יונה, פרק ב׳, פסוק ו׳

The terrifying reality of sinking into the open ocean brings a person to the very edge of life. Plunging into the abyss and being swallowed by a massive sea creature exposes Jonah to mortal danger and unimaginable underwater sights. Water closed in and wrapped around him from every possible direction [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The suffocation reached a critical point, bringing him to the brink of death as his life nearly slipped away [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Alternatively, this terrifying sensation occurred at the specific moment the fish spat him back into the water, releasing him not at the surface, but straight into the dark ocean depths [מלבי״ם].

The crushing weight of the deep ocean further emphasizes the reality of his drowning [מצודת דוד]. It highlights how the fish dove to the absolute bottom of the sea, swimming rapidly from place to place [מצודת ציון, אברבנאל]. The primary approach among commentators is that at these extreme depths, marine plants and seaweed grew along the ocean floor and the base of underwater mountains [רד״ק, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. As the creature navigated the deep waters, these plants became tangled and wrapped tightly around its head [מצודת ציון]. Trapped inside the belly of the fish, Jonah experienced this so intensely that he felt as though the seaweed was bound directly around his own head [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].

Other perspectives suggest a connection to the Red Sea rather than underwater plants. Geographically, some explain that the waters of the Red Sea naturally mix with the waters of Jaffa [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Another view proposes that the fish actually carried Jonah through the Red Sea on the way to Nineveh, with the sea waters towering above him while he remained in the deep [מלבי״ם]. Taking a miraculous approach, God allowed Jonah to witness a grand vision from the ocean floor. Looking out through the eyes of the fish, which served as two clear windows to the underwater world, he was able to see the Red Sea and watch the historical moment when the Israelites crossed through it [רש״י].