And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

JONAH 2:10KJV
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Jonah 2:10 (KJV)

What does Jonah 2:10 mean?

Jonah 2:10 describes how God commanded the fish to release Jonah, and the fish responded by vomiting Jonah onto dry land. This verse marks the end of Jonah’s time inside the fish and shows that God is in control over even the creatures of the sea.

In this scene, the LORD speaks directly to the fish after Jonah’s prayer from inside its belly. The fish, which had swallowed Jonah earlier as a consequence of his actions, now obeys God’s command and deposits Jonah safely on land. The verse highlights both God’s authority over nature and the turning point in Jonah’s story, as he is given another chance.

The Hebrew behind Jonah 2:10

  • LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name for God used in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing God’s direct involvement and authority in the situation.
  • spake (אָמַר, ’amar): This word means “said” or “commanded.” The verse shows that God’s word alone is enough to move even a great fish.
  • fish (דָּג, dag): This is the general Hebrew word for fish, reminding the reader that the creature is not described in detail but is simply an instrument of God’s purpose.
  • dry (חָרָבָה, charabah): This word means “dry land,” emphasizing that Jonah is returned to a safe place, away from the dangers of the sea.

Why Jonah 2:10 matters

  • Jonah 2:10 clears up any idea that Jonah escaped the fish by his own effort; the verse stresses that it was God’s command that freed him.
  • The verse connects to the larger story by showing that God’s mercy and power are not limited by human circumstances—Jonah is given a fresh start.
  • Jonah 2:10 sets up the next phase of the narrative, where Jonah will have the opportunity to fulfill the mission God originally gave him.

Where else these words appear

“out” Hebrew H6958 · used in 7 verses

  • Leviticus 18:25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
  • Leviticus 20:22 Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.
  • Proverbs 23:8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

“dry” Hebrew H3004 · used in 14 verses

  • Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
  • Exodus 14:22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
  • Nehemiah 9:11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.

“Jonah” Hebrew H3124 · used in 17 verses

  • 2 Kings 14:25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.
  • Jonah 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
  • Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

“fish” Hebrew H1709 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 9:2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
  • Nehemiah 12:39 And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.
  • Ezekiel 38:20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.