Matthew 12:38-39

The Sign of Jonah

12:38 Then some of the experts in the law ¹  along with some Pharisees ²  answered him, ³  “Teacher, we want to see a sign ⁴  from you.” 12:39 But he answered them, ⁵  “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Matthew 16:1-4

The Demand for a Sign

16:1 Now when the Pharisees ⁶  and Sadducees ⁷  came to test Jesus, ⁸  they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ⁹  16:2 He ¹⁰  said, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather, because the sky is red,’ 16:3 and in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’ ¹¹  You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, ¹²  but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times. 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 ¹³  he left them and went away.

Mark 8:11

The Demand for a Sign

8:11 Then the Pharisees ¹⁴  came and began to argue with Jesus, asking for ¹⁵  a sign from heaven ¹⁶  to test him.

Luke 11:16

11:16 Others, to test ¹⁷  him, ¹⁸  began asking for ¹⁹  a sign ²⁰  from heaven.

Luke 11:20

11:20 But if I cast out demons by the finger ²¹  of God, then the kingdom of God ²²  has already overtaken ²³  you.

John 2:18

2:18 So then the Jewish leaders ²⁴  responded, ²⁵  “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” ²⁶ 

John 4:48

4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people ²⁷  see signs and wonders you will never believe!” ²⁸ 

[12:38]  ¹ tn Or “Then some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[12:38]  ² tn Grk “and Pharisees.” The word “some” before “Pharisees” has been supplied for clarification.

[12:38]  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.

[12:38]  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.

[12:39]  ⁵ tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[16:1]  ⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[16:1]  ⁷ sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.

[16:1]  ⁸ tn The object of the participle πειράζοντες (peirazontes) is not given in the Greek text but has been supplied here for clarity.

[16:1]  ⁹ 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.

[16:2]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” The construction has been simplified in the translation and δέ (de) has not been translated.

[16:3]  ¹¹ tn Or “red and gloomy” (L&N 14.56).

[16:3]  ¹² tn Grk “The face of the sky you know how to discern.”

[16:4]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[8:11]  ¹⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[8:11]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “seeking from him.” The participle ζητοῦντες (zhtountes) shows the means by which the Pharisees argued with Jesus.

[8:11]  ¹⁶ 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.

[11:16]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “testing”; the participle is taken as indicating the purpose of the demand.

[11:16]  ¹⁸ tn The pronoun “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[11:16]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “seeking from him.” The imperfect ἐζήτουν (ezhtoun) is taken ingressively. It is also possible to regard it as iterative (“kept on asking”).

[11:16]  ²⁰ 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.

[11:20]  ²¹ sn The finger of God is a figurative reference to God’s power (L&N 76.3). This phrase was used of God’s activity during the Exodus (Exod 8:19).

[11:20]  ²² sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[11:20]  ²³ tn The phrase ἔφθασεν ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (efqasen ef’ Juma") is important. Does it mean merely “approach” (which would be reflected in a translation like “has come near to you”) or actually “come upon” (as in the translation given above, “has already overtaken you,” which has the added connotation of suddenness)? The issue here is like the one in 10:9 (see note there on the phrase “come on”). Is the arrival of the kingdom merely anticipated or already in process? Two factors favor arrival over anticipation here. First, the prepositional phrase “upon you” suggests arrival (Dan 4:24, 28 Theodotion). Second, the following illustration in vv. 21-23 looks at the healing as portraying Satan being overrun. So the presence of God’s authority has arrived. See also L&N 13.123 for the translation of φθάνω (fqanw) as “to happen to already, to come upon, to come upon already.”

[2:18]  ²⁴ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)

[2:18]  ²⁵ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[2:18]  ²⁶ sn The request “What sign can you show us” by Jesus’ adversaries was a request for a defense of his actions – a mark of divine authentication. Whether this was a request for a miracle is not entirely clear. Jesus never obliged such a request. Yet, ironically, the only sign the Jewish leadership will get is that predicted by Jesus in 2:19 – his crucifixion and resurrection. Cf. the “sign of Jonah” in the synoptics (Matt 12:39, 40; Luke 11:29-32).

[4:48]  ²⁷ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than the royal official alone).

[4:48]  ²⁸ tn Or “you never believe.” The verb πιστεύσητε (pisteushte) is aorist subjunctive and may have either nuance.