Can a blue whale eat a person? Can a whale swallow a person? The last step of reason

The materials in the section used reports from the following magazines: “New Scientist” (UK), “Mare” and “Psychologie Heute” (Germany), “Science News”, “Scientific American” and “Skeptic Magazine” (USA), “Ça m' interesse", "Science et Vie Junior" and "Sciences et Avenir" (France).

The Book of Jonah (part of the Old Testament) says:

“And the Lord commanded the great whale to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights.” But the matter ended happily, the swallowed man begged for mercy, the whale spat him out, and the prophet still managed to save the inhabitants of Nineveh from death, warning them that if they did not repent of their sins, the city would be destroyed.

Could something like this really happen? In 1896, off the Falkland Islands, the American whaling ship Eastern Star was attacked by a huge sperm whale. Swinging his tail, he knocked one of the sailors, James Bartley, off the deck into the water. Teammates thought James had drowned. However, when, after two days of chasing this whale, they finally caught it, lifted it onto the deck and began to cut it up, in its stomach they found, as the New York Times wrote on November 26, 1896, “something twisted, from time to time showing signs of life.” . It turned out to be the missing sailor, unconscious but alive. He spent 36 hours inside the sea monster.

The English zoologist Ambrose Wilson, who pondered this problem in the 1920s, believed that the survival of a person swallowed by a whale was in principle possible. It all depends on which whale swallows it and how long the victim remains in the stomach. The baleen whale feeds on plankton and cannot swallow anything larger than a grapefruit. However, a large sperm whale weighs up to 50 tons and is up to 20 meters long. It consumes one and a half tons of food per day and swallows it mostly without chewing. Professor Wilson dug up in the archives a case from 1771, when a sperm whale bit a whaling boat in half, swallowed one sailor and went deeper into the depths. Resurfacing again, he spat out the sailor, “severely scratched, but without serious injuries.”

Modern scientists confirm the Englishman’s conclusions. The sperm whale feeds on cephalopods and, to a lesser extent, on fish. A person could easily fit in the mouth of a sperm whale or in its esophagus. The sperm whale has teeth on the lower jaw, but only one or two pairs on the upper jaw, so it often swallows its victims whole. So, in the 50s of the last century, a ten-meter squid, not chewed or digested, was found in the stomach of a sperm whale caught off the Azores. Squids, apparently, remain alive in the stomach for some time, since traces of the suckers with which the squid’s tentacles are equipped are visible on the walls of the stomach. This means that a person can survive for some time. True, the sailor, swallowed in November 1896, showed the results of whale digestion: as the newspaper wrote at the time, “Bartley’s skin was digested in places. His hands and face were so pale that he looked like a dead man, and his skin was all covered with wrinkles, as if he had been boiled in a cauldron.”

But in general, the sailor clearly did not end up in the main section of the stomach, where digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid are secreted, but lingered in its first section, lined with keratinized cells and occupied only with the mechanical processing of what was swallowed. The channel leading to the next sections of the whale's stomach, where there is gastric juice, is too narrow for a person to pass through.

As for the ability to breathe in the stomach of a whale, experts suggest that the sperm whale, together with James Bartley, could have swallowed a volume of air sufficient for a person to breathe for some time. But a three-day stay in the stomach of a whale, as happened to Jonah, is actually impossible. This story must be understood as a moralizing allegory.

Could a whale really swallow a man? Doesn't this contradict the truth of life?

The book of the prophet Jonah is part of the Bible and contains prophecies about the fate of the Israeli people, the suffering of the Savior, the desolation of Jerusalem, and the end of the world. In addition to prophecies, the book of Jonah tells how he was sent by the Lord to the Ninevites preaching about repentance (Jonah 3, 3 - 10).

Sacred History testifies

Our Lord Jesus Christ, in a conversation with the scribes and Pharisees, who demanded a sign from Him, said that they would be given no other sign than the sign of the prophet Jonah: “As Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart earth three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40). From these words of the Lord, the transformative meaning of the Book of the Prophet Jonah becomes clear in relation to the Death on the Cross, the descent into hell and the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Denouncing the unrepentance and stubbornness of the Jews, the Lord said: “The Ninevites will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented from the preaching of Jonah; and behold, here is more than Jonah” (Matthew 12:41).

Discussion about the stay of the prophet Jonah in the belly of the whale

“Superficial and unbelieving critics,” says the scholar, Arthur Hooke, “find that there are many obstacles to admit that Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, and that the prophet was in its belly for three days and three nights, and then was erupted onto land.

First, no person who believes in Christ can doubt what happened to the prophet Jonah, for Christ Himself put the seal on this disputed subject when He said: “For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40). Here Christ eliminates - at least as far as His disciples were concerned - the idea that the book of the prophet Jonah is an allegory (allegory), as critics like to assume.

