Tag: fish

The Heart Of Jonah

Dale Pollard

The book of Jonah is a unique book in the Old Testament. Unlike other prophetic books, God chooses to focus on the prophet himself rather than the message being preached by him. While many lessons can be pulled from this four chapter book, there’s one in particular that we can all benefit from hearing from time to time. That lesson is that in order for true change to occur in our lives there must be a genuine transformation of the heart.

The book begins with God’s call to Jonah to preach to the wicked people of Nineveh and then closes with God’s response to Jonah’s anger at the penitent hearts of the Ninevites. Between these two divine speeches you read about the prophet’s incredible experience in the belly of a great fish. Many artist’s have painted pictures of Jonah desperately trying to keep his head above the waves while a terrifying monster breeches the surface with its mouth wide open preparing to swallow him. While this may be the image that comes to mind, Jonah gives us an interesting detail in his prayer. He recalls how the waters closed over him and he eventually reaches the sea floor where he is helplessly tangled in the weeds. While the murky waters cloud his vision his fate seemed very clear. Jonah admits that he called out to the Lord provoked by his great distress and this mental plea was a desperate attempt to preserve his life. God answers this cry by sending him a slippery savior. Jonah, while known to be a little on the dramatic side, will later recall how it was in the moment when his life was fainting away that he “remembered the Lord.” God saved a blatantly rebellious man who in no way deserved that salvation but He also allowed Jonah to reach great depths and come face to face with his own spiritual reality. Jonah was a long way from God, but not geographically.

Before Jonah became soaked by the stormy seas, he was soaked in a sin problem that had taken root in his heart. God allowed Jonah to physically experience rock bottom so that he could acknowledge some spiritual issues that distanced him from God. While Jonah may have desired to run from God, he came to the conclusion that being away from God was not the relief he thought it would be.

As traumatic as this event was, Jonah seems to emerge from the belly of the fish with lingering spiritual issues. Though he preaches to the city of Nineveh, there is still anger and hatred dominating his heart. The last chapter gives us a glimpse of this as he directs this anger towards the very God that saved him. In order for true change to occur, there must be a genuine change of heart. While low points can help us examine our heart health for a moment, relentless determination to live life differently is the key to success. A hopeful reminder for anyone who may find themselves in the depths of sin, there is no place too dark where God is not able to hear your prayers. 

Jonah’s Monster: A Historical and Biological Investigation 

Dale Pollard

The biblical account of Jonah being swallowed by a “great fish” (often called a whale) has long been under scrutiny by biblical skeptics. This short investigation hits a few  different areas that may give the reader some more food for thought. 

We’ll cook up a theory using— 

  1. Some historical maritime context of ancient seafaring practices
  2. A sprinkle of marine biology
  3. A pinch of paleontology
  4. A tad of textual linguistics
  5. A ladle of literary evidence

With all that we’ll explore some plausible candidates for the big fish.

Potential Location of the Storm and Jonah’s Route

The Mediterranean stretch between Rhodes and Cyprus was notoriously treacherous. Jonah sailed from Joppa (modern Jaffa, Israel) toward Tarshish (likely Spain), covering approximately 430 oceanic miles from Rhodes to Joppa or a neighboring Phoenician port. The route passed close by Rhodes and Cyprus, exposing vessels to sudden violent storms. 

This seems to be a decent area to focus on. While other parts of the Mediterranean are known to be more dangerous, they’re closer to Spain. No marine animal capable of swallowing a human could make that swim in just three days. While it could have been a specialized super-swimmer designed by God— for the purpose of this article we’re going to stick with candidates that were currently aware of. 

Candidate Creatures

1. Sperm Whale 

Probably the most common theory, for good reason. Sperm whales have

•  Large sinus air chamber and integrated blowhole allowed any gobbled prophets to breathe. 

•  Massive throat capable of swallowing large prey whole instead of crushing or suffocating 

2. Fin Whale (Detailed Physiology)

From the Christian Research Journal (Vol. 48, No. 03, 2025), the fin whale’s lunge-feeding allows it to engulf enormous volumes of water (60–82 m³). Its forestomach can hold ~500 L of fluid, but the narrow esophagus (~10 cm) suggests Jonah was likely held in the expandable oropharynx (“belly”). Survival challenges include trauma, hypothermia, slippery surfaces, and air supply (mitigated by frequent surfacing every 5–15 minutes). 

