Matthew 12:38-48

King James Version

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

³⁹But 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:

⁴⁰For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

⁴²The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

⁴⁴Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

⁴⁵Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

⁴⁶While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

⁴⁷Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

⁴⁸But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

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Matthew 12:38-48

New English Translation

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸Then 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.” ³⁹But 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. ⁴⁰For 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. ⁴¹The 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! ⁴²The 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. ⁴⁴Then 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] ⁴⁵Then 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!”

Jesus’ True Family

⁴⁶While Jesus^[w] was still speaking to the crowds,^[x] his mother and brothers^[y] came and stood outside, asking^[z] to speak to him. ⁴⁷^[aa] Someone^[ab] told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting^[ac] to speak to you.” ⁴⁸To the one who had said this, Jesus^[ad] replied,^[ae] “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?”

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Footnotes

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.
Matthew 12:46 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Matthew 12:46 tn Grk “crowds, behold, his mother.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Matthew 12:46 sn The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3.
Matthew 12:46 tn Grk “seeking.”
Matthew 12:47 tc A few ancient mss and versions lack this verse (א* B L Γ ff¹ k sy^s,c sa), while almost all the rest have it. The witness of א and B is especially strong, but internal considerations override this external evidence. Both v. 46 and v. 47 end with the word λαλῆσαι (“to speak”), so early scribes probably omitted the verse through homoioteleuton. Without v. 47 the passage is nonsensical: v. 46 says Jesus’ family members wanted to speak to him, and v. 48 begins with “to the one who said this.” The antecedent of “the one who said this” must surely be “someone” in v. 47. Thus, the omission of v. 47 is too hard a reading. This verse therefore should be regarded as part of the Ausgangstext.
Matthew 12:47 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 12:47 tn Grk “seeking.”
Matthew 12:48 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Matthew 12:48 tn Grk “And answering, he said to the one who had said this.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) at the beginning of the clause has not been translated.

King James Version (KJV)

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New English Translation (NET)