Matthew Poole and continuators on Jonah 2

1 THen Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fishes belly .

And, Hebr. at that time when he lay by the heels a close Prisoner in a Prison, whence none before or since ever came out alive.

Sent his Petition in all humble and submissive manner unto God; Jonah wonderfully preserved alive, and in full exercise of his judgment and memory now betakes himself to Prayer, and in this exerciseth his Graces; his soul follows hard after God, when he was shut up in this Dungeon.

That was angry, and now was punishing of Jonah, the Lord who had committed him to this Prison. The Almighty God, who can do for Jonah all that he can need or desire.

Though Jonah in his froward fit flies from his God, yet now by the rod taught better he flyes to God, nay as his God, and remembers his particular interest in God. If Jonah prayes by Faith grounded on God's Almightiness, now he prayes with assurance and hope of Faith, looking to God as his God; if the Power of the Lord and his Mercy keep Jonah alive in the fishes belly, the same Power and Mercy can deliver him out of this danger, and the Prophet believes he is kept there for an enlargement, as miraculous as his confinement was;

where he was a Prisoner under many miracles, and all concur to awaken him to Prayer and Faith; he calls it the belly of Hell, or the Grave; ver. 2. implyed his time well there.

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

Not with a loud voice of the Tongue, as 'twas not ordinarily feisable in so close a Prison, so, nor was it necessary he should, where none were to hear but his God, who heareth the strongest desires, and accounts them the strongest cries; so Jonah cryed with his whole heart.

Distress, or straits with which he was encompassed, and close besieged, nor was there ever closer siege laid to any one, his Body and Mind both shut up, the one by the monstrous dungeon of the Fishes Belly, and the other by the terrours of the Almighty.

It was in many respects fit Jonah should Petition God, for he was committed by his special Warrant, and none either had power or authority to deliver him but God.

Though Jonah say not how God did hear, in what particular, yet he knew both how, and in what the support of his person, the exercise of his reason, the workings of his heart toward God, and a hope or assurance that he should be delivered, were part of the mercy God gave, and he prayed for.

Grave, so Sheol, so it was as dark to Jonah, and had been as destructive too, if mercy had not prevented. This is doubled to intimate both the Prisoners earnestness, and the greatness of the mercy given to one that was as shut up in the Grave.

Of his Soul, whilest he was in that dismal Dungeon, as let. g.

The former verse was a general account that he pray'd, this word in the front of this verse is a transition to a more full account of his Prayer, what for substance, and somewhat of the words also.

Marginal references: Psal. 120.1.; Or, out of mine affliction.; Or, the grave.

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 .

This introduceth the account of his distress, mentioned ver. 2.

The Almighty offended by my frowardness and obstinacy.

Though the Marriners hands heaved me over-board, 'twas thy hand that did it and prest me sore.

The bottom of the Sea, by what follows it is probable Ionah was cast into the Sea far from shore.

Or heart of the Seas, but more literally and strictly in the midst of the Seas, then that Ezek. 27.4.

Either the mighty Rivers which run into that Sea, or the Floods, the mighty currents, which the rowling Sea and Winds with Tyde made.

The surges of the Sea, which explains what before he called the Floods. Here is an elegant description of the violence and horrour of the Seas into which Ionah was cast, which tossed his body and signified the terrours wherewith his Soul was distrest from Gods immediate hand, as Psal. 42.7. Thy waves, Ionah seeth Gods hand, and sovereignty in all this, intimating that he prayed for what he knew his God could do for him.

Marginal references: Heb. heart.

4 Then I said , I am cast out of thy sight , yet I will look again towards thy holy temple ?

Though this word with us ordinarily denoteth time, yet here it denoteth order and connexion, the Hebrew is And.

With my self, I thought in the midst of my fears and sufferings.

