Do you think that Jonah really stayed inside the belly of a fish for 3 days & 3 nights?

Answer 1

The Fish that Swallowed Jonah
May 26th, 2007 by Bro. Eli

They alleged that “Jonah did not live inside a fish’s stomach for three days like the Bible says”— another blatant lie from these ‘imaginary people! The Bible never said that Jonah lived in the fish’s stomach for three days. What was said is recorded on 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.”

What the verse says is that Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. What kind of a fish swallowed Jonah? It is a non-carnivorous fish. So, it does not have digestive enzymes, like a carnivorous fish, that can hastily kill Jonah. How do we know that it is a non-carnivorous fish? Jonah 2:1-5 has this to say:

“Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.”

The fish which swallowed Jonah is not carnivorous because it feeds on weeds! The Lord Jesus Christ, in the book of Matthew, gives us an idea of what was the condition of Jonah inside the belly of the ‘great fish’.

(Matthew 12:40) “for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

When the Lord Jesus Christ was in the ‘heart of the earth’, His body was dead or unconscious. The probability of Jonah being also in the same situation can be gleaned by the use of the phrase “for as Jonah… so will the Son of Man be.” This is evidenced by what Jonah said on:

(Jonah 2:6) “I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.


(Jonah 2:1-2) “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, Saying, “I called to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and thou didst hear my voice.” (RSV)

Of course, it is not impossible for God to bring Jonah back to life if he died for three days and three nights, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that he lived in the ‘fish stomach’ for three days and three nights. I hope that you can see the ignorance of this imaginary people, with imaginary intelligence, and imaginary scientific mind! What they charge the Bible as ‘scientific nonsense’ is exactly scientific. Scientifically, there are fish large enough to allow a man to stay in its belly. Scientifically, there are non-carnivorous fish.

Uric Acid: Toxic Component of Meat to Humans

About 5% of the flesh volume of all animals consists of waste material called uric acid that is normally eliminated by the kidneys. Uric acid is a poison to humans because it is toxic and non-metabolizable. Nearly 100% of Americans suffer some form of osteoporosis which is due in large part, to the acidic end-products of meat (and grain) eating. All carnivorous animals however, secrete the enzyme uricase that breaks down uric acid so it can be readily eliminated. Humans do not generate this enzyme. Instead, we ABSORB uric acid when meat is eaten. As a result, calcium-urate crystals form and concentrate in joints, feet, and in the lower back. These deposits lead to arthritis, gout, rheumatism, bursitis, and lower back pain. Humans are physiologically unsuited to utilizing meat as food. Natural carnivores swallow hunks of carrion almost unchewed, and the flesh is digested in the stomach with ease and facility. If humans were to do the same, we would digest very little of it before putrefaction set in and illness ensued. For humans, meat is a pathogenic and nutritionally deficient food.

Saliva pH Varies Widely Among Species

The saliva pH of various species is another determinant of their natural diet. In carnivores, their saliva glands are small and secrete an acid saliva having little or no effect on starch, which makes sense since flesh is virtually starch-free. Omnivores (like pigs) have tremendous salivary glands that secrete copious quantities of starch-splitting enzymes. Humans only have one starch-splitting enzyme, versus a multitude of them in omnivores and other natural starch-eating animals. Our ptyalin is very limited. This rules us out as being true granivores (starch-eaters) which includes grains and cereals. Frugivores have salivary glands that secrete alkaline saliva, containing only moderate amounts of ptyalin, which initiates starch digestion. This tells us that humans and other frugivores can easily digest the small amount of starch contained in fresh fruits, nuts, and leafy greens, and that humans are not intended to subsist on a diet of highly starchy grain foods as many currently do. (Diabetes mellitus is largely the result of consuming large amounts of refined sugars and starches. Even eating predominantly of whole grains and natural legumes as dietary staples can be injurious because of the need for excessive starch digestion). (http://www.iol.ie/~creature/BiologicalAdaptations.htm)

Scientifically, carnivorous fish has digestive enzymes in its stomach that works in the digestion of protein. Jonah is a man made up of protein. Scientifically, the fish that swallowed him is not a carnivorous fish. It has weeds in its belly. Its digestive enzymes are different from those of carnivorous fish. So, what happened to Jonah is scientifically possible. Of course, it miraculously happened also!

