The Sign of Jonah and the Unclean Spirit
Matthew 12:38-45
Matt.12.38 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Τοτε: ADV
- απεκριθησαν: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,pl
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- τινες: PRON,nom,pl,m
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- γραμματεων: NOUN,gen,pl,m
- και: CONJ
- Φαρισαιων: NOUN,gen,pl,m
- λεγοντες·Διδασκαλε: PART,pres,act,nom,pl,m + NOUN,voc,sg,m
- θελομεν: VERB,pres,act,ind,1,pl
- απο: PREP
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- σημειον: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- ιδειν: VERB,aor,act,inf
Parallels
- Matt.16:1-4 (verbal): Another episode in Matthew where religious leaders (here Pharisees and Sadducees) demand a sign from heaven; Jesus refuses and points to the ‘sign of Jonah,’ closely paralleling wording and response.
- Mark 8:11-12 (verbal): Mark records the Pharisees asking Jesus for a sign from heaven and Jesus’ refusal (he sighs deeply), a near-verbatim synoptic parallel to the demand for a sign.
- Luke 11:29-30 (thematic): Luke recounts the people seeking a sign and Jesus’ rebuke (‘this generation is evil’) and gives the ‘sign of Jonah’ — the same theological rebuttal to requests for miraculous proof.
- John 6:30 (thematic): In John, after the feeding of the five thousand the crowd asks, “What sign do you do, that we may see and believe you?” — illustrating the recurring Johannine/theme-wide motif of people demanding signs to produce belief.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."
- Then some of the scribes and Pharisees came and said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."
Matt.12.39 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- αποκριθεις: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτοις·Γενεα: PRON,dat,pl,m;NOUN,nom,sg,f
- πονηρα: ADJ,nom,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- μοιχαλις: ADJ,nom,sg,f
- σημειον: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- επιζητει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- σημειον: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- ου: PART
- δοθησεται: VERB,fut,pass,ind,3,sg
- αυτη: PRON,dat,sg,f
- ει: COND
- μη: PART
- το: ART,nom,sg,n
- σημειον: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- Ιωνα: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- του: ART,gen,sg,m
- προφητου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Luke 11:29-30 (verbal): Nearly identical wording—Jesus calls the generation evil and adulterous for seeking a sign and again offers only the 'sign of Jonah.'
- Matt.16:4 (verbal): A later repetition of the same saying in Matthew—'an evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign…no sign except the sign of Jonah.'
- Mark 8:11-12 (verbal): Parallel Synoptic account—Pharisees demand a sign and Jesus refuses, offering only the sign of Jonah, reflecting the same tradition.
- Matt.12:40 (structural): Immediate exegetical follow-up in Matthew that explains the 'sign of Jonah'—Jonah’s three days and nights as a typological foreshadowing of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
- Jonah 1:17 (allusion): Source/background for the 'sign of Jonah'—Jonah’s being in the belly of the fish three days and three nights is the Old Testament event Jesus alludes to.
Alternative generated candidates
- But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; and no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
- He answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."
Matt.12.40 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ωσπερ: ADV
- γαρ: CONJ
- ην: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- Ιωνας: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- κοιλια: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- κητους: NOUN,gen,sg,n
- τρεις: NUM,acc,pl,f
- ημερας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
- και: CONJ
- τρεις: NUM,acc,pl,f
- νυκτας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
- ουτως: ADV
- εσται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- του: ART,gen,sg,m
- ανθρωπου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- καρδια: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- γης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- τρεις: NUM,acc,pl,f
- ημερας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
- και: CONJ
- τρεις: NUM,acc,pl,f
- νυκτας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
Parallels
- Jonah 1:17 (MT) / Jonah 2:1 (LXX) (quotation): The Matthean saying echoes the Jonah story verbatim — Jonah in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights — which Jesus cites as the model for his own 'three days' in the earth.
- Luke 11:29-32 (allusion): Parallel episode where Jesus invokes the 'sign of Jonah' and compares Jonah's experience to the coming sign of the Son of Man, closely paralleling Matthew's use of the Jonah motif.
- Matthew 16:4 (allusion): Matthew elsewhere refers to the 'sign of Jonah' as the only sign sought by an unbelieving generation, echoing the same Jonah-to-Jesus typology used in 12:40.