3. Basilosaurus (extinct) 

•  Fits biblical themes of large serpentine sea monster (Amos 9.3) 

•  Fluid-filled bones for near-surface swimming

•  Elbow-like fins for shallow-water maneuverability, ideal for expelling prey onto beaches.

•  Ancient artwork in the region resembles it. This is perhaps the coolest point that we’ll revisit. 

4. Megalodon (Otodus megalodon)

•  Largest known shark in the ancient Mediterranean, up to 50 feet long.

Was It a Whale, a Fish, or a “Ketos”?

Hebrew dag gadol (“great fish”) and Greek ketos (used in the Septuagint and Matthew 12:40) are general terms for a large sea creature or monster, not precise biological categories. Historian Bill Cooper and others note that ketos consistently referred to a dog-headed sea-dragon or serpent in ancient Mediterranean mind. Dr. Henry Morris notes its “mega-sized” connotations. 

Ancient writers used specific terms for such creatures, while New Testament authors employed broader language.

Ancient Literary and Artistic Evidence for the “Ketos”

Historical evidence from authors and historians who best knew the Mediterranean Sea consistently used ketos to mean “a sea serpent.”

 This is supported by:

•  Literary sources (from ca. 700 B.C. onward): Homer (9th–8th century B.C.), Euripides, Aristophanes, Lycophron, Aristophanes (various dates), Manilius, Marcus Terentius Varro, Diodorus Siculus, Claudius Aelianus, Oppian of Apamea, Pausanias, Eustathius, Hesychius, and Johannes Moschus, among others.

Artistic depictions: 

First-century paintings from a Roman catacomb show Jonah being thrown into the sea monster with a dog-like head, flexible neck, and often coiled body. Numerous artifacts (carvings, coins, ivory, wood, stone) depict the ketos with a dog-like head, prominent teeth, plume-like flaps or frills above the head and neck, and a slender, coiled form. These consistent renderings across Rome, Africa, Turkey, and elsewhere strongly identify the ketos as a sea serpent.

The visual and textual tradition closely resembles creatures like Basilosaurus and supports a naturalistic but still divinely orchestrated interpretation of the biblical “monster.”

BONUS: 

Interesting Historical Sighting 

Strabo records Poseidonius’ eyewitness account (ca. 130–51 BC) of a massive “fallen dragon” (~30 m / 100 ft long) on the northern Levant coast with enormous jaws. It was so big that two riders on horse back couldn’t see each other if they were on either side of its belly. 

Bonus Notes: 

Clues from Jonah’s Prayer (Jonah 2) 

•  Repeated references to depth and deep water.

•  “Moors or roots of the mountains” — possibly the Eratosthenes Seamount near Cyprus.

•  Calypso Deep is the deepest point, Jonah might be referring to it. 

Travel Feasibility

A blue whale’s comfortable speed of ~5 mph could cover ~360 miles in the relevant Rhodes-area voyage, making that in distance in 72 hours (three days). 

References: 

•  Christian Research Journal, Vol. 48, No. 03 (2025).

•  Brian Thomas, Ph.D., Institute for Creation Research.

•  Bill Cooper, The Authenticity of the Book of Jonah (2012/2013).

•  Dr. Henry Morris on ketos.

•  Strabo, Poseidonius, and the extensive list of classical authors cited.

How Many Blades Of Grass Are There?

Tuesday’s Column: Dale Mail

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Dale Pollard

How many blades of grass are there?
According to one study, there are approximately 418,000,000 blades of grass for every person on the planet.

How many fish are in the sea?
Scientist admit that it’s nearly impossible to know the answer to this question but that hasn’t stopped several educated guesses. One study estimated around 3,500,000,000,000 as their total.

How many cars are there in the world?
There are around 1.446 billion cars total. America has approximately 350 million vehicles and Antarctica has about 50.

Psalm 90.12 states, “So teach us to number our days so that we might apply our hearts to wisdom.”

