Matthew 12:39

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:

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
he	Ὁ Ho	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — nominative singular masculine
answered	ἀποκριθεὶς apokritheis	G611	to conclude for oneself · verb — aorist passive deponent participle, nominative singular masculine
said	εἶπεν eipen	G2036	to speak or say (by word or writing) · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
them	αὐτοῖς· autois	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative plural masculine
An	γενεὰ genea	G1074	a generation · noun — nominative singular feminine
evil	πονηρὰ ponēra	G4190	hurtful · adjective — nominative singular feminine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
adulterous	μοιχαλὶς moichalis	G3428	an adulteress (literally or figuratively) · adjective — nominative singular feminine
generation	γενεά geneá	G1074	a generation
seeketh after	ἐπιζητεῖ· epizētei	G1934	to search (inquire) for · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
a sign	σημεῖον sēmeion	G4592	an indication · noun — accusative singular neuter
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
there shall	δοθήσεται dothēsetai	G1325	to give (used in a very wide application · verb — future passive indicative, 3rd person singular
no	οὐ ou	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
sign	σημεῖον sēmeion	G4592	an indication · noun — nominative singular neuter
be given	δίδωμι dídōmi	G1325	to give (used in a very wide application
to it	αὐτῇ autēa	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative singular feminine
but	εἰ ei	G1487	if · conditional particle
the sign	σημεῖον sēmeion	G4592	an indication · noun — nominative singular neuter
of the prophet	προφήτου. prophētou	G4396	a foreteller ("prophet") · noun — genitive singular masculine
Jonas	Ἰωνᾶ Iōna	G2495	Jonas (i.e. Jonah) · noun — genitive singular masculine, a proper name

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

Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he…
Luke 11:29-32 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…
Isaiah 57:3 But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.
Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ash…
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the…

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…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 12:39

But he answered and said unto them--"when the people were gathered thick together" (Luk 11:29). An evil and adulterous generation--This latter expression is best explained by Jer 3:20, "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord." For this was the relationship in which He stood to the covenant-people--"I am married unto you" (Jer 3:14). seeketh after a sign--In the eye of Jesus this class were but the spokesmen of their generation, the exponents of the reigning spirit of unbelief. and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.

John Gill on Matthew 12:39

But he answered and said unto them,.... Not to the Pharisees, who were unworthy of an answer from him; having, in such an imperious manner, and with a sole view to tempt him, and after such miracles were wrought by him, required of him a sign from heaven; but to the multitude, the throng of people gathered thick together on this occasion, see Matthew 12:45 he turns himself from the Scribes and Pharisees, to the common people, and says to them concerning the former, an evil and adulterous generation; not only in a spiritual sense, being degenerated from the faith, religion, and piety of their ancestors; but literally, which appeared not only in their polygamy, and frequent divorces on trivia…

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The Church Fathers

Excellently is that said, and adulterous, seeing she has put away her husband, and, according to Ezekiel, has joined herself to many lovers.
— Jerome ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(Verse 39.) And he answered and said to them: An evil and adulterous generation. Admirably said adulterous: because she had dismissed her husband, and according to Ezekiel, had joined herself to many lovers (Ezek. 16).
— Jerome, Commentary on Matthew

Then He begins to answer them, giving them a sign not from heaven, which they were unworthy to see, but giving it them from the deep beneath. But to His own disciples He gave a sign from heaven, to whom He showed the glory of His blessed eternity both in a figure on the mount, and after in verity when He was taken up into heaven. Wherefore it follows, And there shall no sign he given it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas.
— Rabanus Maurus ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

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

Adultery — Conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried…
Jonah — A dove, the son of Amittai of Gath-hepher. He was a prophet of Israel, and predicted the restoration of the ancient boundaries (2 Kings 14:25-27) of the kingdom. He exercised his ministry very early…
Jonah, Book of — This book professes to give an account of what actually took place in the experience of the prophet. Some critics have sought to interpret the book as a parable or allegory, and not as a history.…
Jonas — (1.) Greek form of Jonah (Matt. 12:39, 40, 41, etc.). (2.) The father of the apostles Peter (John 21:15-17) and Andrew; but the reading should be (also in 1:42), as in the Revised Version, “John,”…
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 — Separatists (Heb. persahin, from parash, “to separate”). They were probably the successors of the Assideans (i.e., the “pious”), a party that originated in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes in revolt…
Pharisees · .Christ — .Christ
Pharisees, The · Christ: Called, and evil and adulterous generation — Christ: Called, and evil and adulterous generation
Prophets · Mentioned in scripture: Jonah — Mentioned in scripture: Jonah
Titles And Names Of The Wicked · Evil and adulterous generation — Evil and adulterous generation

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 12:39

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 12:38-45

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 12:39

John Gill on Matthew 12:39

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Matthew 12:39

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 12:38-45

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 12:39

John Gill on Matthew 12:39

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Matthew 12:38-42

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 12:39-40