The person who was swallowed by a “whale” in the Bible is Jonah , the prophet from the Old Testament book that bears his name.

Who was swallowed by a whale in the Bible?

  • The answer: Jonah , a Hebrew prophet.
  • His story appears in the Book of Jonah in the Old Testament.
  • The text actually calls the creature a “great fish” rather than using the specific word “whale,” but tradition and popular retellings often say “whale.”

Quick story recap (short version)

  • God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn the people to turn from their evil ways.
  • Jonah refuses and boards a ship going the opposite direction to flee from God.
  • A violent storm hits; Jonah tells the sailors to throw him overboard so the sea will calm.
  • Jonah is thrown into the water and is swallowed by a great fish prepared by God.
  • He spends three days and three nights in the fish’s belly, prays, and is then vomited out onto dry land.

Fun note: “Whale” vs “great fish”

  • The original Hebrew uses a phrase meaning “large” or “great fish” , not a technical species name.
  • Over centuries, art, children’s stories, and sermons popularized the wording “Jonah and the whale,” so that’s how most people phrase the question today.

TL;DR: The person swallowed by a whale (more precisely, a “great fish”) in the Bible is Jonah.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.