We recently had an interesting enquiry regarding the truth about Jonah and the fish. Should this passage be interpreted figuratively and seen as a story or as a historical fact? Before we answer this question, we need to agree on the authenticity of the Bible. One also needs to be able to interpret scripture correctly through exegeses. Scripture needs to be interpreted or explained through the use of other scriptures in the Bible (the same way Jesus did).

If you agree with the above, there is no way that you can question the truth about Jonah and his time in the belly of the fish. The book of Jonah starts off by confirming in verse one that "The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai ...". This simply means that God Himself spoke to Jonah, telling him to go to Nineveh.

The question still remains, whether he really was in belly of the fish. This is confirmed, without a doubt in Matt 12:40, where Jesus Himself speaks to the scribes and pharisees, saying"... for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth..."

What more do we need to believe that this really happened? The fact remains, the Word of God is true...