In what sense did Jonah die when the great fish swallowed him?
When the great fish swallowed Jonah, he died in a typical or pictorial sense—for all practical purposes. The account serves as a picture or type, and Jesus Himself referenced it as true. It was not a literal physical death but a figurative one, functioning as a typological picture.
Les explains that God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, a Gentile city, but Jonah was adamant against it, much like Peter in Acts 10 before being told to go to Cornelius. Jonah sailed west, was thrown overboard, and a great fish took him—like an Oklahoma bass takes a minnow. Jesus referred to the account, confirming it is true. In type and picture, when the fish swallowed Jonah, for all practical purposes he died.