MAT 12:40 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) [ref]Because just like Yonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, in the same way humanity’s child will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the big fish, in this manner the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

UST A huge fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside this fish for three whole days. Then, God had the fish spit him out. Similarly, people will bury me, the Son of Man, and I will be in a tomb for three whole days. Then, I will live again.

BSB 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.

MSB For as Jonah[fn] 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.

BLB For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

AICNT For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.[fn]

12:40, Jonah 1:17

OEB For, just as Jonah was inside the sea-monster three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

WEBBE For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

LSV for as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

FBV “In the same way Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, the Son of man will lie in the earth for three days and three nights.

TCNT For just as [fn]Jonah was in the belly of the great sea creature for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

12:40 Jonah ¦ the prophet Jonah ANT

T4T Jonah was in the stomach of a huge fish for three days and nights before God caused him to live again. Similarly, for three days and nights I, the one who came from heaven, will be in a place where dead people are, and then God will cause me to live again.

LEB For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

BBE For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the great fish, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Moff for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale,
⇔ so the Son of man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Wymth For just as Jonah was three days in the sea-monster's belly, so will the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth.

ASV 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.

DRA For as Jonas was in the whale’s belly three days and three nights: so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

YLT 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.

Drby For even as Jonas was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, thus shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

RV 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.

SLT For as Jonas was in the whale’s belly three days and three nights; so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

Wbstr For as Jonah 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.

KJB-1769 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.

KJB-1611 For as Ionas was three dayes and three nights in the whales belly: so shal the sonne of man be three daies and three nights in the heart of the earth.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps For as Ionas was three dayes, and three nyghtes, in the Whales belly: so shall the sonne of man be three dayes, and three nyghtes, in the heart of the earth.
(For as Yonas was three days, and three nights, in the Whales belly: so shall the son of man be three days, and three nights, in the heart of the earth.)

Gnva For as Ionas was three daies and three nights in the whales belly: so shall the Sonne of man be three daies and three nights in ye heart of the earth.
(For as Yonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in ye/you_all heart of the earth. )

Cvdl For as Ionas was thre dayes and thre nightes in the Whalles bely, so shal the sonne of ma be thre dayes and thre nightes in the hert of the earth.
(For as Yonas was three days and three nights in the Whalles belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.)

TNT For as Ionas was thre dayes and thre nyghtes in the whales belly: soo shall the sonne of man be thre dayes and thre nyghtes in the hert of the erth.
(For as Yonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly: soo shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. )

Wycl For as Jonas was in the wombe of a whal thre daies and thre nyytis, so mannus sone shal be in the herte of the erthe thre daies and thre nyytis.
(For as Yonas was in the womb of a whal three days and three nights, so man’s son shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.)

Luth Denn gleichwie Jona war drei Tage und drei Nächte in des Walfisches Bauch, also wird des Menschen Sohn drei Tage und drei Nächte mitten in der Erde sein.
(Because same_as Yona what/which three days and three Nächte in the whaless belly, also becomes the people son three days and three Nächte midway/in_the_middle in the/of_the earth/land/ground be.)

ClVg Sicut enim fuit Jonas in ventre ceti tribus diebus, et tribus noctibus, sic erit Filius hominis in corde terræ tribus diebus et tribus noctibus.[fn]
(Like because it_was Yonas in/into/on belly ceti tribe days, and tribe at_night, so will_be Son of_man in/into/on heart of_the_earth/land tribe days and tribe at_night. )

12.40 Sicut enim fuit Jonas. Jonas, id est, dolens, significat illum qui dolores nostros portavit. Vel columba: Piscis qui voravit in pelago, mors quam passus est in mundo. Sicut ejectus est in aridam, sic Christus surrexit in gloriam. Tribus diebus. More antiquorum, qui diem cum nocte præcedente computabant. Partem diei qua sepultus est cum præterita nocte, pro nocte et die accipe, hoc est pro toto die per synecdochen. Sabbati noctem et diem integre. Noctem Dominicam cum eadem die illucescente, partem pro toto, et ita habes tres dies et tres noctes. Primi dies propter futurum hominis lapsum a luce in noctem. Isti propter hominis reparationem a tenebris ad lucem computantur. Mystice. Tres dies, tria tempora, ante legem, sub lege, sub gratia. Tres noctes, tres mortui quos suscitavit Dominus.

12.40 Like because it_was Yonas. Yonas, that it_is, dolens, means him who/which pains ours carried. Or dove: Piscis who/which voravit in/into/on pelago, death how suffered it_is in/into/on to_the_world. Like eyectus it_is in/into/on dry, so Christ/Messiah rose/got_up in/into/on glory. Tribus days. More of_the_ancients, who/which day when/with at_night they_will_precedee computabant. Partem of_the_day which buried it_is when/with past_tense at_night, for at_night and day take_it, this it_is for throughout day through synecdochen. Sabbati the_night and day integre. Night Mastercam when/with the_same day there/to_that_placeescente, part for throughout, and so/thus you_have three days and three at_nights. Primi days because future of_man fallm from light in/into/on the_night. These because of_man reparationem from darkness to the_light computantur. Mystice. Three days, three times, before the_law, under lawfully, under grace. Three at_nights, three dead which raised Master.

