וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֣ל יוֹנָ֔ה אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו מִמְּעֵ֖י הַדָּגָֽה׃
Lalu Yunus berdoa kepada Yang Mahakekal, Allahnya, dari dalam perut ikan itu.
Depths of Yonah
The other commentaries do not find this approach to be attractive as it places Pasuk 5 entirely out of order. Pasuk 5 clearly is Yonah’s response to Hashem’s telling him “HaHeiteiv Charah Lach,” “are sufficiently fed up?” in Pasuk 4. Moreover, the principle of “Ein Mukdam UMeuchar BaTorah” is applied only when there is a compelling reason to do so. There is hardly a compelling reason to present Yonah’s waiting for Nineveh’s reaction after Hashem’s question in Perek 4 Pasuk 4. Interestingly, Ibn Ezra to Yonah 2:2 offers a similar critique of those who argue that Yonah’s Tefilah of Perek 2 was uttered only after he was spat out of the large fish.
Rabbeinu Bahya
You are aware that the sages in Bereshit Rabbah 82, have already stipulated that the patriarchs are the true מרכבה, “carriers of the Presence and glory of G’d.” You are also aware that based on Ezekiel’s vision in chapter one of Ezekiel, as interpreted in Berachot 16 that there were only three patriarchs, i.e. Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. Four such carriers are needed. But only three people have qualified as “patriarchs” (compare Berachot 16). We know this because G’d describes Himself only as אלוקי אברהם, אלוקי יצחק, ואלוקי יעקב (Exodus 3,15). We do not find that the prophets such as Moses or Jonah ever qualified for G’d calling Himself: “the G’d of Moses, or the G’d of Jonah.” Although we find that Moses is described as imploring his G’d in Exodus 32,11 (ויחל משה את פני ה' אלוקיו) and something similar in the case of Jonah, this does not mean that these prophets qualified as being part of the מרכבה, the Divine entourage, or “chariot.” There is not a single instance in which G’d associates His name in an exclusive manner with either of these two prophets. On the other hand, we do find G’d saying to Chiskiyah in Kings II 20,5 אלוקי דוד אביך, “the G’d of your father David.”
Rabbeinu Bahya
אולי נטתה מפני, “if she had not turned aside on my account, etc.” The word אולי which often means: “maybe, perchance,” here means “if not.” The words “instead of killing her” clearly demonstrate that after the she-ass spoke the angel killed her. He now told her that the she-ass’s very speaking had been the reason he had spared her master, Bileam.
The Midrash cites another possible reason for the ass being killed, namely to prevent the Emorites deifying an ass that was able to speak like a human being (Tanchuma Balak 9). A third reason is simply that the ass had performed the function it had been created for and kept in limbo since dusk on the sixth day of creation (Avot 5,8). We observe a similar phenomenon with the fish whose purpose on earth (in water) had been to swallow and subsequently spit out Jonah. We read in the Book of Jonah 2,2: “G’d appointed a large fish, דג גדול, to swallow Jonah.” The reason that fish was described as גדול “large,” is “great in years,” i.e.very old. Although there were many fish in the sea with bodies larger than that which swallowed Jonah, there was none that was as old, i.e. which had been assigned this particular task since the days of creation.The intention of the author of the Book of Jonah in writing the word וימן is to tell us that this fish and none other had been appointed for this specific task already during the dawn of history. This thought is also reflected in the word לבלוע, “in order to swallow,” instead of the simple ויבלע, “it swallowed,” when the Book of Jonah describes this fish. The peculiar wording alerts us to the fact that the sole purpose of G’d creating this fish when He did was to swallow Jonah. It is also peculiar that initially the fish is described as דג, fish (masculine) whereas in the course of the narrative the author changes to describe it as דגה, fish (feminine). Jonah is described as praying from the entrails of the דגה (Jonah 2,2) after he had first spent three days inside the דג. The term דגה repeatedly occurs as describing dead fish such as in Exodus 7,21 when the fish of the river Nile which had died due to the plague of blood are described as והדגה אשר ביאור מתו. [Perhaps the fact that the fish had died was the catalyst which caused Jonah to pray. Ed.]. When he said: מבטן שאול שועתי, “I have cried out from the belly of Sheol,” he meant that the fish had become his grave (Jonah 2,3).
The Midrash cites another possible reason for the ass being killed, namely to prevent the Emorites deifying an ass that was able to speak like a human being (Tanchuma Balak 9). A third reason is simply that the ass had performed the function it had been created for and kept in limbo since dusk on the sixth day of creation (Avot 5,8). We observe a similar phenomenon with the fish whose purpose on earth (in water) had been to swallow and subsequently spit out Jonah. We read in the Book of Jonah 2,2: “G’d appointed a large fish, דג גדול, to swallow Jonah.” The reason that fish was described as גדול “large,” is “great in years,” i.e.very old. Although there were many fish in the sea with bodies larger than that which swallowed Jonah, there was none that was as old, i.e. which had been assigned this particular task since the days of creation.The intention of the author of the Book of Jonah in writing the word וימן is to tell us that this fish and none other had been appointed for this specific task already during the dawn of history. This thought is also reflected in the word לבלוע, “in order to swallow,” instead of the simple ויבלע, “it swallowed,” when the Book of Jonah describes this fish. The peculiar wording alerts us to the fact that the sole purpose of G’d creating this fish when He did was to swallow Jonah. It is also peculiar that initially the fish is described as דג, fish (masculine) whereas in the course of the narrative the author changes to describe it as דגה, fish (feminine). Jonah is described as praying from the entrails of the דגה (Jonah 2,2) after he had first spent three days inside the דג. The term דגה repeatedly occurs as describing dead fish such as in Exodus 7,21 when the fish of the river Nile which had died due to the plague of blood are described as והדגה אשר ביאור מתו. [Perhaps the fact that the fish had died was the catalyst which caused Jonah to pray. Ed.]. When he said: מבטן שאול שועתי, “I have cried out from the belly of Sheol,” he meant that the fish had become his grave (Jonah 2,3).