Matthew 12:41-43 New English Translation
41 The people[a] of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them[b]—and now,[c] something greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen of the South[d] 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,[e] something greater than Solomon is here!
The Return of the Unclean Spirit
43 “When[f] an unclean spirit[g] goes out of a person,[h] it passes through waterless places[i] looking for rest but[j] does not find it.
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- Matthew 12:41 tn Grk “men”; the word here (ἀνήρ, anēr) 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).
- Matthew 12:41 tn Grk “at the preaching of Jonah.”
- Matthew 12:41 tn Grk “behold.”
- Matthew 12:42 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.
- Matthew 12:42 tn Grk “behold.”
- Matthew 12:43 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 12:43 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
- Matthew 12:43 tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos), referring to both males and females. This same use occurs in v. 45.
- Matthew 12:43 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).
- Matthew 12:43 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
New English Translation (NET)
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