Jonah 2:8 (GNV)

Passage

They that waite vpon lying vanities, forsake their owne mercie.

Nearby Context

Jonah 2:6 I went downe to the bottome of the moutaines: the earth with her barres was about me for euer, yet hast thou brought vp my life from the pit, O Lord my God.

Jonah 2:7 When my soule fainted within me, I remembred the Lord: and my prayer came vnto thee, into thine holy Temple.

Jonah 2:8 They that waite vpon lying vanities, forsake their owne mercie.

Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice vnto thee with the voice of thankesgiuing, and will pay that that I haue vowed: saluation is of the Lord.

Jonah 2:10 And the Lord spake vnto the fish, and it cast out Ionah vpon the dry lande.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "waite", "vpon", "lying", "vanities", "forsake", "owne", and "mercie". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "waite" and "vpon", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "When my soule fainted within me I..." into verse 9's "But I will sacrifice vnto thee with...", so "waite" and "vpon" 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 "waite" and "vpon" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.