 Whales have also played a role in sacred texts such as the Bible . It mentions whales in Genesis 1 : 21 , Job 7 : 12 , and Ezekiel 32 : 2 . The " leviathan " described at length in Job 41 : 1 @-@ 34 is generally understood to refer to a whale . The " sea monsters " in Lamentations 4 : 3 have been taken by some to refer to marine mammals , in particular whales , although most modern versions use the word " jackals " instead . The story of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish is told both in the Qur 'an and in the Bible . A medieval column capital sculpture depicting this was made in the 12th century in the abbey church in Mozac , France . The Old Testament contains the Book of Jonah and in the New Testament , Jesus mentions this story in Matthew 12 : 40 . 
