# Matthew 12.38-39

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-06-04 | updated: 2026-06-04 -->

**Book:** [Matthew](/codex/matthew-the-apostle/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 36. <span class="rl-speech">And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.</span> 37. <span class="rl-speech">For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.</span>
>
> **38. Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. 39. But he answered and said unto them, <span class="rl-speech">An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet:</span>**
>
> 40. <span class="rl-speech">for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.</span> 41. <span class="rl-speech">The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.</span> (Matthew 12:36-41, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 36. <span class="rl-speech">I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.</span> 37. <span class="rl-speech">For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”</span>
>
> **38. Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 39. But he answered them, <span class="rl-speech">“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.</span>**
>
> 40. <span class="rl-speech">For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.</span> 41. <span class="rl-speech">The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here.</span> (Matthew 12:36-41, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 36. <span class="rl-speech">But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.</span> 37. <span class="rl-speech">For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.</span>
>
> **38. Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39. But he answered and said unto them, <span class="rl-speech">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:</span>**
>
> 40. <span class="rl-speech">For 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.</span> 41. <span class="rl-speech">The 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.</span> (Matthew 12:36-41, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 36. <span class="rl-speech">'And I say to you, that every idle word that men may speak, they shall give for it a reckoning in a day of judgment;</span> 37. <span class="rl-speech">for from thy words thou shalt be declared righteous, and from thy words thou shalt be declared unrighteous.'</span>
>
> **38. Then answered certain of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, 'Teacher, we will to see a sign from thee.' 39. And he answering said to them, <span class="rl-speech">'A generation, evil and adulterous, doth seek a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet;</span>**
>
> 40. <span class="rl-speech">for, as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.</span> 41. <span class="rl-speech">'Men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for they reformed at the proclamation of Jonah, and lo, a greater than Jonah here!</span> (Matthew 12:36-41, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap._

- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_

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## Quoted in

**Arguments and defeaters:**

- [Jonah Swallowed By A Whale Fiction Defeater](/codex/jonah-swallowed-by-a-whale-fiction-defeater/), via [Matthew 12.38-41](/codex/matthew-12-38-41/)
- [Why Doesn't God Heal Amputees Objection Defeater](/codex/why-doesnt-god-heal-amputees-objection-defeater/), via [Matthew 12.39](/codex/matthew-12-39/)

**Concepts:**

- [Atheism](/codex/atheism/), via [Matthew 12.39](/codex/matthew-12-39/)
- [Jesus Said](/codex/jesus-said/), via [Matthew 12](/codex/matthew-12/)

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_Scripture quotations taken from the **New American Standard Bible®** (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by **The Lockman Foundation**. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [www.lockman.org](https://www.lockman.org)_

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.