MAT 16:2 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. he
4. he
5. 35880
6. R···3NMS
7. he
8. he
9. -
10. Y32; R10595; Person=Jesus
11. 10711
1. Δέ
2. de
3. But
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. S
10. Y32
11. 10712
1. ἀποκριθείς
2. apokrinō
3. answering
4. answer
5. 6110
6. VPAP·NMS
7. answering
8. answering
9. -
10. Y32
11. 10713
1. εἶπεν
2. legō
3. said
4. said
5. 30040
6. VIAA3··S
7. said
8. said
9. -
10. Y32
11. 10714
1. αὐτοῖς
2. autos
3. to them
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3DMP
7. ˱to˲ them
8. ˱to˲ them
9. -
10. Y32; R10697; R10699
11. 10715
1. Ὀψίας
2. opsios
3. -
4. -
5. 37980
6. S····GFS
7. evening
8. evening
9. D
10. Y32
11. 10716
1. γενομένης
2. ginomai
3. -
4. -
5. 10960
6. VPAM·GFS
7. ˓having˒ become
8. ˓having˒ become
9. -
10. Y32
11. 10717
1. λέγετε
2. legō
3. -
4. -
5. 30040
6. VIPA2··P
7. ˓are˒ saying
8. ˓are˒ saying
9. -
10. Y32; R10697; R10699
11. 10718
1. λέγεται
2. legō
3. -
4. -
5. 30040
6. VIPP3··S
7. ˱it˲ ˓is_being˒ said
8. ˱it˲ ˓is_being˒ said
9. -
10. -
11. 10719
1. Εὐδία
2. eudia
3. -
4. -
5. 21050
6. N····NFS
7. fair_weather
8. fair_weather
9. D
10. Y32
11. 10720
1. πυρράζει
2. purrazō
3. -
4. -
5. 44490
6. VIPA3··S
7. ˓is˒ being_red
8. ˓is˒ being_red
9. -
10. Y32
11. 10721
1. γάρ
2. gar
3. -
4. -
5. 10630
6. C·······
7. for
8. for
9. -
10. Y32
11. 10722
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. -
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 10723
1. οὐρανός
2. ouranos
3. -
4. -
5. 37720
6. N····NMS
7. sky
8. sky
9. -
10. Y32
11. 10724

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 16:1–4: The Jewish leaders tested Jesus

The Pharisees and Sadducees were two groups of Jewish leaders who were often opposed to each other. Here, they joined together to test Jesus. They tested him by asking him to do a certain kind of miracle that would prove that God had sent him. This kind of miracle was called a “sign.”

Jesus rebuked them for asking for a sign. He said that the only sign that they would see would be like what happened to Jonah. Jonah was in a big fish for three days. Then God caused the fish to vomit Jonah onto land alive. Similarly, Jesus would be in the grave for three days. Then God would cause him to be alive again. This would prove that God had sent him.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The leaders ask for a miracle

The Demand for a Sign

There is a parallel passage for this section in Mark 8:11–13. There is a parallel passage for 16:2–3 in Luke 12:54–56.

Paragraph 16:1–4

In this paragraph, the Pharisees and Sadducees tested Jesus. They tested him by asking him for a sign to prove that he was from God.

16:2a

But He replied, “When evening comes, you say,

He replied, “At sunset you^(plur) say,
He told them, “When the sun is going down, you^(plur) say that

But He replied: There is a textual issue here. Some of the earliest and best Greek manuscripts do not have the words in 16:2–3 after “He answered them.” The editors of the UBS Greek text considered these words to probably be original, but they put them in brackets to show that they are not completely certain. As a result, almost all English versions include these words. (See the REB for an exception.) Most English versions also include a footnote to explain the textual issue. For example, the NLT says: “Several manuscripts do not include any of the words in 16:2–3 after He replied.” You may also want to include a footnote to explain this issue. Here Jesus responded to the request of the Pharisees and Sadducees, but he did not answer a question. So in some languages, it will be more natural to use a different verb. For example:

He told them (CEV)

He said

When evening comes: Here the word evening refers to sunset or soon after.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

At sunset (NCV)

When the sun is going down

16:2b–3b

In 16:2b–3b, Jesus apparently repeated a common understanding among people about the weather in the land of Israel at that time. They used the way that the sky looked in the evening to predict what the weather would be like the next day. And in the morning, if the sky was red and overcast, they predicted that the day would be stormy. Jesus used this common saying to begin his response to their request.

In many areas, people do not use observations like this to predict what the weather will be like. So you may want to explain it in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:

Some people in Israel believed that the sky could tell them what the weather would be like later. If the sky was red in the evening, that meant that it would not rain the next day. If they saw a “red and threatening” sky in the morning, that meant that the day would be stormy. Jesus referred to the redness of the sky as a kind of sign of the weather.

16:2b

‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’

‘It will be good weather, because the sky is red.’
the sky is red, so it will not rain tomorrow.

The weather will be fair: The Greek word that the BSB translates as weather will be fair refers to a day with few clouds, little wind, and no rain or snow. This clause refers to the weather the next day.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

we will have good weather (NCV)

tomorrow will be a sunny day

there will be no rain or strong wind

for the sky is red: This clause is a basis/reason for the conclusion that “the weather will be fair.” In some languages, it will be more natural to put this clause first. For example:

Because the sky is red, it will be fair weather.

The sky is red, so it will be nice weather.

In some languages, it will be more natural to use indirect speech here. For example:

At sunset, you say that there will be fair weather because the sky is red.

In the evening when the sky is red, you say that the weather will be fair.

sky: This is the same word that was translated in 16:1b as “heaven.” Since Jesus was talking about the weather, it means sky here. But since it can also mean “heaven,” he was probably making a play on words. He used the same word to make fun of the request by the Pharisees and Sadducees to see a sign from “heaven.”

is red: The word red refers to the red color in the sky that sometimes occurs at sunset. Use an expression that is natural for this type of sky.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

λέγετε, εὐδία; πυρράζει γὰρ ὁ οὐρανός

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ ἀποκριθείς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς)

If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: [you say that it will be fair weather, for the sky is red]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

εὐδία; πυρράζει γὰρ ὁ οὐρανός

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ ἀποκριθείς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς)

If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these clauses, since the second clause gives the reason for the result that the first clause describes. Alternate translation: [The sky is red, so it will be fair weather]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

εὐδία

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ ἀποκριθείς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς)

Here the people speaking are implying that the fair weather will take place on the next day. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [fair weather tomorrow]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear MAT 16:2

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 16:1–4: The Jewish leaders tested Jesus

Paragraph 16:1–4

16:2a

16:2b–3b

16:2b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)