InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEUT JOB YEHO (JOS) HERO (JDG) RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG YOEL (JOEL) MIC ISA ZEP HAB YIR (JER) LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBAD DAN EZEK EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL 2 PS WIS TOB MAN BAR G DAN G ESD L ESD ESG JDT 3 MAC SIR 1 MAC 2 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL LAOD PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Yna 2 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V7 V8 V9 V10
People tagged in the matching LV passage: God
OET-LV (JNA 2:7) [fn] To_extremities_of mountains I_went_down the_earth/land bars_of_its were_behind_me forever_perpetuity and_you_brought_up from_the_pit life_of_my Oh_YHWH god_of_my.
2:7 Note: KJB: Yōnāh/(Jonah).2.6
OET (OET-RV) I went down to the foundations of the mountains; barred from returning to the land. But you saved my life from the grave, Yahweh my god.
This section records the prayer that Jonah prayed after he was swallowed by the fish. Notice that the prayer is in the form of poetry. (Both BSB and GNT show this.) Therefore the structure of chapter two is very different from the other three chapters in Jonah, which are narrative material. If possible, try to translate the material in this chapter in a natural poetic form in your language. However, remember that the message is more important than the form in which it is written.
To the roots of the mountains I descended;
As I went down to the very base of the mountains under the sea,
To the roots of the mountains I descended: As Jonah sank to the bottom of the sea, he settled at the roots (that is, base, foot) of the mountains under the sea.
I descended: This translates the normal Hebrew verb yaraḏ “to go down” and contrasts with the Hebrew ʿalah “to go up” in 2:6c.
There are two possible ways of dividing this part of the verse:
Attach the phrase “I sank down” to the phrase “to the roots of the mountains.” This is the way the Hebrew text seems to be grouped and makes best sense of the grammar of the Hebrew, but it leaves 2:6b without a verb. (See BSB, NIV, GNT, CEV, GW, NCV, NET, NJPS, NJB, NLT)2.6 Keil-Delitzsch, p. 401; Sasson, p. 167.
Place a sentence break after the word “mountains,” and in this way join the phrase “to the roots of the mountains” to 2:5c. The phrase I descended is then included in 2:6b. For example:
“weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; (RSV) (See JB, REB)2.6 This view is supported by the LXX; Allen, p. 214.
It is recommended that you follow the first option like the majority of English versions.
the earth beneath me barred me in forever!
I felt as if I were a prisoner in the land of the dead, never to be released.
to the land below where I thought I was shut in forever.
the earth beneath me barred me in forever!: At the very bottom of the sea, Jonah felt like he was in prison behind barred doors—without any chance of escape. Literally, the Hebrew says “the earth/land, its bars, behind me forever.” It is a clause without a verb, and English translations resolve this in different ways:
By supplying a verb from the noun “bars.” BSB has: barred me in. Here is another example:
closed upon me (NJPS)
By treating the clause as parallel to “at the roots of the mountains.” For example:
“I went down to the very roots of the mountains, into the land whose gates lock shut forever.” (GNT)
Either of these alternatives is acceptable.
the earth beneath me: This probably refers to “the land of the dead.” The GNT puts a footnote here to make this clear. Jonah was again saying that he had given up hope of living.
But You raised my life from the pit, O LORD my God!
But/Yet you(sing) spared my life and rescued me from certain death, O Yahweh my God.
But you(sing), O Yahweh my God, spared my life and rescued me from dying and going to the place of the dead.
But You raised my life from the pit: The LORD rescued Jonah by having a huge fish swallow him alive. The expression You raised my life from the pit is Jonah’s way of saying that the LORD had spared his life when he was so close to death. The term pit is a synonym for šeʾol—the place of the dead2.6 Ellison, p. 377. See the note on 2:2c.
O LORD my God: Jonah addressed the LORD here as my God. This does not mean that he owned God. This is an expression of faith, that is, he referred to God in this way because he was the God whom he served and worshiped. See note on 2:1.
Notice that English versions place this phrase O LORD my God in different places in the sentence. For example, the BSB has it at the end of the sentence while the GNT puts it near the beginning. You should place it where it is most natural in your language.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
הָאָ֛רֶץ בְּרִחֶ֥יהָ בַעֲדִ֖י לְעוֹלָ֑ם
the=earth/land (Some words not found in UHB: to,extremities_of mountains went_down the=earth/land bars_of,its [were]_behind,me forever,perpetuity and,you_brought_up from_[the],pit life_of,my YHWH God_of,my )
Here Jonah is speaking of the earth under the water as if it had bars like a prison. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the earth was like a prison that was about to lock me in forever]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
חַיַּ֖י
(Some words not found in UHB: to,extremities_of mountains went_down the=earth/land bars_of,its [were]_behind,me forever,perpetuity and,you_brought_up from_[the],pit life_of,my YHWH God_of,my )
Here, life represents Jonah himself. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your language or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [my very being, alive]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
וַתַּ֧עַל מִשַּׁ֛חַת חַיַּ֖י
(Some words not found in UHB: to,extremities_of mountains went_down the=earth/land bars_of,its [were]_behind,me forever,perpetuity and,you_brought_up from_[the],pit life_of,my YHWH God_of,my )
Here, the term pit has a double meaning. Jonah is in a deep place that could be called a pit, and this is also a word that is used in poetry for the place of the dead. Jonah is expressing that he felt certain that he would die in this place. Alternate translation: [but you saved my life from the place of the dead]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure
יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽי
YHWH God_of,my
If it would be more natural in your language, you could put this phrase at the beginning of the sentence after but or you.
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
אֱלֹהָֽי
God_of,my
Here, Jonah is using the possessive form my to describe God. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a more natural expression. Alternate translation: [the God to whom I belong]
OET-LV (JNA 2:7) [fn] To_extremities_of mountains I_went_down the_earth/land bars_of_its were_behind_me forever_perpetuity and_you_brought_up from_the_pit life_of_my Oh_YHWH god_of_my.
2:7 Note: KJB: Yōnāh/(Jonah).2.6
OET (OET-RV) I went down to the foundations of the mountains; barred from returning to the land. But you saved my life from the grave, Yahweh my god.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.
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