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Originally Posted by mbyron
Oh, thank YOU for playing, but the Hebrew term 'dahg', commonly translated as 'fish', is the generic term of a desert people for swimming sea creatures.
Ancient cultures generally did not distinguish in thought or concept between mammalian and non-mammalian sea creatures, and so the use of the term 'dahg' would not exclude a whale.
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Although I did not know the actual Hebrew word (I took Greek, but no Hebrew), I did know that "fish" is a generic term. I also believe that these texts are not to be treated as scientific treatises, so literal interpretation of any of them is likely to be misleading (IMHO). And although "fish" may not rule out a whale, too many modern people who think they know the biblical texts are certain that Jonah is said to be swallowed by a whale, which is simply not true. Just as they are "certain" that all the animals that boarded Noah's ark came in pairs.
(Jerome's contribution is interesting, but from your description, it sounds like he inserted his own interpretation. I'm woefully ignorant about anything having to do with the Vulgate, so I could be completely off-base. I'm just going by your description of "introducing" the new term.)