Is it just an allegory?

For if it is said only in an allegorical sense that Jonah was in the belly of a whale, then the conclusion follows that Christ’s stay in the heart of the earth, for three days and three nights, also has the meaning of only allegory. Here we again have an example of how the denial of the Old Testament paves the way for the denial of Christ Himself and His words.” To deny the story of the prophet Jonah is tantamount to denying the entire Holy Scripture, and this means abandoning faith. Are those numerous defeats, the so-called “scientific objections” against St., still not enough for a person? Bible? How many times have the “wise men of this age” made refutations and ridicule of St. The Bible was turned against them. After all, a simple acquaintance with the original text and some scientific knowledge already gives us the answer in many respects.
Everyone knows that the original St. The Bible is written in Hebrew. But in Hebrew the word for whale is “tannin.” In the Bible, the sea living creature that swallowed Jonah is called not the word “tannin”, but the word “dag”, and the word “dag” means “big fish” or “monster of the deep”.

"Monster of the Deep"

The Holy Church has been testifying to this for more than 1,500 years, calling this creature that swallowed Jonah a “beast of the water.” So, for example, in the irmos of the 6th canon of the Friday canon at Matins, tone 8, it says: “a water beast in the womb, the hand of Jonah outstretched in the shape of a cross, foreshadowing the saving passion in reality.” In the 6th canon of the morning canon, on Tuesday, tone 5, it is said: “As thou hast delivered the prophet from the beast, O Lord, and bring me up from the depths of uncontrollable passions, I pray.”
Science tells us that there are different breeds of whales. For example, there is a genus of whales that have 44 teeth in the lower jaw and reach 60-65 feet in length. But they have a very small throat. This probably gave rise to the claim that Jonah could not have been swallowed up by a whale.

There is another type of whale called the "bottle-nosed" or "beaked" whale. This is a small whale, up to 30 feet long. Although he is small, he has a rather large throat and could easily swallow a person, but the prophet could not be swallowed up by him because he chews food and has teeth.
There are whales that do not have teeth, but are equipped with “baleen”. Among this type of whale, there are whales called “Fin-Buck”. These whales can be up to 88 feet long. The stomach of such a whale has from 4 to 6 chambers or compartments, and a small group of people could easily fit in any of them. Whales of this genus breathe air and have an air reserve chamber in their head, which is an extension of the nasal cavities. Before swallowing an object that is too large, the Fin-Buck whale pushes it into this chamber. If an object is too large in the head of this whale, it swims to the nearest land, lies down in shallow waters and throws away the burden.

Could a whale really swallow a man? Scientists' hypotheses

Scientist Dr. Ranson Harvey testifies that his 200-pound buddy crawled from the mouth of a dead whale into this air chamber. The same scientist points out that a dog that fell overboard a whaling ship was found alive in the whale’s head 6 days later. From what has been said, it is clear that Jonah could have stayed in the “belly,” that is, in the air chamber of such a whale for 3 days and 3 nights and remained alive. The space in this chamber is 686 cubic feet. So from scientific data we can see that Jonah could have been swallowed up by a whale.
Frank Bullen, the famous author of the work: “The Voyage of the Sperm Whale,” found that the sperm whale (one of the species of whales) often, when it dies, vomits the contents of its stomach.
But the biblical word “dag” refers to “big fish.” From this we can conclude that Jonah was indeed swallowed up by a sea creature - a large fish. In this case, you should point out the fish called “whale shark” or “bone shark”.
The “whale shark” gets its name from the fact that it has no teeth. The whale shark reaches 70 feet in length and filters food through large plates (baleen) in its mouth. This shark has a stomach large enough to fit a human.
Regarding the fact that Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a large sea creature and remained alive, one can first of all say: “With God all things are possible.” Then it is not without interest to recall the report in the Literary Digest that a sailor was swallowed up by a whale shark. After 48 hours (i.e., after two days), the shark was killed. When the shark whale was opened, what was the surprise of all those present when they found a sailor, swallowed up by this beast, alive, but only in an unconscious state. Moreover, the sailor did not have any consequences of his stay in the belly of the whale shark, except for the loss of hair and several blisters on the skin. Then the sailor said that only fear did not give him peace, living in the belly of a whale. As soon as he regained consciousness and realized where he was, he immediately lost consciousness again.

Recently, writes Fr. I.S., - Japanese fishermen killed a great white shark in the Hawaiian Islands. A complete human skeleton was found in her stomach. It turned out that he was, included in the list of deserters, a soldier in clothes of the North-Am type. Army.

The power of God acted in the event with the prophet Jonah

So, we see that Jonah could have been swallowed up by a large fish even without violating the natural laws of nature.

