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Jonah 2 · Grade 5

A Prayer from the Depths

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Read and Think

Jonah prayed to Yahweh, his God, out of the fish's belly. His prayer is a song of thanks that looks back on his rescue. He called because of his affliction to Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him. Out of the belly of Sheol, the place of the dead, he cried, and God heard his voice. Jonah treats the fish not as a punishment but as the way God saved him from drowning.

Jonah remembers sinking. The flood was all around him, and God's waves and billows passed over him. The waters surrounded him, the weeds wrapped around his head, and he went down to the bottoms of the mountains. He felt banished from God's sight, yet he resolved to look again toward God's holy temple. Then comes the turning point, as Jonah prays, yet you have brought my life up from the pit, Yahweh my God.

When his soul fainted, Jonah remembered Yahweh, and his prayer came in to God's holy temple. He contrasts those who regard vain idols, who forsake their own mercy, with his own promise to sacrifice with the voice of thanksgiving and pay what he vowed. He ends with a short summary of the whole book: salvation belongs to Yahweh. Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it put Jonah out on the dry land.

Show What You Know

  1. What is Sheol, as Jonah uses it?

  2. What is the turning point in verse 6?

  3. What contrast does Jonah draw in verses 8-9?

  4. How does Jonah summarize God's work in verse 9?

Crossword

34251

Across

  1. ____ belongs to Yahweh.
  2. Yet I will look again toward your holy ____.

Down

  1. Then Jonah ____ to Yahweh.
  2. Then Yahweh spoke to the ____.
  3. But I will sacrifice to you with the ____ of thanksgiving.

Think About It

  1. Jonah remembered Yahweh when he had nowhere else to turn. How can you remember God before trouble comes?

  2. Salvation belongs to Yahweh. What does it mean to you that you cannot save yourself, but God can?

Memory Verse

But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”

Jonah 2:9 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for hearing me when I call. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How can you praise God even before your problem is fixed?
  • What Bible verse or song helps you when you feel low?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.