Matius 12:38

The Sign of Jonah

12:38 Then some of the experts in the law ¹  along with some Pharisees ²  answered him, ³  “Teacher, we want to see a sign ⁴  from you.”

Yohanes 2:11

2:11 Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, ⁵  in Cana ⁶  of Galilee. In this way he revealed ⁷  his glory, and his disciples believed in him. ⁸ 

Yohanes 4:48

4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people ⁹  see signs and wonders you will never believe!” ¹⁰ 

[12:38]  ¹ tn Or “Then some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[12:38]  ² tn Grk “and Pharisees.” The word “some” before “Pharisees” has been supplied for clarification.

[12:38]  sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[12:38]  ³ tn Grk “answered him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant, but the syntax of the sentence was changed to conform to English style.

[12:38]  ⁴ 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.

[2:11]  ⁵ tn This sentence in Greek involves an object-complement construction. The force can be either “Jesus did this as,” or possibly “Jesus made this to be.” The latter translation accents not only Jesus’ power but his sovereignty too. Cf. also 4:54 where the same construction occurs.

[2:11]  ⁶ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[2:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “in Cana of Galilee, and he revealed.”

[2:11]  ⁸ tn Or “his disciples trusted in him,” or “his disciples put their faith in him.”

[4:48]  ⁹ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than the royal official alone).

[4:48]  ¹⁰ tn Or “you never believe.” The verb πιστεύσητε (pisteushte) is aorist subjunctive and may have either nuance.