1And the Pharisees and Sadducees, having approached and testing him, asked him to show them a sign out of heaven. [16:2] Answering, he said to them: 'Evening having come, you say, "Fair weather, for the sky is red." [16:3] And in the morning, "Today, stormy weather, for the sky is red and threatening." The face of the sky you know how to discern, but the signs of the times — can you not? [16:4] An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and a sign will not be given to it except the sign of Jonah.' And having left them, he went away — having left them, he went away.
MAT 16:1-4
The Demand for a Sign
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Judea, the Pharisees and Sadducees were prominent Jewish factions with differing theological and political agendas. The Pharisees emphasized strict adherence to Torah and oral traditions, while the Sadducees, aligned with the priestly aristocracy, rejected oral tradition and focused on Temple rituals. Their request for a 'sign from heaven' reflects a common expectation in Jewish apocalyptic thought: divine validation through miraculous phenomena. Jesus' response critiques their inability to discern 'the signs of the times,' a phrase evoking prophetic warnings about God's impending judgment. His reference to weather patterns highlights their practical knowledge of natural signs while underscoring their spiritual blindness. The mention of Jonah invokes a prophetic figure whose miraculous deliverance from the fish symbolized repentance and divine mercy. By calling them an 'evil and adulterous generation,' Jesus employs prophetic language condemning Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness, echoing Hosea's imagery of covenant betrayal. This exchange reveals tensions between Jesus' messianic mission and the religious leaders' demand for conventional, spectacular proof.
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How other translations render this
MAT 16:1
- KJV
- The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
- BSB
- Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.
- Koinōnos
- And the Pharisees and Sadducees, having approached and testing him, asked him to show them a sign out of heaven.
MAT 16:2
- KJV
- He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
- BSB
- But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’
- Koinōnos
- Answering, he said to them: 'Evening having come, you say, "Fair weather, for the sky is red.
MAT 16:3
- KJV
- And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
- BSB
- and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times.
- Koinōnos
- And in the morning, "Today, stormy weather, for the sky is red and threatening." The face of the sky you know how to discern, but the signs of the times — can you not?
MAT 16:4
- KJV
- 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 left them, and departed.
- BSB
- A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.
- Koinōnos
- An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and a sign will not be given to it except the sign of Jonah.' And having left them, he went away — having left them, he went away.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.1.2
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.1.2
“The Jews had for a great while had three sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves; the sect of the Essens, and the sect of the Sadducees, and the third sort of opinions was that of those called Pharisees”
Cited to ground: the Pharisees and Sadducees were prominent Jewish factions
Translator's notes
MAT 16:1
- testing:The word translated 'testing' here carries the sense of putting someone to the test with the intent to discover their true character or to prove their capabilities, often with a negative or malicious undertone.
MAT 16:3
- a storm,:The term used here for 'a storm' more broadly refers to winter or stormy weather, encompassing the entire season and its associated harsh conditions, not just a single storm event.
- being overcast:The word translated 'being overcast' describes a gloomy or sullen appearance, often used for a person's face, but here applied to the sky to indicate a threatening or foreboding look.
MAT 16:4
- adulterous:The word translated 'adulterous' can refer to physical infidelity, but in a religious context, it also strongly implies spiritual unfaithfulness or disloyalty to God.