Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
Even in his desperate situation, Jonah doesn't just passively accept being "cast out." The Hebrew word translated "cast out" implies being violently expelled, but Jonah counters this with a resolute "yet I will look again," focusing his hope not on his circumstances, but on God's appointed place of worship. This reveals his core decision to turn towards God, even when feeling utterly rejected.
Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
Trapped in the belly of a colossal fish, Jonah cries out to God, confessing his sin and acknowledging his desperate situation. He feels utterly cast away from God’s presence, a consequence of his willful disobedience in fleeing from the Lord’s command. Yet, even in this abyss, a flicker of faith ignites as he resolves to turn his heart and prayers toward God's holy temple in Jerusalem, the symbolic dwelling place of God’s presence.
When you feel like you've messed up so badly that God can't possibly see you or hear you anymore, where do you turn? Jonah describes this crushing feeling.
Jonah cries out, “I am driven away from your sight.” This isn’t just a physical distance; it’s a spiritual one. He feels completely cut off from God’s presence and favor, like Adam expelled from Eden. He’d tried to run from God’s presence (Jonah 1:3), and now it felt like God had taken him at his word and cast him out. This sense of being un-seen and unheard is a heavy burden, a just consequence that can feel like the end of all hope.
Even when all hope seems lost and you feel utterly abandoned, is there one thing you can still do? Jonah found it.
Despite the overwhelming darkness and the feeling of being cast out, Jonah declares, ‘yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ This isn't necessarily a confident prediction of physical escape and future worship. Instead, it's an act of defiant faith. In the deepest despair, his mind still turns towards God's dwelling place, the temple. It represents God’s presence and promises. It's the last resource he has – to fix his gaze, even in his soul, towards the place where God is worshiped. It’s a testament to incredible faith, finding strength even in God’s seeming desertion.
Understand the original words
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hekal · Hebrew Noun
In Israelite theology, this refers to the dwelling place of God's presence on earth, the center of worship, and the place where God’s covenantal blessing and mercy were uniquely mediated to His people.
qodesh · Hebrew Adjective
An adjective denoting that which is set apart for God's use, reflecting His transcendent purity, moral perfection, and distinctness from all creation.
Jonah's prayer comes from within the fish, while the Jerusalem Temple still stands. His yearning to 'look toward thy holy temple' expresses faith in God's presence and mercy, even when physically distant and facing severe consequences for his disobedience.
c. 931 BC
Kingdom Divides
Following King Solomon's death, the united Kingdom of Israel splits into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The Temple in Jerusalem remains in Judah.
c. 786-746 BC
Jonah's Prophetic Ministry
Jonah, a prophet from the Northern Kingdom of Israel, lives and prophesies during the reign of King Jeroboam II, a time of apparent prosperity but spiritual decline.
c. 760 BC— this verse
Jonah's Flight and the Great Fish
Jonah deliberately disobeys God's command to prophesy against Nineveh, fleeing towards Tarshish. God intervenes, sending a great storm and a great fish to swallow Jonah.
c. 760 BC
Jonah's Prayer
Imprisoned within the great fish for three days and three nights, Jonah offers a prayer of repentance from the depths, reflecting on his disobedience and God's mercy.
c. 760 BC
Jonah's Release and Mission to Nineveh
God commands the fish to spit Jonah out, and he finally travels to Nineveh to deliver God's message of impending judgment.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians conquer Judah and destroy Jerusalem, including Solomon's Temple. This event marks a major turning point, ending the era where the physical Temple stood.
This passage shares a similar feeling of being cut off or cast out, reflecting Jonah's despair but also hinting at a turning point in his faith, much like Jonah's shift from despair to prayer towards the temple.
1 Kings 8:30This verse describes Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple, establishing the precedent of praying 'toward' the temple, which is precisely the hopeful action Jonah resolves to take even from the depths.
Psalm 51:11In this psalm, David pleads, 'Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.' This echoes Jonah's feeling of being driven away and highlights the immense value of God's presence, which Jonah is beginning to grasp.
Isaiah 57:20This verse describes the wicked as being like 'a troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and dirt.' The imagery of being tossed about by waves connects with Jonah's experience of being overwhelmed and expelled by the sea.
Daniel 6:10Daniel prayed towards Jerusalem three times a day, even when it was forbidden. This shows a consistent devotion to God's appointed place of worship, mirroring Jonah's spiritual resolve to look toward the temple despite his dire circumstances.
barnesJonah 2:4: "Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple."
I am cast out of Thy sight - , literally, "from before Thine eyes." Jonah had willfully withdrawn from standing in God's presence. Now God had taken him at his word, and, as it seemed, cast him out of it. David had said in his haste, "I am cut off." Jonah substitutes the stronger word, "I am cast forth," driven forth, expelled, like the "mire and dirt" Isaiah 57:20 which the waves drive along, o…
clarkeJonah 2:4: "Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple."
I am cast out of thy sight - See Psalm 31:22 . Thy holy temple - Then Jerusalem was not yet destroyed, for the temple was standing.
Even in his desperate situation, Jonah doesn't just passively accept being "cast out." The Hebrew word translated "cast out" implies being violently expelled, but Jonah counters this with a resolute "yet I will look again," focusing his hope not on his circumstances, but on God's appointed place of worship. This reveals his core decision to turn towards God, even when feeling utterly rejected.
Trapped in the belly of a colossal fish, Jonah cries out to God, confessing his sin and acknowledging his desperate situation. He feels utterly cast away from God’s presence, a consequence of his willful disobedience in fleeing from the Lord’s command. Yet, even in this abyss, a flicker of faith ignites as he resolves to turn his heart and prayers toward God's holy temple in Jerusalem, the symbolic dwelling place of God’s presence.
Trapped in the belly of a colossal fish, Jonah cries out to God, confessing his sin and acknowledging his desperate situation. He feels utterly cast away from God’s presence, a consequence of his willful disobedience in fleeing from the Lord’s command. Yet, even in this abyss, a flicker of faith ignites as he resolves to turn his heart and prayers toward God's holy temple in Jerusalem, the symbolic dwelling place of God’s presence.
"Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’" — Even in his desperate situation, Jonah doesn't just passively accept being "cast out." The Hebrew word translated "cast out" implies being violently expelled, but Jonah counters this with a resolute…
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Last reviewed October 2026