Jonah Series: Jonah 2:4-Jonah Thought He Was Banished From The Lord’s Sight And That He Would Never Again See His Holy Temple
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday February 8, 2026
Jonah Series: Jonah 2:4-Jonah Thought He Was Banished From The Lord’s Sight And That He Would Never Again See His Holy Temple
Lesson # 23
In Jonah 2:4, Jonah reveals that he thought he was banished from the Lord’s sight and that he would never again see the Lord’s holy temple.
Jonah 2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ 5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” 10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (NIV84)
“I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight’” presents the result of Jonah’s statements in verse 3.
The emphatic statement “You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me” affirms the events and circumstances that led to Jonah crying out to the Lord in prayer to deliver him from death.
This statement is an acknowledgement on the part of Jonah that Yahweh was responsible for his being thrown into the sea.
The phrase “the currents swirled about me” presents result of the Lord causing the crew to cast Jonah into the sea and begins to describe Jonah’s experience of drowning.
“All your waves and breakers swept over me” describes in further detail Jonah’s experience in drowning.
“I have been banished” is the verb gā∙rǎš (גָּרַשׁ), which means “to expel” or “drive out” and implies that Jonah concluded while drowning that by dying he was losing the opportunity and privilege to worship in the presence of the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem because of his disobedience.
This word and the prepositional phrase to follow “from Your sight” do not mean that Jonah concluded he lost his eternal relationship with the Lord because of his disobedience.
Nor, do they indicate that he lost fellowship since Jonah already knows he is out of fellowship because of his disobedience and the discipline he has received.
Rather, they denote that he would no longer be able to worship in the Lord’s presence in the temple in Jerusalem.
Physical death would deprive him of the opportunity and privilege of worshipping the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem.
The Lord’s presence was found in the temple in Jerusalem.
The Israelites would worship the Lord in this temple in Jerusalem.
They considered themselves to be in the Lord’s presence while doing so.
If Jonah died, he could no longer go to this temple and considered that his physical death would drive him out from the Lord’s presence.
“From Your sight” denotes that Jonah is expelled by the Lord from His presence in the temple in Jerusalem.
So this statement “I have been banished from Your sight” expresses Jonah’s conclusion as a result of drowning that his death would prevent him from worshipping the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem.
“Yet I will look again” is composed of the adverb ʾǎḵ (אֵיךְ), “yet” and the verb yā∙sǎp̄ (יָסַף), “I will again” and the and the preposition le (לְ) and the verb nā∙ḇǎṭ (נָבַט), “look.”
The alternate vocalization אֵיךְ (’ekh), “how” is the original and not ʾǎḵ (אֵיךְ), “yet” indicating that Jonah is asking a rhetorical question that expresses denial.
Though the external evidence favors the MT; the internal evidence seems to favor the alternate vocalization tradition reflected in Theodotion for several reasons.
The translation with the alternate vocalization would be translated, ‘How shall I again look at your holy temple?’ (cf. NRSV).
Jonah laments that he will not be able to worship at the temple in Jerusalem again, which is a metonymical statement (effect for cause) meaning that he feels certain that he is about to die.
It continues the expression of Jonah’s distress and separation from the Lord, begun in verse 2 and continued without relief in verses 3–7a.
The external evidence favors the MT; however, internal evidence seems to favor the alternate vocalization tradition reflected in Theodotion for four reasons:
First, the form of the psalm is a declarative praise in which Jonah begins with a summary praise (verse 2), continues by recounting his past plight
(vv. 3–6a) and the Lord’s intervention (vv. 6b–7), and concludes with a lesson (v. 8) and vow to praise (v. 9).
So the statement with אֵךְ in v. 4 falls within the plight – not within a declaration of confidence.
Second, while the poetic parallelism of verse 4 could be antithetical (‘I have been banished from your sight, yet I will again look to your holy temple’), synonymous parallelism fits the context of the lament better (‘I have been banished from your sight; Will I ever again see your holy temple?’).
Third, אֵךְ is the more difficult vocalization because it is a defectively written form of אֵיךְ (‘how?’) and therefore easily confused with אַךְ (‘surely’ or ‘yet, nevertheless’).
Fourth, nothing in the first half of the psalm reflects any inkling of confidence on the part of Jonah that he would be delivered from imminent death.
In fact, Jonah states in verse 7 that he did not turn to God in prayer until sometime later when he was on the very brink of death.
Therefore, the alternate vocalization אֵיךְ (’ekh), “how” is the original and introduces a rhetorical question that expresses denial expressing Jonah’s despair that he would never see the Lord’s temple again.
So Jonah is asserting that he will no longer continue to worship the Lord in His holy temple rather than asserting his surety that he will be delivered or that he will pray in the face of this great adversity.
The verb yā∙sǎp̄ (יָסַף) means “to continue” when used with the preposition le (לְ) and the infinitive as we have here referring to the repetition of an action and refers to Jonah “continuing” to look towards the temple in Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
The verb nā∙ḇǎṭ (נָבַט) means “to look in a specific direction” and is used of Jonah looking in the direction of the temple in Jerusalem in order to worship the Lord.
“Toward Your holy temple” describes Solomon’s temple as set apart exclusively for the worship of Yahweh or in other words dedicated solely for the use of worshipping Yahweh.
So the rhetorical question “How will I continue to look towards Your holy temple?” expresses Jonah’s despair that he will never again worship the Lord in Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem and he is in effect saying that he will never again see the temple of Solomon.
