The Great Fish

Illustration of The Great Fish

When Jonah fled from God's call to Nineveh and was thrown into the sea, the LORD 'prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah,' and he remained in its belly three days and nights before it vomited him onto dry land. From within the fish Jonah prayed a prayer of repentance. Jesus pointed to this as a sign of his own three days in the tomb - the great fish becoming a picture of death and resurrection.

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Strongest connections in Scripture
Jonah 1

Key Passages

Jonah and the Great Fish

Jonah 1:17

The LORD prepares a great fish to swallow Jonah, where he remains three days and three nights.

N17ow 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.

Explore Related

Characters

Jonah Jonah was an Old Testament prophet commanded by God to preach a message of impending judgment and call forโ€ฆ Jesus Jesus is portrayed in the Bible as the Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah whose coming fulfilled Oldโ€ฆ

Places

Tarshish Tarshish was an ancient maritime port, likely located in the western Mediterranean and possibly identifiedโ€ฆ Nineveh Nineveh served as the capital of the Assyrian Empire, a dominant ancient Near Eastern power known for itsโ€ฆ

Did You Know?

1

The text says a 'great fish,' not specifically a whale.

2

Jonah spent three days and nights inside it.

3

Jesus called this 'the sign of the prophet Jonas' - a picture of his own burial and resurrection.

4

Jonah prayed a psalm of thanksgiving from inside the fish.