[V. 1.] "And Jonah was [in the body of the fish]."-[V. 3. "Out of the belly of hell," that is,] out of the body of the fish. - [Instead of inferi it should read] inferni.-[V. 4. Instead of] gurgites [would have been better translated] "thy billows" (fracturae tuae). - We hear the punishment of Jonah. It is an example of a sinner and lost man who is condemned and has been preserved in damnation. This example should be presented to all sinners. The Lord is present in death and can be preserved in death etc. He makes alive and kills [1 Sam. 2, 6.], he knows how to preserve in death and in hell. In the death [of Jonah] a greater danger is added, namely this is the fish that swallows him. He thought, "Deeper into the sea." It seemed to him as if he was going completely into the right hell; here he was certainly in the struggle of life with death. Faith began to fight after being drowned and swallowed etc. In the animal he felt that he was not yet dying. His song is witness to the thoughts he had in his heart. He felt that he was not yet dying, and yet he struggled with death. Such sighs in the face of death [like his] are inexpressible. There are two deaths: being drowned, and being consumed and digested in the fish, and yet here he feels the hand of God. He has always had death before his eyes: How? if he would now still be digested? 2) He is in darkness, he does not see the sun etc. "He must have had whimsical" thoughts etc. If it is not in
1) Instead of nimis we have assumed ornnikns.
2) Instead of dsAlutirstur, which does not seem to fit us well, we have assumed diMrerstur. In the Altenburg manuscript eonsumorstur is written.
of the Scriptures, one could hardly believe it etc. If God understands this art, who would not believe and trust Him? Here is a sinner in the greatest sin, in the greatest despair etc., and yet he is not abandoned.
V. 1. [But the Lord provided a great fishZ
The Hebrew verb means that something is in readiness etc., "he provided". In such a manner God orders all his things: he made to be there in readiness. - ["Three days and] three nights." "Whether that be whole," little is concerned with that. fIt will be] according to the figure of the synecdoche [spoken of] etc. He could not count [the days and nights] for fear etc. in the body of the whale, but afterward etc.
V. 2. 3. [And Jonah prayed to the Lord etc.]
But he prayed. Instead of 6xauäi8t1 it should be "you heard." This song describes how he had been in the body [of the fish], in the fear to sense. After his salvation, he put it into a song. - "I cried out." "Yes indeed." The song is against works, for mercy. - "In anguish" is "to do no more" than to despair of merits and works. One confesses his sins and does not despair of being unworthy of mercy. [Jonah] was a "bold man" who could cry out to God who was angry. One need not judge of God by what one feels. Sometimes one feels him as an angry one.
3) Instead of 8i in our template, we have assumed 8io.
should he therefore not be favorable? You feel him to be a gracious one,-is he therefore favorable? No. "Believe him not" when he "dealeth amicably," but fear. Believe him according to his mercy. The right gift of faith shall ever remain etc. - "And he answered 1) me," that "lacketh not." It is an imitation of what is written in the Psalm [Ps. 118, 5.], "In anguish I called upon the Lord, and the Lord heard me." He feels that his prayer has been heard, in the midst of the body [of the fish]. He who does not feel this does not pray well. [Every prayer must feel that it has been heard. In the Gospel it says Marc. 5, 30/: "And Jesus immediately felt from Himself the power that had gone out from Him" etc. He who does not believe that he is heard, is not heard. Fear made him call, not with the voice, but with the heart etc. - 2) "Out of the belly of hell." He speaks according to what is to his mind. Those who are in fear seem to go to hell. That is why when someone is in extreme tribulation, it is called the deepest hell. It seems as if they are afflicted by the whole world etc. It is not a certain place; there is nothing about it in Scripture etc. The word of God has upheld it. This is the hand of the Lord: the fish "would have digested" him; he sustains him by the word; "this" is what faith does.
V. 4. You threw me 3) into the deep in the middle of the sea.
He describes the tribulation etc. This is a long description of the sinking [into the sea] and the tribulation. - "That the floods compassed me about" etc. This is from the Psalm "As the Deer Cries" etc. [Ps. 42, 8.] - In corde maris, that is, into the depth of the sea, as Christ says [Matth. 12, 40.]: in in corde terrae, that is, "in the midst of the earth." [5 Mos.4, 11. it says: usque ad cor] [that means: "until
1) As a keyword is to be assumed here with the Erlangen edition, what also the Altenburg manuscript has, not Lxau6ikti, what the Weimar one offers. This proves the gloss at the beginning of this verse.
2) Already here, the Weimar edition has the verse number "4."
3) In our template eum instead of nw.
in the midst of heaven"] etc. It is a Hebrew way of speaking. Ps. 45, 6. reads: In ooraea iniinioornin rsZis, that is, in the midst. "Since the sea is deepest, enemies thickest" etc. - "That the floods surrounded me," "I was drowned." - [Instead of gurgites it should more correctly be] fracturae sheißei/ etc. Ps. 93, 3. reads: mirabiles elationes], [also found is] suspensurae, [where in German we say "Wogen und Wellen, Bülgen." "All thy billows and waves passed over me," all the impetuosity of the sea covered me etc. He says: "your" [waves], "that hurts". He judges that this did not happen by chance, but "you do [it], Lord". When one feels that God inflicted this, that is to feel the wrath of God: "You did it, you did it" 4) etc.
