's language is saturated with terms often found in psalms of lament, depicting a soul consumed by the "waters" of affliction and the "deep" of God's judgment. He feels not just overwhelmed, but completely enveloped—the waters "closed in over" his life, the deep "surrounded" him, and the very weeds of the sea "wrapped around his head." This progressive intensification illustrates a plunge from simple physical danger into the existential dread of being utterly consumed by chaos and death. It's a confession of absolute helplessness and imminent demise, yet uttered as part of a prayer to God. It underscores that even in the most dire, death-like situations, one can turn to God, whose sovereign hand governs even the depths of the sea. It serves as a stark reminder that judgment can be severe, but it is never without God's ultimate purpose of bringing a soul back to repentance and trust. When we face overwhelming circumstances that threaten to "drown" us, this verse provides a relatable cry of distress, reminding us that such moments, even if divinely ordained, are opportunities to acknowledge God's power even over the deepest despair.