But it is not simply being at the bottom that begins to change Jonah but prayer at the bottom. As Jack Sasson says, at this point in the story, “the action is about to come to a full halt to leave Jonah alone with his God.”4 Jonah begins to pray, and at the climax of the prayer, he speaks of chesdh (Jonah 2:9). It is a key biblical word often translated as “steadfast love” or “grace.” It refers to the covenant love of God. It takes the whole prayer for Jonah to get there—to a declaration about God’s grace—but when he does, he is released back into the land of the living.