V. 5. 5) [That I thought I was cast out from your sight].
And I, as was to my mind at that time, 6) thought I was] cast out. "There he dies in body and soul." The floods drove him to despair. These signs forced me to say etc. These are deep inexpressible sighs of the spirit "in distress, from the bottom of it the heart groans." This is from the Psalm [Ps. 31, 23.], "I spoke in my trembling," that is, in my fear and hurrying away 7) [from you], I am cast out, that is, I shall never SEE YOU AGAIN; grace "is gone," and mercy I have lost. But I have deceived, and you have deceived me], 8) because I have judged you according to the feeling of my heart. This was his attitude; it was a struggle with despair, but it was not despair. In this struggle, despair seems to be victorious, faith to be defeated, the spirit to be lost etc. -Verumtamen etc., I do not understand. I take it in a negative, not in an affirmative way: "Do you also think" that I will ever see your temple again? etc. It is an exclamation. In the
4) In the original, "du thetts, du theils."
5) This verse number is missing in the Weimar edition.
6) This sentence has a question mark in our template and is drawn to the previous one,
7) In our template: tsstirmtious. Maybe trspiäatious or dssxwratious? .
8) Set by us according to the Altenburg manuscript instead of them.
Psalm "Israel nevertheless has God for comfort" [Ps. 73] this word is also written. I take it in a negative way: "I am gone", never etc. I do not know if he means to indicate the outward temple; it may be because it was then still in bloom. Do you think that I will come to Jerusalem? I would never have thought that etc. Wherever God dwells, that is what the prophets call the temple, whether you take it physically or spiritually.
V. 6. Water surrounds me to my very life.
"To my life," that is, to death. The sea had flowed around my head. The sea, in which there are reeds, the sea of reeds had surrounded my head with a bandage. The sea, which has on its shores. has reeds and rushes, "that was my crown". "In Moses [2 Mos. 28, 40. we read of] untying hoods", head bandages, "I shall one day become a peacock". Depths were around me, reeds embraced my head. The Hebrew word means storm etc., we have [in the Vulgate] pelagus.
V. 7. I sank down to the foundations of the mountains; the earth had shut me up forever.
"To the bottom of the mountains", where the mountains have an end, that is, to the deepest bottom of the sea. Thither I have sunk down, where the lowest of the mountains is. The earth "comprehended" me. I was locked up, as it were, etc., like one who is locked up with bolts. It was refused to him to go out, because he was as it were shut up with bolts. The earth with its bolts I had eternally before me, "around and around, must well remain". I thought, "There is never any escape here." All delay [of salvation] is the mother of impatience, and so with all who are in tribulations [the thought that it is] an eternity follows. - "But thou hast brought my life out of thy corruption (de perditione) 1)" is from the Psalm [Ps. 16, 10. Vulg.]: "Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption (corruptionem)." Thou wilt wholly deliver me from "corruption" (corruptione). "O Lord, thou wilt yet help."
1) The Vulgate also says here: oorruptious.
V. 8 When my soul was in despair, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you in your holy temple.
This is a motto. He decides "how one should do", as if he wanted to say: "This is how I have done, this is how others should do".] 2) When someone is in need, he remembers the Lord; "just remember" that you call. The short epitome of this song is: Works count for nothing, no man's holiness or wisdom. 3) If you should be "afraid", "drop everything" etc. "Call upon me in distress" etc. [Ps. 50, 15. "When I was in anguish and distress, I remembered the Lord."
V. 9. 4) Those who hold above that which is not, forsake their grace.
"This is what the Spirit "soon does" [that he, instructed by experience, teaches others also; 5) we see this] often in the Psalms. You cannot "serve God much" than by crying out to God in distress; it is nothing that you labor with works. Those who do this (illos), he calls people who hold above the void etc. - ^rustra. 6) They hold in vain over that which is void, that is, those works and that for which they care are void etc. These are the people who forsake their mercy, that is, they forsake the mercy which they should hope for from you. It comes to us to look to mercy. The mercy of God is ours because it is promised to us. It is necessary to hold on to it", but they are struggling with uncertain affirmations. "It grieves the spirit when it sees that the mercy is not respected.
2) Supplemented by us according to the Hall manuscript. Without this addition, it would be difficult to guess what the "Sinnspruch" should be.
8) The Erlanger offers here: 8umma Summarum ost tiusus Lärms f!s Opera uou... sauotitas, sa:; the Weimar: 8umma Summarum ost tiusus oarmiuis: opora uou suvaut, sauotitas, sauetitas. We have assumed, according to the Hallic manuscript: 8umma Summarum est tiusus earmims: spe-"" -ro-r saspioutias.
4) This verse number is missing in the Weimar one. The following is attached to v. 8.
5s Completed by us according to the Altenburg manuscript.
6) We hold that b'rustra, which is connected to the following in the editions without punctuation marks, is a new keyword.
7) Instead of viäoLt we have assumed viäot.
V. 10. But I will sacrifice with thanksgiving.
"I do not throw away the grace of God," says Paul [Gal. 2:21.] "Not much works" I know to teach, the voice of praise I will give you. "The voice of praise" (vox laudis) is thanksgiving. Ans der Noth er er Saved, "give thanks to] my GOtt" etc. "What I have vowed I will pay to my Lord for salvation." "Paying vows" is nothing other than giving thanks for being God's people and having Him as God, confessing and preaching.
to be God, that is, merciful. That is, paying vows. The vows I vowed to the Lord for helping me, that is, "I will praise you all my life".
V.11. And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spat out Jonah from the land.
Everything is done by God through His Word. God cannot abandon those who believe in Him etc. [Death must cast me into life, put shame in honor" etc.