Jonah wakes up in the underworld realm of the dead, sheol. From his vantage point he can see out across the great gulf of open space between the lower mantle, stretching out above him, and the surface of hell down below.
The Bottoms of the Mountains
The Sign of Jonah
The sign of Jonah is one of those things which looks like a Biblical inconsistency and the various ways that Christian scholars have tried to resolve it are hopelessly contrived. On the face of it, it looks like Jesus lied.
The Belly of Hell
Danby House Jonah 2:1-10 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: …
March 16th
Jonah gives us direct observation of the pillars of the earth. Direct observation is also known as empirical. The pillars of the earth aren't allegorical, metaphorical or theoretical, they're empirical.