THE GREAT WHALE ISSUE
The controversy over Jonah being swallowed by a whale as b opposed to a fish in the O.T. is one of generic synonymy rather than lock step consistency and uniformity. The word (H8577) is translated whale, whale fish, sea monster, sea creature, and dragon by the early English Bibles.
KETOS in Matthew 12:40
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. -- KJB
Mat 12:40 For as Ionas was three daies & three nights in the whales belly: so shall the Sonne of man be three daies & three nights in ye heart of the earth. -- Geneva
Mat 12:40 For as Ionas was three dayes, and three nyghtes, in the Whales belly: so shall the sonne of man be three dayes, and three nyghtes, in the heart of the earth. -- Bishops
Mat 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. -- Webster
Mat 12:40 For just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. -- ISV
Mat 12:40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. –ESV
Mat 12:40 for, as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. – YLT
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. -- NKJV
Note: The Young’s Literal Translation is not very literal in that the biblical Greek word for fish is ICHTHUS, which is where we get the name of a fish disease called ICK [ichthus - G 2486]
The Greek KETOS
G2785 - κῆτος - ke¯tos - kay'-tos -- Probably from the base of G5490; a huge fish (as gaping for prey): - whale.
G5490 - χάσμα – chasma - khas'-mah -- From a form of an obsolete primary “chao” (to “gape” or “yawn”); a “chasm” or vacancy (impassable interval): - gulf.
Note: Neither word signifies a fish or a great fish. We get our word chasm from G5490. No doubt, this refers to a whales gaping and chasm like mouth. Luke refers to the chasm between paradise and hell as a gulf or chasm. Ketos is where we get Cytology, the study of whales.
Luke 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf [G5490] fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence
The Hebrew Tanneen [8577]
H8577 - תּנּים תּנּין - tanni^yn - tanni^ym - tan-neen', tan-neem’ (The second form used in Eze_29:3); intensive from the same as H8565; a marine or land monster, that is, sea serpent or jackal: - dragon, sea-monster, serpent, whale.
H8565 – תּן - tan -- From an unused root probably meaning to elongate; a monster (as preternaturally formed), that is, a sea serpent (or other huge marine animal); also a jackal (or other hideous land animal): - dragon, whale. Compare H8577.
Note: Tanneen can also be a serpent, a sea serpent, a sea monster, and a land monster, so the next modern bible that wants to contradict the KJB call the whale in Matthew 12:40 a great sea serpent or a great sea Jackal (jackal does not appear in the KJB).
Tanneen H8577 as Whales in Genesis
Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. – KJB
Note: The significant thing here is that the whales are mentioned distinct from other “breathing” (birds) and moving creature, namely fish brought forth in the waters in Gen. 1:20. The KJB translate Heb. 8577 specifically as WHALES in Gen. 1:21.
Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. – KJB
Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and euery lyuyng & mouing creature, which the waters brought foorth after theyr kynde, & euery fethered foule after their kynde: and God saw that it was good. – Bishops
Gen 1:21 Then God created the great whales, and euery thing liuing and mouing, which the waters brought foorth in abundance according to their kinde, and euery fethered foule according to his kinde: and God sawe that it was good. -- Geneva
Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. -- Webster
Gen 1:21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. -- ESV
Gen 1:21 And God prepareth the great monsters, and every living creature that is creeping, which the waters have teemed with, after their kind, and every fowl with wing, after its kind, and God seeth that it is good. –YLT
Gen 1:21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. – NKJV
Tanneen H8577 as Whales in Job
Job 7:12 Am I a sea, or a whale that thou settest a watch over me? -- KJB
Job 7:12 Am I a sea or a whale fish, that thou kepest me [so] in prison? -- Bishops
Job 7:12 Am I a sea or a whalefish, that thou keepest me in warde? – Geneva
Job 7:12 Am I the sea, or a sea monster, that you set a guard over me? -- ESV
Job 7:12 A sea- monster am I, or a dragon, That thou settest over me a guard? –YLT
Job 7:12 Am I a sea, or a sea serpent. That You set a guard over me? -- NKJV
The interesting thing here is that both the Geneva and the Bishop’s bibles say “whale fish.” This proves that the whale was considered to be a fish in that time period.