This verse has nothing to do with the actual length of our individual lives but it does deal with the human perspective of time. Nobody can accurately determine how many days or years they’ll be around for. That’s not for us to know and something we don’t have to concern ourselves with. This Psalm seems to point us all in a different direction. Instead of trying to count how many days we have left, we should view each day as our last. Here we see the connection between time management and our spiritual lives. Since we can’t know the exact day of our death, our time is best spent chasing His wisdom and the application of it. We’re essentially asking God to teach us to view our mortal lives the way He does and that only happens when we dedicate our ways to His words.

More Than A Fish Story!

Tuesday’s Column: Dale Mail

Dale Pollard

Some times it can feel like our life is a ship on the verge of breaking apart in a violent storm. Maybe we placed too much trust in the now creaking wooden planks that buckle and groan over dark turbulent waters. In a last stitch effort to stay afloat, we madly rush about throwing any non-essentials overboard.

At times we turn to anything or anyone in an attempt to discover some lifesaving advice— perhaps a miracle? If you’re a child of God, you’ve got access to salvation even in the storms. Jonah 1:4-5 depicts chaos, panic, and overwhelming fear. Those sailors on the boat with Jonah had no idea where they should turn for their salvation. With each passing moment their ship threatened to burst into splinters and “each one cried out to his god” (v. 5).

But Jonah? He’s asleep. He has some kind of knowledge and relationship with the Creator, but he doesn’t fully understand how powerful his God really is.

The application, then, is humbling. Today our communities are filled with people whose lives are rocked and they’re looking for a savior with lifesaving power. They turn to the things in which they’ve placed their trust, and to no avail. How many of us hold the answers they need, but at times find ourselves spiritually sleeping— selfishly keeping this message to ourselves?

Launch Out Into The Deep

Neal Pollard

When Jesus met Peter, it may have seemed like an ordinary day to the Galilean fisherman. Simon Peter and his partners had just spent a long night fishing with no results.  You can imagine they were irritated and frustrated, maybe even feeling sorry for themselves. Then, Jesus commandeered Simon’s boat and used it to teach. This presumably would have been Peter’s first impression of Christ, though we do not know how closely he was paying attention to the Lord.  In Luke 5:4, Jesus stops preaching to the crowd and addresses Peter. He says, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus has ulterior motives, but the command is for Peter to literally cast his nets to try to make a literal catch of fish. Immediately, though, Peter is exposed to something far greater than anything earthly or material. Notice how this account illustrates the call of scripture in which Christ tells us, like Peter to launch out into the deep in faith to do great things for Him.

Launch out into the deep…even if, despite great effort, you have failed in the past (Luke 5:5). Simon explained that he and his associates had struck out overnight. Jesus was telling him not to worry about the past. He tells us the same things today. If you have failed in trying to do right or have succeeded in doing wrong, don’t give up hope. Launch out again!

Launch out into the deep…at the prompting of God’s Word (Luke 5:5). Simon was willing. What a great character trait. He tells Jesus, “Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” Simon says, “I value and respect your word enough to try again where I failed in the past.” Do we trust God’s promises and revere God’s commands enough to keep trying and biting off big things for the Lord?

Launch out into the deep…and involve others with you (Luke 5:7). Of course, with the Lord’s help, Simon became a success. In fact, the disciple knew immediately that he was not big enough to tackle his opportunities alone. He got his partners involved. In the Lord’s church today, each of us as Christians are partners and associates together with Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-6:1). Launching out into the deep requires involving as many as possible, for the task is so great and too much for one alone.

Launch out into the deep…and astonishing things can happen (Luke 5:9-11). First, the catch of fish is astonishing to them. Then, Jesus’ commissioning of them is astonishing (to turn from fish to men). Finally, their response is astonishing. They get to land, leave their boats and all they have, and follow Jesus. Eventually, they change the entire world! Launch out into the deep.  Who knows what you can do through Christ (cf. Phil. 4:13), but it will be astonishingly amazing.

Obviously, this was about men and not about fish.  Jesus was not interested in making them rich fishermen in Galilee.  He was looking to enrich the people of Galilee and far beyond through these fishermen. All it took was for some men who believed in God’s power to launch out into the deep.