Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,
All Commentaries on Jonah 2:1 Go To Jonah 2
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Fish. Hebrew dag: afterwards daga occurs, ver. 2; (Haydock) on which Leusden observes, the Jews infer that Jonas was first swallowed up by male and then by a female fish, which being full of young he was much straitened, and prayed from the belly of that (hadaga) female fish! He alludes to Rabbi Jar chi. (Haydock)
Thus nar, puer, is put for a girl, to imply that Rebecca was prudent and Dina rambling. (Buxt. Tib. 13.) See Kennicott, Dis. 2., p. 417 and 552.
Noble discoveries! Many suppose (Haydock) that this fish was a whale, as it does not live on flesh; (Calmet) but its throat being so narrow, as hardly to suffer a man's arm to pass, it is more probable that it was the sea-dog, lamia or canis char arias, (Bartolin 14.) which may easily contain a man. (Aldrovandus iii. 32.) (Menochius)
This sea-dog, or shark, has five rows of teeth in each jaw. Human bodies have been found entire in the stomach. (Button.)
Our Saviour calls the fish a whale, Matthew xii. 40. (Worthington)
But that term is given to any great sea monster. Yet it is not of much importance what species of fish be meant, provided the miracle be admitted. (Calmet)
The pagans ridiculed it. (St. Augustine, ep. 102. q. 6. 30.)
Yet they believed many of a similar nature, alleging the omnipotence of God. (St. Jerome)
This reason accounts for all the miracles recorded in Scripture. But might not God have chosen some easier expedient? We must not dive into his reasons. The impression which such a fact would make on the Ninivites, and the prefiguring of Christ's burial, might suffice. Jonas was not a type of his death, as some have imagined, Q. ad Orthodox. (Calmet)
Nights, or as long as our Saviour was in the monument, (Menochius) which was about thirty-four hours. (Calmet, Dis.)
