12:38 Then some of the experts in the law 5 along with some Pharisees 6 answered him, 7 “Teacher, we want to see a sign 8 from you.” 12:39 But he answered them, 9 “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
1 tn Grk “answering, he said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been changed for clarity.
2 tn Or “a person.” Greek ὁ ἄνθρωπος (Jo anqrwpo") is used generically for humanity. The translation “man” is used because the emphasis in Jesus’ response seems to be on his dependence on God as a man.
3 tn Grk “will not live.” The verb in Greek is a future tense, but it is unclear whether it is meant to be taken as a command (also known as an imperatival future) or as a statement of reality (predictive future).
4 sn A quotation from Deut 8:3.
5 tn Or “Then some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
6 tn Grk “and Pharisees.” The word “some” before “Pharisees” has been supplied for clarification.
sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
7 tn Grk “answered him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant, but the syntax of the sentence was changed to conform to English style.
8 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.
9 tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
10 tn Grk “Then answering, Jesus said to her.” This expression has been simplified in the translation.
11 sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.
12 tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of this phrase has been modified for clarity.
13 tn The expression “flesh and blood” could refer to “any human being” (so TEV, NLT; cf. NIV “man”), but it could also refer to Peter himself (i.e., his own intuition; cf. CEV “You didn’t discover this on your own”). Because of the ambiguity of the referent, the phrase “flesh and blood” has been retained in the translation.
14 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
15 tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”
16 tn Or “faithless.”
sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 30; Isa 59:8.
17 tn Grk “how long.”
18 tn Or “put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.
19 sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.
20 tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
21 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “So” to indicate that the clause is a result of the deliberations of the leaders.
22 tn Grk “answering Jesus, they said.” This construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been simplified in the translation.
23 sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“We do not know”). The point of Matt 21:23-27 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question, they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.
24 sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.
25 tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 23.
26 tn “And he”; here δέ (de) has not been translated.
27 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated. Here the referent (“this boy”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28 tn Grk “But answering, his master said to him.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.