Cut off from all hope of Life among men, rejected, forsaken, and as 'twere forgotten of my God, and left by this death to pass to a worser death. Thus he was wrackt with sense of present danger from Gods displeasure, and is almost carried away with a despair of ever seeing the face of God again with comfort, much as Psal. 31.22. and Lam. 4.22.

His Faith begins to recover it self, he will not as despairing ones any more look toward lost hopes, but with reviving hope he will hope against hope, and never yeild to such despairs.

Where the Ark of the Covenant, where the mercy seat, where propitiatory sacrifices are offered, where is Gods High Priest, Types of the Great Redeemer, Mediator, and Saviour, by whom sin is expiated, s[illegible: 2 letters]ners pardon'd, grace and favour communicated, where God commands the blessing, Life for evermore, he will look and hope to appear in the material Typical Temple, and to find there grace dispositive for, as well as significative of Glory in the heavenly Temple, he hopes for both.

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

Litterally the waters o[illegible: 1 letter] the Sea, metaphorically afflictions, mystically Temptations, these last arising from his own guilt, and from the tokens of Gods displeasure against him in so unusual a manner.

To the endangering his Life, and were forerunners (as he apprehended) of worse miseries, the fore[illegible: 1 letter]asts of an eternal damnation, 'twas a miracle of providence to preserve my Life, 'twas no lesse wonder of free Grace to save my Soul.

He was carried to the bottom of the Sea, lay as in the deepest hole of the Sea.

Not immediately as some conjecture by the Fish pulling them from the bottom of the Sea and swallowing them down, where they wrapt Ionahs head, but mediately when the Fish swam amidst these, or rather it is a comparative speech, I was no more likely to escape drowning, then a man in the depth of the Sea wrapt up in, and held fast down by, the Weeds in the bottom of the Sea.

The former part of the 5 verse seems to be an ingeminating of what was said ver. 3. and bears the self same meaning and interpretation.

Marginal references: Psal. 69.1.

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

The Fish carried him down.

As deep in the Sea as are the bottoms of the mountains, or into those depths out of which might be supposed that mountains were thence drawn out by the Roots, an elegant description of fathomless depths, whirlepools of the Seas.

I seemed to be imprisoned where the bars that secured me were as great and durable as the Rocks, which they were made of.

Notwithstanding all these insuperable difficulties, and my own fears.

By what was first my danger thou hast wonderfully secured me, what I thought should have been my Grave, was made a safety to me, by the Fish Ionah is in due time fairly and safely set on shore.

His Life of nature, his Life of comfort, and peace, and joy too.

Or the pit, a description of the state of the dead whose bodies turn to putrefaction and stench.

O Almighty and Eternal Being, Lord and Soveraign over all.

Mine saith Ionah by particular choice, Faith and Hope, whom I had served and should not have disobey'd, to whom I pray'd, who hath pardoned, whom I will adore, obey and love for ever.

Marginal references: Heb. cuttings.; Or, the pit.

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

So soon as, and so often as.

Heart perplexed with variety of fears, sorrows, temptations and difficulties, when ever I did forecast, and devise what way I might likely escape out of this forlorn condition, I was dispirited, heart sunk within me, Psal. 22.14. and 42.4. and I had fainted if I had not remembred the mighty, faithful, wise and gracious God who could save me, and on whose mercy I relyed, who had promised the best of two deliverances, the eternal, whatever he did with me as to the temporal deliverance.

With Faith, and Prayer, for 'tis not a bare recalling of God to his mind, but a recalling his mercy, and promise to his mind

made in the Fish Belly, in his prison more dismal then ever was that of Manasse[illegible: 1 letter].

Did enter the Ears of the Lord, he heard and readily answered.

Typically the Temple at Ierusalem to which Ionah looked, but principally Heaven the Temple of his glory, whence God gives the command for his delivery orders the Goaler to set him safe on shore.

8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy .

