Jonah 2:7
“When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →As his life ebbed away, Jonah remembered the LORD, and his prayer reached God in His holy temple.
What Does Jonah 2:7 Mean?
Jonah names the moment of turning. When his soul fainted within him, at the point of utter collapse, he remembered the LORD. To remember God in Scripture is not merely to recall a fact but to turn back to Him in trust. And his prayer, offered from the depths, came in unto God, into His holy temple. The distance between the belly of the fish and the throne of God was crossed in an instant by prayer.
There is deep comfort here. Even when our strength fails and our hearts grow faint, the memory of God can rise within us and become a lifeline. Jonah did not pray his way out by eloquence; he simply remembered the Lord and cried, and that cry reached heaven. Our prayers, however weak, are not lost in the dark. They come in unto God in His holy temple, heard and received. When we have nothing left, remembering the Lord is itself the beginning of being saved.
In the Original Language
zakar (זָכַר), 'remembered' -- to remember in a way that moves to action; Jonah's remembering of God is the turning of his heart back toward the Lord.