Objection: the Bible incorrectly classifies whales as fish (Jonah 1:17; Matthew 12:40)

Mike points out this criticism applies modern Western taxonomy anachronistically to ancient Hebrew and Greek texts. In Jonah 1:17, the Hebrew word 'dag' means any creature that lives in a body of water — not a species-specific classification. In Matthew 12:40, the Greek word 'ketos' means any large fish or sea creature. The Bible is not wrong; modern English translation introduces the apparent discrepancy because English lacks an equivalent generic term.