Devine Scripture

Matthew 12:39

What does Matthew 12:39 mean?

A plain-English look at Matthew 12:39 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Matthew 12:39 means

Jesus calls the generation evil and adulterous for seeking a sign and says no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah. He condemns their spiritual infidelity—seeking sensational proofs instead of responding to God’s offered mercy. The sign of Jonah points to Jesus’ own death and three-day burial, indicating that his resurrection will be the decisive confirmation of his identity. The refusal highlights that God’s ultimate revelation comes through the cross and resurrection, not mere wonders for skeptics.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet:

KJV

King James Version · 1611

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet:

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

But he, answering, said to them, An evil and false generation is looking for a sign; and no sign will be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah:

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And he answering said to them, `A generation, evil and adulterous, doth seek a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

Who answering said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

But he, answering, said to them, A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it save the sign of Jonas the prophet.

Context

This rebuke follows the scribes’ demand in verse 38. It reinterprets their request as moral failure and introduces a prophetic typology: Jonah’s experience prefigures the Son of man’s three days in the earth. The next verse elaborates the Jonah parallel with explicit timing.

v.38Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee.

v.39This passage

v.40for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Matthew 16:4

    An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of Jonah. And he left them, and departed.

  • Isaiah 57:3

    But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot.

  • James 4:4

    Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.

  • Luke 11:29

    And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, he began to say, This generation is an evil generation: it seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah.

  • Mark 8:38

    For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man also shall be ashamed of him, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

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