What does the Bible say about Jonah and the whale?

The story of Jonah, particularly in Jonah 1:17, illustrates God's sovereign providence as He prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah when he attempted to disobey God's command to preach to Nineveh. This event signifies God's unwavering purpose to reach His elect, even through the reluctance of His chosen messengers. Jonah's experience in the belly of the fish serves as a foreshadowing of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, pinpointing the beauty of God's redemptive plan throughout biblical history.