Jonah 2:6

The bottoms. Literally, “the cuttings off,” probably meaning the foundations.

Earth. Heb. ’eres, which is translated “land” more often than “earth.” Jonah may here be designating the land of she’ol (see on v. 2), which closes its bars around those who enter there. To him it appeared that he would be there “for ever.” This does not imply that Jonah did not believe in a future resurrection. The word here translated “for ever,” le‘olam, denotes time extended into the indefinite future. Sometimes it means eternity; at other times the duration is limited by circumstances (see on Ex. 21:6). The LXX attaches le‘olam to “bars,” “I went down into the earth, whose bars are the everlasting barriers.”

Corruption. Heb. shachath, “pit,” often used synonymously with she’ol to represent the realm of the dead (see on Prov. 15:11).