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Jonah 02 General Notes
Structure and formatting
This chapter begins with a prayer by Jonah, and many translators have chosen to set it apart by indenting its lines. Translators can follow this practice, but they are not obligated to indent the lines.
Special concepts in this chapter
Sea
This chapter contains many terms from the sea.
Important figures of speech in this chapter
Poetry
Prayers in Scripture often contain a poetic form. Poetry frequently uses metaphors to communicate something with a special meaning. For example, since Jonah was in a fish in the sea, being trapped is compared to a prison. Jonah is overwhelmed by the depth of the sea and expresses this by speaking about the at the "base of the mountains" and in the "belly of Sheol." (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Repentance
Scholars are divided over whether Jonah's repentance was genuine or whether he was trying to save his life. In light of his attitude in chapter 4, it is uncertain if he was genuinely repentant. If possible, it is best for translators to avoid making a definitive stance on whether Jonah's repentance was genuine. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/repent and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/save)