Jonah Series: Jonah 2:4-Jonah Thought He Was Banished From The Lord’s Sight And That He Would Never Again See His Holy Temple
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday February 8, 2026
Jonah Series: Jonah 2:4-Jonah Thought He Was Banished From The Lord’s Sight And That He Would Never Again See His Holy Temple
Lesson # 23
In Jonah 2:4, Jonah reveals that he thought he was banished from the Lord’s sight and that he would never again see the Lord’s holy temple.
Jonah 2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ 5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” 10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (NIV84)
“I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight’” presents the result of Jonah’s statements in verse 3.
The emphatic statement “You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me” affirms the events and circumstances that led to Jonah crying out to the Lord in prayer to deliver him from death.
This statement is an acknowledgement on the part of Jonah that Yahweh was responsible for his being thrown into the sea.
The phrase “the currents swirled about me” presents result of the Lord causing the crew to cast Jonah into the sea and begins to describe Jonah’s experience of drowning.
“All your waves and breakers swept over me” describes in further detail Jonah’s experience in drowning.
“I have been banished” is the verb gā∙rǎš (גָּרַשׁ), which means “to expel” or “drive out” and implies that Jonah concluded while drowning that by dying he was losing the opportunity and privilege to worship in the presence of the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem because of his disobedience.
This word and the prepositional phrase to follow “from Your sight” do not mean that Jonah concluded he lost his eternal relationship with the Lord because of his disobedience.
Nor, do they indicate that he lost fellowship since Jonah already knows he is out of fellowship because of his disobedience and the discipline he has received.
Rather, they denote that he would no longer be able to worship in the Lord’s presence in the temple in Jerusalem.
Physical death would deprive him of the opportunity and privilege of worshipping the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem.
The Lord’s presence was found in the temple in Jerusalem.
The Israelites would worship the Lord in this temple in Jerusalem.
They considered themselves to be in the Lord’s presence while doing so.
If Jonah died, he could no longer go to this temple and considered that his physical death would drive him out from the Lord’s presence.
“From Your sight” denotes that Jonah is expelled by the Lord from His presence in the temple in Jerusalem.
So this statement “I have been banished from Your sight” expresses Jonah’s conclusion as a result of drowning that his death would prevent him from worshipping the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem.
“Yet I will look again” is composed of the adverb ʾǎḵ (אֵיךְ), “yet” and the verb yā∙sǎp̄ (יָסַף), “I will again” and the and the preposition le (לְ) and the verb nā∙ḇǎṭ (נָבַט), “look.”
The alternate vocalization אֵיךְ (’ekh), “how” is the original and not ʾǎḵ (אֵיךְ), “yet” indicating that Jonah is asking a rhetorical question that expresses denial.
Though the external evidence favors the MT; the internal evidence seems to favor the alternate vocalization tradition reflected in Theodotion for several reasons.
The translation with the alternate vocalization would be translated, ‘How shall I again look at your holy temple?’ (cf. NRSV).
Jonah laments that he will not be able to worship at the temple in Jerusalem again, which is a metonymical statement (effect for cause) meaning that he feels certain that he is about to die.
It continues the expression of Jonah’s distress and separation from the Lord, begun in verse 2 and continued without relief in verses 3–7a.
The external evidence favors the MT; however, internal evidence seems to favor the alternate vocalization tradition reflected in Theodotion for four reasons:
First, the form of the psalm is a declarative praise in which Jonah begins with a summary praise (verse 2), continues by recounting his past plight
(vv. 3–6a) and the Lord’s intervention (vv. 6b–7), and concludes with a lesson (v. 8) and vow to praise (v. 9).
So the statement with אֵךְ in v. 4 falls within the plight – not within a declaration of confidence.
Second, while the poetic parallelism of verse 4 could be antithetical (‘I have been banished from your sight, yet I will again look to your holy temple’), synonymous parallelism fits the context of the lament better (‘I have been banished from your sight; Will I ever again see your holy temple?’).
Third, אֵךְ is the more difficult vocalization because it is a defectively written form of אֵיךְ (‘how?’) and therefore easily confused with אַךְ (‘surely’ or ‘yet, nevertheless’).
Fourth, nothing in the first half of the psalm reflects any inkling of confidence on the part of Jonah that he would be delivered from imminent death.
In fact, Jonah states in verse 7 that he did not turn to God in prayer until sometime later when he was on the very brink of death.
Therefore, the alternate vocalization אֵיךְ (’ekh), “how” is the original and introduces a rhetorical question that expresses denial expressing Jonah’s despair that he would never see the Lord’s temple again.
So Jonah is asserting that he will no longer continue to worship the Lord in His holy temple rather than asserting his surety that he will be delivered or that he will pray in the face of this great adversity.
The verb yā∙sǎp̄ (יָסַף) means “to continue” when used with the preposition le (לְ) and the infinitive as we have here referring to the repetition of an action and refers to Jonah “continuing” to look towards the temple in Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
The verb nā∙ḇǎṭ (נָבַט) means “to look in a specific direction” and is used of Jonah looking in the direction of the temple in Jerusalem in order to worship the Lord.
“Toward Your holy temple” describes Solomon’s temple as set apart exclusively for the worship of Yahweh or in other words dedicated solely for the use of worshipping Yahweh.
So the rhetorical question “How will I continue to look towards Your holy temple?” expresses Jonah’s despair that he will never again worship the Lord in Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem and he is in effect saying that he will never again see the temple of Solomon.