The Skeptics Annotated Bible (697 page)

(2.1)
“Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly.”

2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me;
out of the belly of hell cried I
, and thou heardest my voice.

(2.2)
“Out of the belly of hell cried I.”

3 For
thou hadst cast me into the deep
, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

(2.3)
“Thou hadst cast me into the deep.”
323 Who cast Jonah into the sea?

4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

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

8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

10 And
the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

(2.10)
“The LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”

3
And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now
Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.

(3.3)
“Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.”
That would make it about 60 miles in diameter—larger than Los Angeles!

4 And
Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

(3.4)
“Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
Jonah prophesies that in forty days Nineveh shall be overthrown. But it didn’t happen because God repented (Jonah 3.10).

5 So
the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

(3.5)
“The people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”
Everyone in Nineveh turned to God? Jonah must have been one hell of a preacher!

6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

8 But
let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God
: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

(3.8)
“Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God.”
Even the animals converted when they heard Jonah preach!

9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and
God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them
; and he did it not.

(3.10)
“God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them.”
32 Does God repent?

4
But
it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

(4.1)
“It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.”
Jonah was angry when his preaching converted a city.

2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.

(4.6-8) God prepared a gourd to shade Jonah’s head, a worm to destroy the gourd, and then a drying wind and baking sun that made Jonah wish he was dead.