- Mark 8:31 (verbal): Mark records Jesus' prediction that the Son of Man 'must suffer... and after three days rise again,' connecting the 'three days' motif in Matthew 12:40 to Jesus' passion and resurrection predictions.
- 1 Corinthians 15:4 (thematic): Paul's summary that Christ 'was buried, that he was raised on the third day' reflects the theological fulfillment of the 'three days' motif cited by Jesus in Matthew 12:40.
Alternative generated candidates
- For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
- For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matt.12.41 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ανδρες: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- Νινευιται: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- αναστησονται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,pl
- εν: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- κρισει: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- μετα: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- γενεας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- ταυτης: DEM,gen,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- κατακρινουσιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,pl
- αυτην·οτι: PRON,acc,sg,f
- μετενοησαν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- εις: PREP
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- κηρυγμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- Ιωνα: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ιδου: INTJ
- πλειον: ADJ,comp,nom,sg,n
- Ιωνα: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- ωδε: ADV
Parallels
- Jonah 3:5-10 (allusion): The source narrative: the people of Nineveh believed Jonah’s message, proclaimed a fast, and God relented — the passage Matthew evokes when saying Ninevites repented at Jonah’s preaching.
- Jonah 3:4 (verbal): Jonah’s proclamation (’Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown’) is the specific message that provoked Nineveh’s repentance, which Matthew summarizes in v.41.
- Luke 11:32 (verbal): A near-verbatim parallel in Luke: Jesus says the men of Nineveh will rise at the judgment and condemn that generation because they repented at Jonah’s preaching; Luke preserves the same comparison and conclusion.
- Matt.12:42 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same Matthean pericope: like the Ninevites, the Queen of the South will rise in judgment to condemn this generation — both examples underline Jesus’ ‘greater than’ motif (greater than Jonah/Solomon).
Alternative generated candidates
- The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the proclamation of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
- The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for they repented at Jonah's proclamation—and now one greater than Jonah is here.
Matt.12.42 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- βασιλισσα: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- νοτου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- εγερθησεται: VERB,fut,pass,ind,3,sg
- εν: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- κρισει: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- μετα: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- γενεας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- ταυτης: PRON,gen,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- κατακρινει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτην·οτι: PRON,acc,sg,f
- ηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- εκ: PREP
- των: ART,gen,pl,n
- περατων: NOUN,gen,pl,n
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- γης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- ακουσαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- σοφιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- Σολομωνος: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ιδου: PART
- πλειον: ADJ,comp,nom/acc,sg,n
- Σολομωνος: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- ωδε: ADV
Parallels
- Luke 11:31 (verbal): Near-verbatim parallel in Luke; same saying about the Queen of the South rising in judgment against Jesus' generation because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom.
- 1 Kings 10:1-13 (allusion): The historical account of the Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon to test his wisdom—Matthew alludes to this episode as the background for the comparison.
- 2 Chronicles 9:1-12 (thematic): Parallel canonical retelling of the Queen of Sheba's visit to Solomon; supplies the same narrative tradition Matthew invokes.
- Matt.12:41 (structural): Immediate context in Matthew: the preceding verse compares the Ninevites' repentance to the present generation's response, forming a paired judicial contrast with the Queen of the South saying.
Alternative generated candidates
- The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
- The queen of the South will rise up in judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom—and now one greater than Solomon is here.
Matt.12.43 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Οταν: CONJ
- δε: PART
- το: ART,nom,sg,n
- ακαθαρτον: ADJ,nom,sg,n
- πνευμα: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- εξελθη: VERB,aor,act,subj,3,sg
- απο: PREP
- του: ART,gen,sg,m
- ανθρωπου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- διερχεται: VERB,pres,midd,ind,3,sg
- δι᾽ανυδρων: ADJ,gen,pl,m
- τοπων: NOUN,gen,pl,m
- ζητουν: VERB,pres,act,ptc,nom,sg,n
- αναπαυσιν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- ουχ: PART
- ευρισκει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Luke 11:24 (verbal): Nearly identical wording and narrative: an unclean spirit leaves a man, wanders through waterless places seeking rest but finds none — the closest verbal parallel to Matthew 12:43.
- Luke 11:25-26 (structural): Continues the same sequence as Matthew 12:43–45, describing the spirit returning with seven other spirits and leaving the man worse off — the Lukan version of the Matthew pericope.
- Matt.12:45 (quotation): The immediate continuation in Matthew’s Gospel explains what happens when the unclean spirit returns with seven others, completing the warning picture begun in 12:43.
