The influence of orality on biblical poetry is pervasive. Biblical scholarship has long considered the oral traditions that precede the texts of the Hebrew Bible; however, some aspects of orality remain unexplored. Recently, Jacqueline Vayntrub has questioned why biblical poetry, even in its written form, mirrors aspects of oral culture so closely (Vayntrub, Beyond Orality, 2019). In oral cultures communication happens primarily through spoken word and biblical poetry set within narrative is always spoken by a character. The book of Jonah provides an example of this phenomenon. Jonah’s prayer, an oral poem presented in written form, interrupts the narrative. The prayer is placed in the mouth of Jonah. Rather than simply stating that the prayer occurred, as many narratives do, the poem gives full articulation to his prayer. The poem presents the prayer as spoken word for a primarily oral culture. The familiar form of spoken word allows the hearers to understand the text as a representation of oral communication. As oral communication, Jonah’s prayer is emphasized within its narrative frame. The spoken words of Jonah’s prayer have been memorialized in writing and distinguish the prayer as a vital event within the story. Rather than describe events, Jonah’s prayer is an event in itself. In this paper, I demonstrate how the study of orality might provide greater insight into the use of poetry within narrative and how characteristics of these written poems might help us better understand the oral world of ancient Israel.