Devine Scripture

Matthew 16:1

What does Matthew 16:1 mean?

A plain-English look at Matthew 16:1 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Matthew 16:1 means

The Pharisees and Sadducees, often at odds with each other, united in their opposition to Jesus, demanding He perform a miraculous sign from heaven. Their request was not driven by a sincere desire to believe, but by a cynical attempt to trap or discredit Him. They had already witnessed numerous signs on earth through His miracles and teaching, yet they still sought a spectacle from the sky, indicative of their hardened hearts and spiritual blindness. Their demand highlights their rejection of Jesus' essential identity, seeking external validation rather than internal transformation.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and trying him asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and trying him asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came and, testing him, made a request to him to give them a sign from heaven.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And the Pharisees and Sadducees having come, tempting, did question him, to shew to them a sign from the heaven,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And there came to him the Pharisees and Sadducees tempting: and they asked him to shew them a sign from heaven.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And the Pharisees and Sadducees, coming to [him], asked him, tempting [him], to shew them a sign out of heaven.

Context

This verse opens with another confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders, a recurring theme in Matthew's Gospel. It sets the stage for Jesus' strong rebuke of their hypocrisy and spiritual dullness, immediately followed by His warning to His disciples about their deceptive doctrines. This encounter is crucial for understanding Jesus' later teachings, as it underscores the spiritual climate of antagonism He faced.

v.1This passage

v.2But he answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the heaven is red.

Cross references

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

  • Matthew 22:23

    On that day there came to him Sadducees, they that say that there is no resurrection: and they asked him,

  • Matthew 3:7

    But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

  • Luke 20:23

    But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them,

  • Mark 12:18

    And there come unto him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,

  • John 8:6

    And this they said, trying him, that they might have whereof to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.

  • Matthew 22:15

    Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might ensnare him in his talk.

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