The gates of hell
Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish (Jonah 2) takes us back to the world of Noah. Jonah’s world had been de-created by a flood. Soon, the mountains of Israel would also be covered, and this would be the prayer of God’s people in captivity.
The prayer describes the grave as a prison with gates or bars, a stronghold where the dead are justly incarcerated, awaiting judgment. King Hezekiah also used this language (Isaiah 38:10).
There was only one Man who could set these captives free. He would bind the “strong man” guarding the gates by repeating the sign of Jonah, and plunder the house (Matthew 12:29-29, 39-41).
