Jonah 1:17

Modern

Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.

Traditional

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Literal

And YHWH appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the bowels of the fish three days and three nights.

Latin

Et præparavit Dominus piscem grandem ut deglutiret Jonam: et erat Jonas in ventre piscis tribus diebus et tribus noctibus.

Hebrew

English

Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.

Some critics find it hard to believe that Jonah could survive inside a large fish. They challenge one of the book's main ideas, that God has complete control over nature. If God exists and created nature (Jonah 1:9, 16; see also Genesis 1:21), such a miracle is possible. The book treats the fish story as historical.
The species of the fish is not specified, nor is it important for the story's meaning. Given God's power, the fish could have been specially created for this event. If God can perform miracles, Jonah's need for air and protection from digestion is not a problem (see Daniel 3:14–27). Some fish, like the whale shark, are large enough for this purpose, and similar events have happened in modern times.
Jesus later mentioned Jonah's three days and nights in the fish to predict his own time in the grave (Matthew 12:39–41).
The phrase appointed appears four times in the book, showing God's easy control over nature (Jonah 4:6, 7, 8).

Matthew 12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Luke 11:30
For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.
Matthew 16:4
A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.
Psalm 104:25–26
Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small.
Habakkuk 3:2
O LORD, I have heard the report of You; I stand in awe, O LORD, of Your deeds. Revive them in these years; make them known in these years. In Your wrath, remember mercy!
Jonah 4:6
So the LORD God appointed a vine, and it grew up to provide shade over Jonah’s head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant.
Genesis 1:21
So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Jonah: Prophet swallowed by fish, preached to Nineveh