OET interlinear MAT 12:39

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

γενεὰ πονηρὰ καὶ μοιχαλὶς σημεῖον ἐπιζητεῖ, καὶ σημεῖον οὐ δοθήσεται αὐτῇ

/a/_generation evil and adulterous /a/_sign /is/_seeking_after and /a/_sign not /will_be_being/_given ˱to˲_it

Jesus is speaking about his audience in the third person instead of directly addressing them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the second person here instead. Alternate translation: [You, an evil and adulterous generation, seek a sign, but no sign will be given to you]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

γενεὰ πονηρὰ καὶ μοιχαλὶς & ἐπιζητεῖ & αὐτῇ

/a/_generation evil and adulterous & /is/_seeking_after & ˱to˲_it

Here, generation represents the people who are part of the generation, which means that they are adults who are currently alive. See how you translated the similar expression in 11:16. Alternate translation: [today’s people, who are evil and adulterous, seek … to them] or [Evil and adulterous people of this generation seek … to them]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

μοιχαλὶς

adulterous

Here Jesus speaks of people who do not fully trust and obey God as if they were adulterous. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [unfaithful] or [disobedient]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

σημεῖον

/a/_sign

Here, just as in 12:38, the implication is that the sign is a miracle that proves that Jesus’ authority comes from God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [a sign that shows that my authority is from God]

Note 5 topic: grammar-connect-exceptions

καὶ σημεῖον οὐ δοθήσεται αὐτῇ, εἰ μὴ τὸ σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶ τοῦ προφήτου

and and /a/_sign not /will_be_being/_given ˱to˲_it except ¬not/lest the sign ˱of˲_Jonah the prophet

If it would appear in your language that Jesus was making a statement here and then contradicting it, you could reword this to avoid using an exception clause. Alternate translation: [but the only sign that it will be given is the sign of Jonah the prophet]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

σημεῖον οὐ δοθήσεται αὐτῇ

/a/_sign /a/_sign not /will_be_being/_given ˱to˲_it

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, it could be: (1) God the Father. Alternate translation: [God will not give it a sign] (2) Jesus. Alternate translation: [I will not give it a sign]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τὸ σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶ τοῦ προφήτου

the sign ˱of˲_Jonah the prophet

Here, Jesus is using the possessive form to describe a sign that happened to Jesus. Jesus will describe this sign in the following verse. If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the sign that Jonah the prophet experienced] or [the sign related to Jonah the prophet]