Matthew 12:38-42
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher,[a] we wish to see a sign from you.”(A) 39 He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful[b] generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,[c] so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 [d]At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. 42 At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.(B)
The Return of the Unclean Spirit.[e]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 12:38 Teacher: see note on Mt 8:19. In Mt 16:1 the request is for a sign “from heaven” (Mk 8:11).
- 12:39 Unfaithful: literally, “adulterous.” The covenant between God and Israel was portrayed as a marriage bond, and unfaithfulness to the covenant as adultery; cf. Hos 2:4–14; Jer 3:6–10.
- 12:40 See Jon 2:1. While in Q the sign was simply Jonah’s preaching to the Ninevites (Lk 11:30, 32), Matthew here adds Jonah’s sojourn in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, a prefigurement of Jesus’ sojourn in the abode of the dead and, implicitly, of his resurrection.
- 12:41–42 The Ninevites who repented (see Jon 3:1–10) and the queen of the south (i.e., of Sheba; see 1 Kgs 10:1–13) were pagans who responded to lesser opportunities than have been offered to Israel in the ministry of Jesus, something greater than Jonah or Solomon. At the final judgment they will condemn the faithless generation that has rejected him.
- 12:43–45 Another Q passage; cf. Mt 11:24–26. Jesus’ ministry has broken Satan’s hold over Israel, but the refusal of this evil generation to accept him will lead to a worse situation than what preceded his coming.
Matthew 12:38-42
New International Version
The Sign of Jonah(A)(B)
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign(C) from you.”(D)
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.(E) 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish,(F) so the Son of Man(G) will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.(H) 41 The men of Nineveh(I) will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah,(J) and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came(K) from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
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