Jonah 2:2, Jonah’s descent

//Have you ever paid attention to the language Jonah uses in describing his attempt to flee from God?

First he goes down to Joppa.

Then he finds a ship and goes down into the ship.

Next he goes down to the sides of the ship and falls asleep.

When the storm comes he is cast into the sea, and sinks down further.

When the fish swallows him, it doesn’t bring him back to the surface immediately. It seems to go deeper and deeper…down to the depths of the sea.

There, Jonah remains three days and three nights. Jewish tradition is that the soul leaves the body after three days, the body being too decomposed to bother seeking re-entrance, and descends further into Sheol  (the underworld realm of the dead).

From there, in Sheol, Jonah finally prays to God … and the descent is reversed, until finally he is returned back to land.

“Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.”