Text -- Matthew 12:38-50 (NET)

The Sign of Jonah

12:38 Then some of the experts in the law along with some Pharisees answered him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 12:39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 12:40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 12:41 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them– and now, something greater than Jonah is here! 12:42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon– and now, something greater than Solomon is here!

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

12:43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find it. 12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ When it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order. 12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”

Jesus’ True Family

12:46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside, asking to speak to him. 12:47 Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you.” 12:48 To the one who had said this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 12:49 And pointing toward his disciples he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Mat 12:38

¹ tn Or “Then some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

² tn Grk “and Pharisees.” The word “some” before “Pharisees” has been supplied for clarification.

sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

³ tn Grk “answered him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant, but the syntax of the sentence was changed to conform to English style.

⁴ sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.

NET Notes: Mat 12:39

¹ tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

NET Notes: Mat 12:40

¹ tn Grk “large sea creature.”

² sn A quotation from Jonah 1:17.

NET Notes: Mat 12:41

¹ tn Grk “men”; the word here (ἀνήρ, anhr) usually indicates males or husbands, but occasionally is used in a generic sense of people in general, as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 1.a, 2).

² tn Grk “at the preaching of Jonah.”

³ tn Grk “behold.”

NET Notes: Mat 12:42

¹ sn On the queen of the South see 1 Kgs 10:1-3 and 2 Chr 9:1-12, as well as Josephus, Ant. 8.6.5-6 (8.165-175). The South most likely refers to modern southwest Arabia, possibly the eastern part of modern Yemen, although there is an ancient tradition reflected in Josephus which identifies this geo-political entity as Ethiopia.

² tn Grk “behold.”

NET Notes: Mat 12:43

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

² sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

³ tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females. This same use occurs in v. 45.

⁴ sn The background for the reference to waterless places is not entirely clear, though some Jewish texts suggest spirits must have a place to dwell, but not with water (Luke 8:29-31; Tob 8:3). Some suggest that the image of the desert or deserted cities as the places demons dwell is where this idea started (Isa 13:21; 34:14).

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

NET Notes: Mat 12:44

¹ tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”

² tn Grk “comes.”

³ tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.

⁴ sn The image of the house empty, swept clean, and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.

NET Notes: Mat 12:45

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

NET Notes: Mat 12:46

¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Grk “crowds, behold, his mother.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

³ sn The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3.

⁴ tn “His mother and brothers came and” is a translation of “behold, his mother and brothers came.”

⁵ tn Grk “seeking.”

NET Notes: Mat 12:47

¹ tc A few ancient mss and versions lack this verse (א* B L Γ pc ff¹ k sy^s,c sa). The witness of א and B is especially strong, but internal considerations override this external evidence. Both v. 46 and 47 end with the word λαλῆσαι (“to speak”), so early scribes probably omitted the verse through homoioteleuton. The following verses make little sense without v. 47; its omission is too hard a reading. Thus v. 47 was most likely part of the original text.

² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

³ tn Grk “seeking.”

NET Notes: Mat 12:48

¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Grk “And answering, he said to the one who had said this.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) at the beginning of the clause has not been translated.

NET Notes: Mat 12:49

¹ tn Grk “extending his hand.”

² tn Grk “Behold my mother and my brothers.”

NET Notes: Mat 12:50

¹ tn The pleonastic pronoun αὐτός (autos, “he”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.