Tanneen H8577 as Whales in Ezekiel
Eze 32:2 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. –KJB
Eze 32:2 Thou sonne of man, take vp a lamentation vpon Pharao the king of Egypt, and say vnto him, thou art lyke a lion of the heathen, and as a whale fishe in the sea: thou drawest out thy riuers, thou troublest the waters with thy feete, and stampest in their riuers. – Bishops
Eze 32:2 Sonne of man, take vp a lamentation for Pharaoh King of Egypt, and say vnto him, Thou art like a lyon of the nations and art as a dragon in the sea: thou castedst out thy riuers and troubledst the waters with thy feete, and stampedst in their riuers. – Geneva
Eze 32:2 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou didst come forth with thy rivers, and disturb the waters with thy feet, and render their rivers foul.
Eze 32:2 "Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: "You consider yourself a lion of the nations, but you are like a dragon in the seas; you burst forth in your rivers, trouble the waters with your feet, and foul their rivers. – ESV
Eze 32:2 `Son of man, lift up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and thou hast said unto him: A young lion of nations thou hast been like, And thou art as a dragon in the seas, And thou comest forth with thy flowings, And dost trouble the waters with thy feet, And thou dost foul their flowings. – YLT
Eze 32:2 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him: "You are a young lion among the nations, and you are like a monster in the seas, bursting forth in your rivers, troubling the waters with your feet, And fouling their rivers. – NKJV
Note: This personification of Pharaoh alludes to a whale in the seas, which the Bishop’s Bible renders Ezek 32:2 a whale fish and the Geneva Bible renders it a dragon (or sea monster). And the KJB has “WHALE.”
Tanneen as a Serpent
Exo 4:3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent [H5175]; and Moses fled from before it. (Both the ESV and the YLT say serpent)
Exo 4:3 And he said, “Cast it on the ground.” So, he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent [H5175]; and Moses fled from before it. – NKJV (Both the ESV and the YLT say serpent)
Exo 7:9, 10 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent [H8577]. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent [H8577]. -- KJB
Exo 7:9, 10 “When Pharaoh speaks unto you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves, ‘then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent [H8577].” So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD had commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent [H8577]. NKJV
Exo 7:15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent [H7175] shalt thou take in thine hand. (Both the ESV and the YLT also say serpent)
Note: H8577 is synonymous with the usual word for serpent – [H7175]
Exo 7:15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes to the water, and you shall stand by the river's bank against to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent [H7175] you shall take in your hand. – NKJV (Both the ESV and the YLT also say serpent)
Taneen as a Dragon in Nehemiah
Neh 2:13 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port . . . -- KJB
Neh 2:13 And I go out through the gate of the valley by night, and unto the front of the fountain of the dragon, and unto the gate of the dunghill . . . -- YLT
Neh 2:13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate. – ESV
Neh 2:13 And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal's well, and to the dung gate. – ASV
Neh 2:13 And I went out by night by through the valley gate to the serpent well and the refuse gate . . . – NKJV
A dragon is even a generic monster whether a land monster (Deut 32:33; Neh. 2:13; Job 30:29; Ps. 44:19; Ps. 91:13; Isa 13:22; 34:13; Jer. 9:11) or a sea monster (Ps. 74:13; Isa. 27:1; Ezek. 29:3).
Tanneen as a Dragon in the Psalms
Psa 91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. – KJB
Psa 91:13 On lion and asp thou treadest, Thou trampest young lion and dragon. – YLT
Psa 91:13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. – ESV
Psa 91:13 You shall tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. – NKJV
Tanneen as a Dragon in Isaiah
Isa 27:1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent [H5175]; and he shall slay the dragon [H8577] that is in the sea. – KJB
Isa 27:1 In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. – ESV
Isa 27:1 In that day lay a charge doth Jehovah, With his sword--the sharp, and the great, and the strong, On leviathan--a fleeing serpent, And on leviathan--a crooked serpent, And He hath slain the dragon that is in the sea. – YLT
Isa 27:1 In that day the LORD with his severe sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; and he will slay the reptile that is in the sea. -- NKJV
Tanneen as a Deagon in Jeremiah
Jer 51:34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out. – KJB
Jer 51:34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me; he has made me an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he has filled his stomach with my delicacies; he has rinsed me out. -- ESV
Jer 51:34 Devoured us, crushed us, hath Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, He hath set us as an empty vessel, He hath swallowed us as a dragon, He hath filled his belly with my dainties, He hath driven us away. – YLT
Jer 51:34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon Has devoured me, he has crushed me; He has made me an empty vessel, He has swallowed me like a monster; He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; he has spit me out. -- NKJV
Note: Obviously, a dragon and a serpent are somewhat synonymous. A dragon can be a land or sea serpent, a crooked serpent or a river serpent. It can also be a land or sea monster.