PAJSIÉL
Dr. Charles L. Feinberg
Dr. J. Richard Chase
Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland
Discussions
Q. Riverside, Calif. "Was Jonah dead or alive while inside the whale?" A. If you will note the introduction to Jonah in the Scofield Bible on page 943, you will discover some interesting facts about "the histor ical character of Jonah's preserva tion in the great fish." This is what God indicates in this wonderful book. The problem can be solved by considering the second chapter. "Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly." We never find another place in the Bible where we read of a dead man praying. This passage, in the orig
inal text, is strictly poetry. We see this in 2:3 where the prophet com ments, "all thy billows and thy waves passed over me." This could not possibly be literal. He is simply saying he was engulfed by the prob lems of life. We see similar con cepts in verses 4 and 6. Notice that in verse seven he testifies, "When my soul fainted within me." He does not say he died but rather we know that he was preserved for he declares, "Salvation is of the Lord" (vs. 9). No, Jonah was not dead in the great fish. Some have taught that he was in order to parallel with our Lord Jesus. Keep in mind that
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