Jonah 2:6 (DRB)

Passage

The waters compassed me about even to the soul: the deep hath closed me round about, the sea hath covered my head.

Nearby Context

Jonah 2:4 And thou hast cast me forth into the deep, in the heart of the sea, and a flood hast compassed me: all thy billows, and thy waves have passed over me.

Jonah 2:5 And I said: I am cast away out of the sight of thy eyes: but yet I shall see the holy temple again.

Jonah 2:6 The waters compassed me about even to the soul: the deep hath closed me round about, the sea hath covered my head.

Jonah 2:7 I went down to the lowest parts of the mountains: the bars of the earth have shut me up for ever: and thou wilt bring up my life from corruption, O Lord, my God.

Jonah 2:8 When my soul was in distress within me, I remembered the Lord: that my prayer may come to thee, unto the holy temple.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "waters", "compassed", "even", "soul", "deep", "hath", "closed", and "round". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "waters" and "compassed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "And I said I am cast away..." into verse 7's "I went down to the lowest parts...", so "waters" and "compassed" belong inside that flow. In Jonah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "waters" and "compassed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.