Moby Dick

Chapter 9

"The Sermon"

Father Mapple performed a dramatic reading of the story of Jonah and the whale in this chapter. He elaborates greatly on the Bible story, with a fine storytelling spirit, and reads out two morals at the end. The first, to all those who come, is that one should not sin, but should one, one should repent like Jonah, accepting the punishment. The second is to preachers like himself, that they should be brave enough to preach the truth in the face of falsehood.

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References:
"does Jonah's deep sealine sound!": a sea line is a long line used for fishing.
"what a pregnant lesson to us": deeply signifigant
"that canticle in the fish's belly!": a canticle: one of the nonmetrical hymns or chants, .... , used in church services. [Random House]
"this son of Amittai"
"Jonah still further flouts at God": treats with contemptuous disregard [Webster's]
"the wharves of Joppa"=Jaffa, a former city in west Israel, now part of south Tel Aviv
"bound for Tarshis"=Cadiz, a province in southwest Spain
"skulking from his God": moving about furtively
"not a hat-box, valise, or carpet-bag":a valise is a travelling bag; a carpet-bag is one made of carpet
"but whose cupidity exposes it": avarice, greed for money
"the Roman race-horse"
"startled from his lethargy by that direful cry": unnatural drowsiness
"a panther billow leaping over the bulwarks"