Jonah: A Wayward Prophet Who Found Mercy & Deliverance (Part 2) Is the story of Jonah Scientifically Plausible?

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1 Jonah: A Wayward Prophet Who Found Mercy & Deliverance (Part 2) Is the story of Jonah Scientifically Plausible? For many years people have scoffed at the Biblical story of Jonah. Skeptics have likened it to a fable, saying it is "impossible". This page will examine the Scientific plausibility of the Book of "Jonah". One of the arguments often used is that "the belly of a whale is too small to hold a man" therefore the Bible cannot be trusted. Not only is a whales belly large enough to hold a man inside, but many accounts similar to the Biblical account of Jonah have been recorded over the years. For example, read about the famous case of James Bartley at: Though these documented cases shed some light on the story's credibility, it must be remembered the Biblical account is a miraculous one. We must remember to trust the Bible first and foremost, even if no other evidence exists at the present time.

2 Was Jonah swallowed by a whale or by a fish? Some people claim that there is a contradiction in the Bible because the Old Testament (KJV) calls the creature that swallowed Jonah a "Great fish", while the New Testament calls it a "whale". (KJV) This is not a contradiction. Matthew 12:40 (KJV) says that the creature is a whale, but the original Greek from which it was translated calls it a "sea monster". The alleged contradiction is nothing more than a different word chosen for the English translation by 17 th Century Bible scholars. The NWT translates Matthew 12:40 as huge fish. So which is it, a whale or a fish? Nothing in the biblical account demands that the creature be a whale. A Sperm whale is often shown in artistic representations of the account of Jonah and Sperm whales do indeed inhabit the area of the Mediterranean where Jonah had his misfortunes. However we cannot be dogmatic. It may have even been a large fish such as the Whale shark or some other huge unspecified marine animal maybe a creature which is now extinct. Sperm Whale

3 Whale Shark "What happened to Jonah while he was in the belly of the whale (or fish)? How was he protected from the creatures natural digestive process?" Answer: We are not given enough details to know for sure what species the sea creature this was, so any ideas on how Jonah was not digested would be mere speculation. The Bible does say however that God appointed" ( prepared" KJV) the creature, in so doing he no doubt protected Jonah in some miraculous way. (Jonah 1: 17) "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" (KJV)

4 This is a literal account of a man. But It also foreshadowed the true account of Christ's 3 days and 3 nights in "the belly of the earth". "For just as Jonah was in the belly of the HUGE FISH three days and three nights, so the son of man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights." Matthew 12:40 (NWT) Here is the same verse again in the King James version "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12:40 (KJV) The historical accuracy of Jonah is important for it foreshadows Christ s own death and resurrection. Christ would not associate one of the most important events in history (his resurrection from the dead) with a mere fairy tale. The type of huge fish is not the important aspect of the story, nor is how Jonah was able to survive the ordeal. The importance is the sign or prophetic significance it foreshadowed the three days Jesus would spend in the grave before his resurrection (Matt 12:39). Those who scoff at, doubt or otherwise ridicule the book of Jonah are in actuality doubting Christ's own integrity. Jesus believed and taught that Jonah was a real person, and that the events described in the Bible account really did happen to him. The same argument applies to those who mock at the story of Noah (Matt 24: 37) and Adam & Eve (Luke 3:38). References (both articles) Insight on the Scriptures (Vol 2 p )

5 Watchtower : Jan 1 st 2009 ( He Learned from his mistakes ). Watchtower : April 1 st 2009 ( He Learned a lesson in Mercy ). Awake : December 2009 ( Great Monsters of the Deep Sea excellent article).