Shared ground
Jonah 2:7 presents a turning point inside Jonah’s crisis. The verse explicitly says his “soul” (his life or inner self) was failing, and in that moment he “remembered” Yahweh. The text then links that remembering directly to prayer: Jonah prays, and he describes that prayer as reaching God.
The “holy temple” is presented as the destination of Jonah’s prayer. In the story’s world, “temple” naturally connects to the Jerusalem sanctuary as the recognized place associated with God’s presence and attention, especially as a direction for prayer.
Where interpretation differs (only where needed)
One question is what “my soul fainted within me” means. Some read it mainly as physical life ebbing away (near death). Others hear it as Jonah’s inner self collapsing (overwhelmed, disoriented), without deciding how close he was to bodily death. The verse itself leaves room for both, since it describes a total personal crisis without medical detail.
Another question is what Jonah means by “I remembered Yahweh.” Some take “remembered” to include repentance and moral turning back. Others take it more narrowly: Jonah re-focused on Yahweh as the one he must address, whether or not this line alone signals repentance.
A third question is what “your holy temple” refers to. Some think it points to the Jerusalem temple as the earthly place of worship toward which Israelites prayed. Others think Jonah is picturing a heavenly temple scene (God’s throne-room), using temple language to say God heard him from above.
Why the disagreement exists
The disagreements come from how flexible the key words are in normal biblical usage. “Soul” can mean life, self, or inner being. “Remember” can mean mental recall or renewed loyalty. And “temple” can refer to the Jerusalem sanctuary or to God’s heavenly dwelling. Jonah 2 is poetry-like prayer, so it can compress experience and use sacred-place imagery without spelling out which level (earthly or heavenly) is in view.
What this passage clearly contributes
Explicitly, the verse contributes a sequence: Jonah’s collapse → he remembers Yahweh → he prays → that prayer “comes” to God, even from confinement and distance → Jonah describes God’s “holy temple” as the place his prayer arrives. Theologically (as an inference), it portrays God as reachable and attentive beyond normal access points: even when Jonah cannot go to the temple, he can still address the God to whom the temple belongs (temple as “your” temple).