- Ephesians 4:27 (thematic): Paul’s injunction 'do not give the devil a foothold' echoes Matthew’s concern about leaving a person vulnerable when an evil spirit departs — both warn against leaving space for evil to return.
- James 4:7 (thematic): The call to 'resist the devil, and he will flee from you' resonates thematically with the Matthean teaching about spiritual vigilance after an evil spirit departs.
Alternative generated candidates
- When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it wanders through arid places seeking rest, but finds none.
- When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it wanders through arid places seeking rest and finds none.
Matt.12.44 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- τοτε: ADV
- λεγει·Εις: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- οικον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
- επιστρεψω: VERB,fut,act,ind,1,sg
- οθεν: ADV
- εξηλθον·και: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- ελθον: VERB,aor,act,ptc,nom,sg,m
- ευρισκει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- σχολαζοντα: VERB,pres,act,ptc,acc,sg,m
- σεσαρωμενον: VERB,perf,pas,ptc,acc,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- κεκοσμημενον: VERB,perf,pas,ptc,acc,sg,m
Parallels
- Luke 11:24-26 (verbal): Near-verbatim parallel of the whole unit: the unclean spirit returns, finds the house swept and put in order, and then brings back more spirits — same imagery and teaching as Matthew 12:43-45.
- Matthew 12:45 (structural): Immediate literary continuation in Matthew: describes the spirit bringing back seven other spirits more wicked than itself — completes the warning begun in v.44.
- Mark 1:23-26 (thematic): Shows Jesus' authority over unclean spirits and the reality of demonic presence — thematically related to Jesus' discussion of unclean spirits leaving and returning.
- Mark 5:1-20 (cf. Luke 8:26-39) (thematic): The Gerasene demoniac episode illustrates the nature and power of unclean spirits and their disruptive effects, providing a narrative parallel to Jesus' teaching about demons leaving and the danger of their return.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' And when it returns, it finds the house swept and put in order.
- Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' And when it comes back, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.
Matt.12.45 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- τοτε: ADV
- πορευεται: VERB,pres,mid,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- παραλαμβανει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- μεθ᾽εαυτου: PREP+PRON,gen,sg,m
- επτα: NUM,acc,pl
- ετερα: ADJ,acc,pl,neut
- πνευματα: NOUN,acc,pl,neut
- πονηροτερα: ADJ,acc,pl,neut,comp
- εαυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- εισελθοντα: PART,aor,act,nom/acc,pl,neut
- κατοικει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- εκει·και: ADV+CONJ
- γινεται: VERB,pres,mid,ind,3,pl
- τα: ART,nom,pl,neut
- εσχατα: NOUN,nom,pl,neut
- του: ART,gen,sg,m
- ανθρωπου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- εκεινου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- χειρονα: ADJ,acc,sg,m,comp
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- πρωτων: ADJ,gen,pl,m
- ουτως: ADV
- εσται: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- τη: ART,nom,sg,f
- γενεα: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- ταυτη: PRON,nom,sg,f
- τη: ART,nom,sg,f
- πονηρα: ADJ,nom,sg,f
Parallels
- Luke 11:24-26 (verbal): Near-identical telling of the unclean spirit that leaves a person, returns with seven others, and makes the last state worse than the first; direct literary parallel to Matthew's pericope.
- Matthew 12:43-44 (structural): Immediate context in the same pericope: describes the spirit leaving and the 'empty house' scenario that leads directly into v.45's warning about relapse and a worse state.
- 2 Peter 2:20-22 (thematic): Warning about those who escape corruption only to return to it and become worse off (vv.20–22), including the proverb imagery used to describe fatal relapse—parallels Matthew's 'worse than the first' outcome.
- Proverbs 26:11 (allusion): Proverb 'As a dog returns to its vomit' provides the proverbial/background imagery for biblical warnings about relapse into former wickedness; echoed in NT warnings about returning to a worse condition.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last condition of that man is worse than the first. So it will be also with this wicked generation."
- Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself; they enter and dwell there, and the final condition of that man is worse than the first. Thus will it be also with this evil generation.
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."
He answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; and no sign will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at Jonah's proclamation; and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.
The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom; and behold, one greater than Solomon is here.
When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest and finds none.
Then it says, "I will return to my house from which I came." And when it returns, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
Then it goes and takes to itself seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.