Jonah 2 7

Jonah 2:7 kjv

When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

Jonah 2:7 nkjv

"When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple.

Jonah 2:7 niv

"When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

Jonah 2:7 esv

When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.

Jonah 2:7 nlt

As my life was slipping away,
I remembered the LORD.
And my earnest prayer went out to you
in your holy Temple.

Jonah 2 verses

Jonah 2 7 Meaning

Jonah 2:7 expresses Jonah's desperate turning point within the great fish. As his life ebbed away, marked by intense physical and spiritual distress, he shifted his focus from his dire circumstances to remembering the Lord. This act of remembering was immediately followed by a sincere prayer that, despite his impossible location in the depths of the sea, miraculously ascended and was received by God in His holy, heavenly dwelling. The verse highlights the power of remembrance of God in despair and the omnipresence of God, whose ear is not bound by earthly locations or limitations.

Jonah 2 7 Context

Jonah 2:7 is uttered from the unimaginable confines of the great fish's belly. It is part of Jonah's desperate prayer of repentance and lament, marking a significant turning point in his narrative. Chapter 1 depicted Jonah's disobedience to God's command to go to Nineveh, his attempt to flee, the resulting divine storm, and his being swallowed by a large fish after being thrown overboard. The immediate context of chapter 2 is Jonah's three days and nights within the fish, a place of figurative death and despair. This verse signals the moment when Jonah's spirit, having reached its lowest ebb, consciously turned back to God in recognition of His sovereignty and presence, even in the depths. Historically and culturally, in a world often dominated by localized pagan deities, Jonah's understanding that God's "holy temple" and His presence are accessible even from the "belly of Sheol" (Jonah 2:2) makes a profound statement about the omnipresence and universality of the God of Israel, YHWH, in contrast to the limitations of pagan gods and their shrines.

Jonah 2 7 Word analysis

• When my soul fainted within me,

  • soul fainted: Hebrew `ataph (עָטַף). This verb means "to be overwhelmed," "to swoon," "to faint," or "to grow feeble." It often describes a deep internal weakening, akin to despair or exhaustion. It goes beyond mere physical discomfort, pointing to a profound emotional and spiritual crisis, a feeling of life slipping away.

• I remembered the Lord:

  • remembered: Hebrew zakhar (זָכָר). This is more than a passive mental recall; in a biblical context, it implies an active, purposeful turning of the mind towards God's character, His covenant, His power, or His past acts of salvation. It is an act of faith, bringing God's promises and nature into active consideration as a basis for hope and prayer. For Jonah, it was recalling God's sovereignty and capacity to save.
  • the Lord: Hebrew YHWH (rendered "the Lord" in English translations), referring to the covenant-keeping, personal God of Israel. This precise naming emphasizes Jonah's return to the true God, distinct from any false deities.

• and my prayer came in unto thee,

  • prayer came in: This phrase conveys the effectiveness and reception of the prayer. It signifies that the prayer was not just uttered but ascended to God's presence, breaking through the seemingly impossible barriers of Jonah's confinement and desperation. It emphasizes God's attentiveness and readiness to hear.

• into thine holy temple.

  • thine holy temple: Hebrew heykal (הֵיכָל). While often referring to the physical temple in Jerusalem, Jonah, being in the belly of the fish, is obviously not speaking of the earthly structure. This phrase therefore transcends the literal, pointing to God's true, heavenly dwelling place, His cosmic throne room where His presence resides and from where He hears prayers. It underscores God's omnipresence and transcendence, asserting that no physical barrier can prevent access to His divine court. This also subtly challenges localized pagan beliefs by declaring God's universal accessibility.

• words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord": This sequence reveals a crucial spiritual turning point. Utter human helplessness and despair (fainting soul) pave the way for a decisive shift in focus from self to God (remembering the Lord). It's in the extreme moments of weakness that true spiritual reliance often begins.
  • "I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee": The act of remembering God is intrinsically linked to effective prayer. It implies that true prayer originates from a heart that recalls God's character and attributes, thereby allowing for confident access to His presence and a favorable reception of the petition.
  • "my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple": This pairing highlights the miraculous and profound nature of prayer. Despite Jonah's physically isolated and utterly debased condition, his prayer breached all earthly limitations and directly entered the sacred, unconfined space of God's dwelling place, demonstrating God's accessibility from any point in creation.

Jonah 2 7 Bonus section

• Prophetic Sign: Jonah's three days and three nights in the fish, from which this prayer arises, serves as a direct prophetic sign of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection (Matt 12:40). Just as Jonah was delivered from a watery grave, Christ rose triumphantly from the grave.
• God's Sovereignty: The events leading to this prayer (the storm, the fish being prepared) underscore God's absolute sovereignty, orchestrating even the creatures of the sea to accomplish His purpose in drawing Jonah back to Himself and ultimately to obedience.
• The Depth of Repentance: Jonah's prayer comes from a place of extreme humility and near-death, illustrating that true repentance can arise from the direst of circumstances when one confronts their sin and turns wholly back to God.
• Grace Amidst Rebellion: Even after flagrant disobedience, God extends grace to Jonah by preserving him and creating the very scenario that leads to his eventual repentance and renewed call. God's pursuit of His disobedient servant demonstrates His enduring love and purpose.

Jonah 2 7 Commentary

Jonah 2:7 captures the very heart of Jonah's prayer, marking a profound shift from defiant flight to desperate surrender. At the nadir of his physical and emotional being, within the crushing confinement of the fish, Jonah finds himself without any human means of escape. It is here, when "my soul fainted within me" (a feeling of utterly giving up on life), that a divine intervention of grace prompts a pivotal decision: "I remembered the Lord." This "remembrance" is not a fleeting thought but a conscious, intentional turning back to God's character, His power, and His covenant promises. It is the genesis of his faith reborn from the depths of despair.

Crucially, this remembered Lord is not confined to the land or Jerusalem; His presence fills the heavens, encompassing even the deepest abyss. Therefore, despite Jonah's being trapped in what felt like "the belly of Sheol," his prayer transcended all physical barriers and found its way "into thine holy temple." This isn't the physical temple in Jerusalem, which was inaccessible, but rather the heavenly, spiritual dwelling place of God Himself. It powerfully proclaims God's omnipresence and omniscience – no place is so distant, so dark, or so deep that God cannot hear and respond to a heartfelt cry. This divine reception of Jonah's prayer signals his coming deliverance and highlights the efficacy of prayer when offered with a turning heart, even from the most seemingly hopeless circumstances. The verse also implicitly challenges the limited geographical and localized understandings of deity prevalent in pagan thought, affirming the God of Israel as truly universal and accessible.