(Luke 18:27) “And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

http://esoriano.wordpress.com/2007/05/26/the-fish-that-swallowed-jonah/

Answer 2

No! Its a story! Many people believe that the writings in the Bible are the actual words of God and take them literally (actually 1/3 of Americans believe this - Gallup Poll). Lets look at this realistically... When was the last time you heard of an individual being wholly swallowed by an animal and surviving? Its just not true. The story is not about proving that the fish/whale or Jonah for that matter, is real. The story is about God's great mercy towards all. Even though Jonah has turned his back on God and is running away from him, God is still merciful to Jonah and lets him live. This is a great story to show that even though there is an omnipotent and awesomely powerful diety over all of us, that God is merciful and benevolent. These stories were created to teach a lesson in grandiose fashion. Just like in Aesop's fables, they are told as colorful stories in order to teach a valuable moral lesson. By the way I'm a recovering Catholic and I view organized religion as a way to create followers instead of open-minded thinkers. There is a lot of good stuff in the Bible if you read it as a book of mythology and not a record of actual and historical facts.

Answer 3

That's not possible, there is no fish that is big enough to hold a whole human man in the belly. Even if it was a blue whale (not a fish), there would be digestive acids and enzymes and the lack of air. Jonah would have died.

Edit: Drewster's argument is flawed and not scientifically valid. Even herbivorous fish require enzymes and acids for digestion and they would do quite a bit of damage to the soft flesh of human tissue as the cell walls of plants are harder to digest. Saliva is the least of his worries. There are NO fish that could house a man and enough air in its belly (stomach, viscera, abdomen, nowhere).

Answer 4

Yes, just as Christ stayed in the grave and arose on the third day, Jonah stayed in the belly of I believe a whale.

Answer 5

Yes. But I think he was dead. And brought back to life.
And for those that base the length of Jes's stay in the tomb, the Sabbath talked about in the gospels is actually the Passover Sabbath, which meant that he was in the tomb for three days and nights.
And if God is capable of miracles, then he is quite capable of taking care of Jonah.

Answer 6

Well, it is in the inerrant word of god, isn't it? So it must be true, along with the fact that Pi = 3, the bat is a bird, the earth is square, insects having 4 legs and all the other godly truths unfortunately at odds with sinful reality!

Answer 7

I sure do. But let me ask you a question: are you going to let a fish story prevent you from embracing eternal life? Many skeptics and scoffers try to find ways to discredit the Bible by attacking side stories or details while ignoring the major issue: Is there life after death?

Fishes and dinosaurs aside, the Bible can be boiled down to a simple acrostic: GOSPEL

G: God created man to be in perfect fellowship and communion with Him (Genesis 1 and 2)

O: Our sins separate us from God and condemn us to death, both physically and spiritually (Genesis 3)

S: Sins can not be atoned for by good deeds. We can never be perfect or measure up to God's standard of perfection to save ourselves. (Genesis 4 to Malachi)

P: Paying for sins Jesus Christ, God's Only Begotten Son, came to Earth as a man 2,000 years ago, lived a sinless life, yet suffered the penalty of death on a cross. (Matthew - John)

E: Everyone who trusts in Jesus alone for salvation and makes Him Lord of their life has the assurance of eternal life (Acts - Jude)

L: Life eternal is dwelling with Jesus and the saints forever in the New Heaven and the New Earth (Revelations)

Are you going to choose Hell because of a big fish?

Think about it.

Answer 8

no I think 2 nights the transaltion 3 days often comes from the third day meaning day after tomorow. Jesus' body was in the tomb only 2 nights he rose the tird on day.

Answer 9

No more so than I believe Geppetto made a wooden boy Pinocchio who was turned into a real boy by the Blue Fairy was swallowed by Monstro the whale...

http://www.parrocchie.it/carmagnola/collegiata/docs/oratorio/Pinocchioimmagini/Pinocchio%20Creazione%20copia.jpg

http://www.dvdreview.com/fullreviews/Images/Pinocchio/Pinocchio3.jpg

http://www.fi-donc.nl/artwork/disney/q-pinocchio.jpg


http://www.tias.com/stores/potp/pictures/ep1085a.jpg

Both are fairy tales... Pinocchio is much more riveting....

Answer 10

yes, it is writte i nthe Quran
to know more visit www.islamonline.net

Answer 11

Of course not. It is all symbolic.