Matthew 3:7-10

3:7 But when he saw many Pharisees ¹  and Sadducees ²  coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 3:8 Therefore produce fruit ³  that proves your ⁴  repentance, 3:9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 3:10 Even now the ax is laid at ⁵  the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 12:34

12:34 Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart.

Matthew 16:4

16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then ⁶  he left them and went away.

Matthew 17:17

17:17 Jesus answered, ⁷  “You ⁸  unbelieving ⁹  and perverse generation! How much longer ¹⁰  must I be with you? How much longer must I endure ¹¹  you? ¹²  Bring him here to me.”

Matthew 23:33

23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? ¹³ 

Mark 8:38

8:38 For if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him ¹⁴  when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

¹ sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

² sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). See also Matt 16:1-12; 22:23-34; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-38; Acts 5:17; 23:6-8.

³ sn Fruit worthy of repentance refers to the deeds that indicate a change of attitude (heart) on the part of John’s hearers.

⁴ tn Grk “fruit worthy of.”

⁵ sn Laid at the root. That is, placed and aimed, ready to begin cutting.

⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁷ tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

⁸ tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”

⁹ tn Or “faithless.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “how long.”

¹¹ tn Or “put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.

¹² sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.

¹³ tn Grk “the judgment of Gehenna.”

¹⁴ sn How one responds now to Jesus and his teaching is a reflection of how Jesus, as the Son of Man who judges, will respond then in the final judgment.