Who ever they are that do, as the Heathen Marriners seek to, depend upon and wait for help from Idols, false Gods, whosoever choose them for their assistance, and Worship them, do depend upon most false grounds, wait for most lying and deceiving objects, and this of the Prophet is true of, and applicable to all ou[illegible: 1 letter] Creature dependencies, to all trust reposed in any but God himself, these dig to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no Water, Ier. 2.13.

Turn away from, and do really and practically forsake God, as he leaves the East who goeth on to the West, trust in God, and Idols are as opposite, as is the East to the West.

The Lord, who is to all that seek him, and depend on him, the fountain of Living Waters, who is an eternal fountain of mercy and flows forth freely to all that wait for him.

Marginal references: Psal. [illegible: 1 span]

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 .

Ionah here doth intimate his adherence to God, his assurance that he should find God to be a fountain of mercy to him, that God would hear his prayer.

In most solemn manner recognize the mercy I receive, I shall have just ground to do it, and I will certainly be just to the mercy of my God and do it; who wait on Gods that cannot deliver, shall never have cause to sacrifice to them, if they do the thing they do sacrilegiously rob God.

Excluding all others, who shall have as little share in the praise as they had in the thing for which praise is offered.

Including the heart also; for such is the sacrifice with which God is best pleased, Psal. 50.14, 23. and 116.17. Hos. 14.2. Heb. 13.15.

Vows are, when made, debts we owe to God, and must▪ as just debts, be paid.

It is not said what 'twas he had vowed, probably 'twas a more obedient heart and deportment, likely he resolveth to go to Nineveh and preach what God commandeth him▪ he will perform his promise to the Lord in all things he did engage to do.

Power to save, and actual deliverance from all dangers, in all distresses, when none of the Gods the Marriners invoked, neither any one apart, nor yet all together could quiet [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 letter]empest, and save from the danger of the Sea, Ionahs God could do both, he could by his own single power deliver Ionah out of the Belly of hell.

He onely can save, none else can as he can, Psal. 3.8. and 68.20.

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

Or, as the particle is sometimes rendred, then i. e. after Ionah had prayed, and acted his Faith though in the Whales belly.

Who made Heaven and Earth, and commandeth both, who is God of Salvation.

Commanded, signified it to be his pleasure, as the same word prepared the Fish and brought it to give attendance to receive the Prisoner, so now it doth discharge the Keeper, and requires him to set his Prisoner at liberty.

Though Fishes are destitute of Reason and understand not as man, yet they have ears to hear their Creator, and readily obey.

It presently obeys the word, it could no longer keep Ionah a Prisoner.

The command required this, nor could it be a deliverance without this, had he been cast out of the Whales belly any where else in the Sea he had been drowned, but now that which was his danger shall be his safety, a Ship now to Land him which before was like to be his Grave. The Scripture doth not say where he was thus set on shore, but considering he was to go to Nineveh and Preach Repentance to them, it is a very obvious conjecture that any man might make, that the Whale set Ionah on shore in some place of the Syria[illegible: 1 letter] shore nearest to Nineveh, and on view of the Charts any indifferent Geographer would conjecture that 'twas somewhere on the Bay or Gulph of Lajazzo, antiently the Sinus Issicus, or somewhat near to Alexandette as the French, or Scanderoon as the Turks call it, whence, though a long, yet by the Maps appears to be the straitest journey to Nineveh, as for some who conjecture 'twas on the Enxine Sea; they consider not the strait passage of the Propontis, nor the length of 1600 miles from Ioppa to that part of the Euxine which is next to Nineveh, nor the length and difficulty of the passage thence by Land to Nineveh; but he that said Ionah was landed on Ninevehs shore was much wider out in his ghesse, and never consid[illegible: 1 letter]red that Nineveh was built on Tigris some hundreds of miles by land from Ioppa, and, if the Fish brought him thither, it was by a compass of many thousand miles which would require some months to run over▪ besides that the Fish would be too great to swim up the River, their conjecture biddeth fairest who confine it to some places of the Syrian Sea and not far from Scanderoon.