WHALE or FISH?
The controversy over Jonah being swallowed by a whale is one of generic synonymy rather than lock step consistency. The word (Heb. 8577) is translated whale, whale fish, sea monster, and dragon by the early English Bibles. A dragon is a generic monster whether a land monster (Deut 32:33; Neh. 2:13; Job 30:29; Ps. 44:19; Ps. 9113; Isa 13:22; 34:13; Jer. 9:11) or a sea monster (Ps. 74:13; Isa. 27:1; Ezek. 29:3).
The Creation in Genesis
Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly . . . – KJB
Gen 1:21 Then God created the great whales, and euery thing liuing and mouing, which the waters brought foorth in abundance . . . – Geneva
Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and euery lyuyng & mouing creature, which the waters brought foorth . . . – Bishop’s
These Bibles translate H8577 specifically as WHALES. The significant thing here is that the whales are mentioned distinct from every the other “breathing” and moving creatures brought forth in the waters.
Jonah’s Great Fish
Jon 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a GREAT fish to swallow up Jonah . . . – KJB
Jon 1:17 Nowe the Lorde had prepared a GREAT fish to swallowe vp Ionah . . .
Jon 1:17 And the Lorde prepared a GREAT fishe to swalowe vp Ionas . . .
In Jonah, the KJB, the Geneva, and the Bishop’s Bible all correctly translate another word as a GREAT fish. The significant thing here is that the fish is a GREAT one.
Job’s Whales
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? --Bishop’s
Job 7:12 Am I a sea or a whalefish, that thou keepest me in warde? – Geneva
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.
Sea Mammals
Lam 4:3 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: . . . – KJB
Lam 4:3 The dragons geue their young ones sucke with bare brestes . . . – Bishop’s
Lam 4:3 Euen the dragons draw out the breastes, and giue sucke to their yong . . . – Geneva
Consistent with the idea of a monster, whether land or sea, the Geneva and Bishop’s Bibles use whale, sea monster, and dragon synonymously as does Young’s Literal Translation (that is not always so literal). The interesting thing about these sea monsters or dragons was that they were mammals and recognized as breast feeding their young.
The Dragon, Whale, Whale Fish
Ezek 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 . . . – KJB
Ezek 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 . . . – Bishop’s
Ezek 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 . . . – Geneva
This personification of Pharaoh alludes to a whale in the seas, which the Bishop’s Bible renders a whale fish and the Geneva Bible render as a dragon (or sea monster). And the KJB has “WHALE.”
The New Testament Whale
Mat 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly . . . -- KJB
Mat 12:40 For as Ionas was three dayes, and three nyghtes, in the Whales belly . . . – Bishop’s
Mat 12:40 For as Ionas was three daies & three nights in the whales belly . . . Geneva
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
The Geneva, the Bishop’s Bible and the King James Bible all agree with the translation of KETOS (Cetology is the study of whales) as “whale,” as do also Tyndale, the RV, ASV, and even the Revised Standard Version. Young’s Literal Translation and others "interpret" the word as a fish, whereas ICHTHUS is the Greek word for fish throughout the New Testament. You know about the fish disease called ICK in your aquarium, don’t you?
-- by Herb Evans