Matthew 12:38-45
New English Translation
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the experts in the law[a] along with some Pharisees[b] answered him,[c] “Teacher, we want to see a sign[d] from you.” 39 But he answered them,[e] “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish[f] for three days and three nights,[g] so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The people[h] of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them[i]—and now,[j] something greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen of the South[k] 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,[l] something greater than Solomon is here!
The Return of the Unclean Spirit
43 “When[m] an unclean spirit[n] goes out of a person,[o] it passes through waterless places[p] looking for rest but[q] does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’[r] When it returns,[s] it finds the house[t] empty, swept clean, and put in order.[u] 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so[v] the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 12:38 tn Or “Then some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
- Matthew 12:38 tn Grk “and Pharisees.” The word “some” before “Pharisees” has been supplied for clarification.sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
- Matthew 12:38 tn Grk “answered him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant, but the syntax of the sentence was changed to conform to English style.
- Matthew 12:38 sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
- Matthew 12:39 tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
- Matthew 12:40 tn Grk “large sea creature.”
- Matthew 12:40 sn A quotation from Jonah 1:17.
- 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.
- Matthew 12:44 tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”
- Matthew 12:44 tn Grk “comes.”
- Matthew 12:44 tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.
- Matthew 12:44 sn The image of the house empty, swept clean, and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.
- Matthew 12:45 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.