Contradiction with Matthew 12:40
Jonah 1:17 mentions Jonah being in the belly of a great fish for three days and three nights, but Matthew 12:40 suggests the parallel of Jesus being in the heart of the earth for that same period, which some interpret to raise discrepancies about the time factor or symbolic representation.
Matthew 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.
Contradiction with Genesis 1:21
Jonah 1:17 references a "great fish," while Genesis 1:21 mentions God creating "great whales," leading to debate whether Jonah was swallowed by a fish or a whale.
Genesis 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.
Contradiction with Matthew 16:4
Jonah 1:17 involves a miraculous event, whereas Matthew 16:4 refers to a "wicked and adulterous generation" seeking a sign and only being given "the sign of the prophet Jonas," implying skepticism around physical miracles.
Matthew 16:4: A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
Paradox #1
Some people find it hard to believe that a person could survive inside a big fish for three days and three nights, as this goes against our understanding of biology and marine life. Skeptics argue that it's a story meant to teach a lesson rather than a historical event.
Paradox #2
The contradiction in this context is the idea that a human could survive being swallowed by a large fish or whale for three days and nights. Biologically, whales and large fish do not have the necessary anatomy to sustain a human for that long, as they do not store sufficient oxygen or provide a living environment with food and water for survival. Additionally, the digestive process would pose a life-threatening environment for a human.
Paradox #3
The contradiction in Jonah 1:17 could be seen in the idea of divine intervention versus human responsibility. On one hand, the event could suggest that divine intervention can solve problems caused by human actions, which might lead to the belief that humans have less responsibility for their actions. On the other hand, it highlights the moral lesson that actions have consequences that need addressing. These two perspectives can seem inconsistent when considering human accountability.