some or any person or object · indefinite pronoun — nominative plural masculine
scribes
γραμματέωνgrammateōn
G1122
scribe · noun — genitive plural masculine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
Pharisees
ΦαρισαίωνPharisaiōn
G5330
a separatist · noun — genitive plural masculine, a title
answered
ἀπεκρίθησανapekrithēsan
G611
to conclude for oneself · verb — aorist middle deponent indicative, 3rd person plural
saying
λέγοντες·legontes
G3004
properly · verb — present active participle, nominative plural masculine
Master
διδάσκαλε,didaskale
G1320
an instructor (genitive case or specially) · noun — vocative singular masculine, a title
would
θέλομενthelomen
G2309
to determine (as an active option from subjective impul… · verb — present active indicative, 1st person plural
see
ἰδεῖν.¶idein
G1492
used only in certain past tenses · verb — second aorist active infinitive
sign
σημεῖονsēmeion
G4592
an indication · noun — accusative singular neuter
from
ἀπὸapo
G575
"off · preposition
thee
σοῦsoû
G4675
of thee
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Corinthians 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
Mark 8:11-12 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
Luke 11:16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
Luke 11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be…
John 2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
Matthew 16:1-4 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
John 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
John 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Matthew 12:38-45
It is probable that these Pharisees with whom Christ is here in discourse were not the same that cavilled at him (Mat 12:24), and would not credit the signs he gave; but another set of them, who saw that there was no reason to discredit them, but would not content themselves with the signs he gave, nor admit the evidence of them, unless he would give them such further proof as they should demand. Here is,
I. Their address to him, Mat 12:38. They compliment him with the title of Master, pretending respect for him, when they intended to abuse him; all are not indeed Christ's servants, who call him Master. Their request is, We would see a sign from thee. It was highly reasonable that they shoul…
A SIGN DEMANDED AND THE REPLY--HIS MOTHER AND BRETHREN SEEK TO SPEAK WITH HIM, AND THE ANSWER. ( = Luk 11:16, Luk 11:24-36; Mar 3:31-35; Luk 8:19-21). (Mat 12:38-50)
Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master--"Teacher," equivalent to "Rabbi."
we would see a sign from thee--"a sign from heaven" (Luk 11:16); something of an immediate and decisive nature, to show, not that His miracles were real--that they seemed willing to concede--but that they were from above, not from beneath. These were not the same class with those who charged Him with being in league with Satan (as we see from Luk 11:15-16); but as the spirit of both was similar, the tone of severe rebu…
Then certain of the Scribes and Pharisees answered,.... Not the same that charged him with casting out devils, by the prince of devils; but others, that were present, as appears from Luke 11:16 and who do not take upon them to make a proper reply to what he had said, or return an answer to that, but address him on another account; being willing to divert the discourse, and try what they could do with him in another, and more gentle and crafty way; saying, master, not fellow, magician, Samaritan, thou that hast a devil, and casts out devils by Beelzebub, and art a devil, and Beelzebub himself; but doctor, teacher, allowing him, at least, in a flattering way, that he was an instructor of manki…
The Church Fathers
They say the miracles he has performed are from devils. He only conjures up imaginary images on the earth. So come then, by your power: perform a miracle from heaven. For another Evangelist says clearly that they wanted Jesus to perform a sign from heaven as an action befitting his divine power. They said this, blinded in their minds, as though Jesus were unable to do anything befitting God. For to open the eyes of the blind and to raise the dead and to rebuke the winds and the sea—all these miracles could be accomplished only by a divine power.
They require a sign of Him, as though what they had seen were not signs; and in another Evangelist what they required is more fully expressed, We would see of thee a sign from heaven. Either they would have fire from heaven as Elias did; or after the example of Samuel they would that in summer-time, contrary to the nature of the climate, thunder should be heard, lightnings gleam, and rain descend; as though they could not have spoken falsely even against such miracles, and said that they befel by reason of divers hidden motions in the air. For if thou cavillest against what thou not only beholdest with thine eyes, but feelest with thine hand, and reapest the benefit of, what wilt thou do in those things which come down from heaven. You might make answer, that in Egypt the magi also had given many signs from heaven.
(Verse 38) Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." They demand a sign as if the signs they had seen were not enough. But in another Gospel it is explained more fully what they are asking for: "We want to see a sign from heaven" (Mark 8:11). They either wanted fire to come down from above like Elijah, or they wanted thunder to roar, lightning to flash, and rain to pour down in the summertime against the natural order of the place, so that they could not accuse Jesus of working these wonders in secret or attribute them to various natural phenomena. For those who calumny the things which they see with their eyes, hold with their hand, and experience through usefulness: what will you do with those things which have come from heaven? Surely you will respond that the magicians in Egypt performed many signs from heaven (Exod. VII).
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Miracle — An event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God, operating without the use of means capable of being discerned by the senses, and designed to…
Pharisees · .Christ — .Christ
Pharisees, The · Christ: Asked for signs by — Christ: Asked for signs by
Scribe (S) · Hypocrisy of, reproved by Jesus — Hypocrisy of, reproved by Jesus
Sign · A miracle to confirm faith — A miracle to confirm faith
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Matthew 12:38-42
Matthew 12:38-42
Luke 11:16, 29-32
38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees asked him, saying, Master, we desire to see a sign from thee. 39. But he answering said to them, A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh a sign, [160] and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40. For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41. The men of Nineveh will rise in judgment with this generation, and will condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, lo, a greater than Jonah is here. [161] 42. The queen of the south will rise i…
a miraculous sign to prove: A popular expectation of the Messiah, probably fueled by biblical accounts about Moses (Exod 4:1-9; see also Isa 7:11, 14; 38:7-8), was that the Messiah would display spectacular miracles on command (see Matt 16:1-4; Luke 23:8; John 2:18; 4:48; 6:30; 7:31; 9:16; 11:47; 1 Cor 1:22).
