Was Jonah in a fish or a whale?

Answer 1

The original story in Jonah literally calls the creature a "great fish" [Hebrew /dag/ =fish + /gadol/ = large]. (It is possible that they would also have referred to a whale by such a name, but the term does not SPECIFY a "whale".)

The reason for the widespread idea that it was a whale is the King James translation of Matthew 12:40. There Jesus refers to Jonah having been "in the belly of the great fish (or 'sea creature')" but the KJV interpreted the word as meaning "whale".

What kind of creature was it really?

Jonah refers to God's having "prepared" the fish -- whether that means the creature itself was an aberration, or that God just arranged for it to BE at that place at that time is unclear.

The imagery is clearly supposed to be an echo of other Old Testament language (esp. in the Psalms) of God's great power and victory over the Sea, which is sometimes spoken of in language borrowed from the surrounding culture, as victory over a great mythological 'sea monster'. (These are referred to as "tannim", or by the name "Leviathan" or "Rahab" -- note though, that the first two of these may at times be used to refer to REAL creatures, such as the alligator.)

Remember that the GREATstory of Israel -- their deliverance from Egypt -- comes in the form of God's victory at/over the SEA, where he uses it to destroy the Egyptian army (see Exodus 14-15). Thereafter one of the great ways of speaking about God delivering his people (individually or collectively) is the language of his victory over the sea or sea creature -- and thus over DEATH (since 'going down into the depths' is a central picture of death). Key examples - Psalms 18, 130:1, 104 [God 'rebukes' the wind and wave -- echoed in Jesus' stilling the sea in Mark 4].

So what's happening with Jonah is that his story is echoing that of the people of Israel. Just as God rescued them by his power of the sea and its mighty creatures so he brings Jonah through and 'up from the depths'. (Fittingly, later language in Jonah also echoes the language of the book of Exodus, esp. his declaration that God is the "compassionate and gracious God. . . " -- the central declaration the Lord made to Moses on Sinai [Exodus 34])

(It is this foundation --that this is THE picture of God's victory for and deliverance of his people over DEATH -- which explains Jesus applying the story of Jonah to himself and his coming resurrection.)

Answer 2

Jonah 1:71
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.

Matthew 12:40
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.

Good question- Since there was probably no differentiation between various kinds of water-creatures beyond shape, the people of the old and new testament probably used the terms "whale" and "fish" interchangeably- as though a "whale" were a kind of large "fish"

I'm going to guess that he was in some kind of whale, since I am not aware of any actual fish (by modern definition) that would be large enough to swallow a man whole and allow him to live for at least 3 days.

Answer 3

The book of Jonah is translated as "fish" in most English versions, while Matthew 12:40 says "whale" in the King James Version.

Either the Hebrew word (in Jonah) or the Greek word (in Matthew) could be translated as a "sea creature" which could include any fish, whales or any other sea creatures.

Answer 4

Whale

Answer 5

Probably a whale, though the term used is "dag gadol," "big fish."
However, a whale IS a fish, by ancient classification. We say, "A whale is a mammal. It's warm-blooded, nurses it's young, has hair, etc. It's NOT a fish."
What if your classsificiation of "fish" is something like, "It's shaped like a fish, has fins/flippers, lives and swims in the water"? By that definition, a whale is definitely a "big fish."

Answer 6

Jonah was swallowed by a BIG FISH and remained inside the fish for 3 days.

Answer 7

Being in "the belly of the whale" simply means to be in a dark place with no way out.
A living death.

Answer 8

God said he was in a large fish, I believe. But Jesus seemed to think he was in a whale. (Maybe it was the other way around?) It's that whole father/son competitive thing, I guess!

Answer 9

Matthew 12:40

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.

Answer 10

Accually, the Bible says that it was a great fish. It doesn't tell us what kind, but it wasn't a whale.