All “absurdities” and “contradictions” disappear. The Word of God is true and immutable; it can never be in conflict with true science. This was established by the father of Russian science, Lomonosov.

But, nevertheless, it must be said that for us, believers, it is quite obvious that in the event with the prophet Jonah the power of God was certainly at work. For the Lord, as the Creator of the very laws of nature, has the free will to control them, if He needs it, according to His omnipotent providential action.

The last step of reason

The brilliant scientist Pascal said: “The last step of reason is to recognize the existence of many such things that go beyond the limits of our knowledge, and if reason does not come to this knowledge, then it is a very weak reason.” Robert Mayer says: “If superficial minds flaunt the denial of the existence of anything higher, supermaterial and supersensibly perceived in the world, then such pathetic recognition of individual minds cannot be blamed on science.”

(Compiled from the book “The Reliability of Biblical Miracles”
A. Hook and Art. "Prophet" Jonah and the Small Throat of the Whale"
Protopr. Pavel Kalinovich).

In the Bible, in the Old Testament, the sea creature that swallowed Jonah is called the word “lag,” which means “big fish” or “monster of the deep sea.”

Interestingly, of the 75 species and 39 genera of cetaceans, only a few genera can stand up for those who argue that a whale cannot swallow a person. These whales reach 18-20 meters in length. But, despite their size, they have a very small throat.

There is also another type of whale - the "bottle-nosed" or "beaked" whale. These are small whales, up to 9 meters. They have a fairly large throat and could easily swallow a person.

But these whales chew their food, so this excludes Jonah being in the womb in its entirety.

Now consider the types of whales that could swallow the prophet. They have no teeth, but are equipped with whalebone.

Fin whales attract special attention. They reach a length of 26 meters, their stomach has 4-6 chambers, and a small group of people could easily fit in any of them. These whales breathe air, so they have a small air chamber in their heads, which is an extension of the nasal cavities. Before swallowing an object, the whale pushes it into this chamber. If the object turns out to be too large, the whale swims to shallow water, closer to the shore, and throws away the burden.

Dr. Ranson Harvey said that his friend weighed 80 kg. crawled through the mouth of a dead whale into the air chamber, and a dog that fell overboard a whaling ship was found alive six days later in the air chamber of a dead whale. From what has been said, it is clear that Jonah could have stayed “in the belly,” that is, in the air chamber of such a whale, for three days and three nights, remaining alive.

An interesting discovery was made by Frank Bullen, the famous author of The Swimming of the Sperm Whale, who established that sperm whales often vomit the contents of their stomachs before death. Thus, Jonah could not only be swallowed, but also thrown out by the whale.

There is also a version that the prophet could well have ended up in the stomach of other sea creatures, for example, a whale or bone shark. The fish got this name because it has no teeth. The whale shark reaches 21 meters.

It filters food through large plates (whiskers) in its mouth and has a stomach quite large, where a person can fit.

Literary Digest once wrote that a sailor was swallowed by a whale shark. After 48 hours, this fish was killed. When it was opened, what was the surprise of all those present when the swallowed sailor was found alive, only in an unconscious state. Moreover, he did not have any serious injuries, except for hair loss and several blisters on the skin.

There is another known case that occurred in the Hawaiian Islands. Japanese fishermen caught a great white shark. A complete human skeleton was found in her stomach. It turned out that it was a soldier listed as a deserter wearing North American Army clothing.

Can a whale swallow a person, and what will happen to him then? Video

It's better not to swim in a school of fish - you could be swallowed by a whale!

The fact about how a whale swallowed a man, described in the newspaper

1896, November 26 issue of The New York Times. The article mentioned an incident off the coast of the Malvinas Islands, where the whaler ship "Star of the East" was attacked by a huge sperm whale. The animal, with a flick of its tail, sent one of the crew members, James Bartley, overboard. The sailors were sure that the poor fellow had drowned. After two hours of chasing and hunting, the whalers managed to catch this sperm whale. After gutting the whale, James Bartley was found in its abdomen, unconscious, but showing signs of life. The sailor was in the sperm whale's stomach for 16 hours.

Can a whale swallow a person, what does science think about this?

The Englishman Ambrose Wilson, a professor of zoology, spoke on this matter and noted that a person can be swallowed by a whale and even survive after that. It all depends on the type of animal and the time spent in the digestive tract.

The baleen whale is not able to swallow a person, since it eats only plankton, and cannot swallow anything larger than the size of a large orange. But the sperm whale is a completely different matter. The zoologist cited as an example an incident that occurred in 1771, when a whaling boat was broken into two parts by a huge sperm whale. Having thrown the sailors into the water, the animal swallowed one of them, and after a few minutes spat it back out. The sailor survived and did not even receive serious injuries, but only minor scratches all over his body.