Jonah 2:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The great fish not only spared the prophet Jonah but also preserved the sacred trust given to him. Numerous wonders within creation can be observed, which should lead those who idolize nature to understand that all things do not simply occur through nature's power, but are subject to the divine will of God. This will has brought forth creation and governs all that exists, either maintaining the established laws of nature or effortlessly altering them whenever it pleases, enabling them to act contrary to their usual course.

When Jonah was engulfed by the great fish, he emerged from the experience transformed, greater than he was before facing such peril.

Once more, the great fish is directed, propelled by a divine and unfathomable force from God to fulfill His desires, and it expels the prophet from its depths. The prophet did not emerge from this trial without gain; rather, he came to understand through firsthand experience the peril of resisting the will of the Lord.

It is through God’s purpose that Jonah experiences both distress and the deep slumber, faces shipwreck and emerges from his sleep, is cast by lot, becomes aware of his flight, is cast into the depths of the sea, and is consumed by the great fish, yet remains unharmed.

The Lord commanded the fish, and it released Jonah onto dry land. In a similar vein, as previously mentioned, the Lord prayed within the belly of the great fish, a moment echoed in Job’s profound statement: "that he who curses that day may curse her, who is able to overcome the great whale" (Job 3:8). Thus it was decreed that this immense creature, representing the depths and the realm of the dead, would restore the Savior to the earth. He, who had tasted death, would liberate those shackled by the grips of mortality and lead many to the gift of life. The term 'ejector' in this context should be interpreted emphatically, indicating that life has victoriously emerged from the depths of death.

Should anyone doubt the possibility of individuals such as Elijah enduring for an extended period, arguing that Elijah did not ascend in the flesh but that his body was consumed in the chariot of fire, they ought to reflect on Jonah. Despite being thrown into the ocean's depths and engulfed by the whale, he was restored entirely on land at God's command.

After the stormy seas quieted, Jonah spent three days in the belly of the great fish, and afterwards, he was cast onto dry ground, likely on the Palestinian coast of the Mediterranean Sea as is widely believed.