UGNT ὥσπερ γὰρ ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας, οὕτως ἔσται ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας.
(hōsper gar aʸn Yōnas en taʸ koilia tou kaʸtous treis haʸmeras kai treis nuktas, houtōs estai ho Huios tou Anthrōpou en taʸ kardia taʸs gaʸs treis haʸmeras kai treis nuktas.)

SBL-GNT ὥσπερ γὰρ ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας, οὕτως ἔσται ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας.
(hōsper gar aʸn Yōnas en taʸ koilia tou kaʸtous treis haʸmeras kai treis nuktas, houtōs estai ho huios tou anthrōpou en taʸ kardia taʸs gaʸs treis haʸmeras kai treis nuktas.)

RP-GNT Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας, οὕτως ἔσται ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας.
(Hōsper gar aʸn Yōnas en taʸ koilia tou kaʸtous treis haʸmeras kai treis nuktas, houtōs estai ho huios tou anthrōpou en taʸ kardia taʸs gaʸs treis haʸmeras kai treis nuktas.)

TC-GNT Ὥσπερ γὰρ [fn]ἦν [fn]Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας, οὕτως ἔσται [fn]ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας.
(Hōsper gar aʸn Yōnas en taʸ koilia tou kaʸtous treis haʸmeras kai treis nuktas, houtōs estai ho huios tou anthrōpou en taʸ kardia taʸs gaʸs treis haʸmeras kai treis nuktas. )

12:40 ην ¦ εγενετο ANT

12:40 ιωνας ¦ ιωνας ο προφητης ANT

12:40 ο ¦ και ο ANT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:38–45: Jesus rebuked those who asked for a sign

In this section, the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders increases. Jesus had already said several times that he was someone special. He said that he was greater than the temple (12:6). He said that he was Lord of the Sabbath (12:8). In this section, the religious leaders wanted to see a miraculous sign to confirm that he was really from God.

Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for asking for a sign, and he refused to give them an immediate sign. A sign would come later. It would be the sign of Jonah. By referring to the sign of Jonah, Jesus meant that he would be in the grave three days (12:40) before God resurrected him. He then told two stories and said that he was greater than Jonah and Solomon. Jesus warned them that if they did not recognize God’s work among them, they would be condemned.

Finally, Jesus told a story to warn the religious leaders of the spiritual dangers that faced them if they did not have the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The religious leaders ask for a sign/miracle

The sign of Jonah

There is a parallel passage for 12:38–42 in Luke 11:29–32. There is a parallel passage for 12:43–45 in Luke 11:24–26.

12:40a

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish,

Just as Jonah was in the stomach of a big fish for three days and three nights,
Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three whole days.

For: Verse 12:40 explains what “the sign of the prophet Jonah” (12:39b) is. The Greek introduces this explanation with a conjunction that the BSB translates as For. Here this word does not mean “because.” It does not introduce a reason.

Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. In some languages, no conjunction is necessary here either. In other languages, there may be other ways to introduce an explanation. For example:

In other words

What I mean is

Let me explain

as: These words introduce a comparison. Here, 12:40a is compared with 12:40b.

Here are some other ways to introduce this comparison:

just as (ESV)

In the same way that (GNT)

In some languages, it is natural to mark only the second clause of a comparison, not the first clause. For example:

^aJonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. ^bIn the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights. (NCV)

Jonah was three days and three nights: The phrase three days and three nights refers to three full days in a row: a day and a night, a day and a night, and a day and a night.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

three days and nights (GNT)

three full days

three whole days

in the belly of the great fish: The Greek word that the BSB translates as great fish refers to any very large creature that lives in the sea. It was large enough that it swallowed Jonah whole.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

in the stomach of a large fish

inside a huge fish

12:40b

so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

even so will the Son of Man be buried in the earth for three days and three nights.
In the same way, I, the Son of Man, will be in a grave/tomb for three full days.

so: This word indicates that 12:40b is the second part of a comparison. As mentioned in the note above, some languages mark only the second part of a comparison. For example:

^aJonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. ^bIn the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights. (NCV)

the Son of Man: Here Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. In some languages, it may be necessary to add the pronoun “I” to make it clear that Jesus was referring to himself. For example:

I, the Son of Man

This phrase also occurs in 12:32a. You should translate it here as you did there. For help in translating this phrase, see the note under 8:20b.

in the heart of the earth: This phrase is a poetic way of saying “in a grave.” Jesus was referring to the time when he would be dead and buried.

This phrase is parallel to the phrase “in the belly of the great fish” in 12:40a. In some languages, it may be possible to keep this poetic structure. For example:

in the belly of a big fish…in the belly of the earth

in a big fish…in the earth/ground

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

in a grave/tomb

buried

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὥσπερ Γάρ Ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας οὕτως ἔσται ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας)

Here, the word For introduces an explanation of “the sign of Jonah” (see [12:39](../12/39.md)). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces an explanation, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [Here is that sign:] or [Now]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὥσπερ & ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας

as & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὥσπερ Γάρ Ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας οὕτως ἔσται ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας)

Here Jesus refers to part of the story of Jonah. God told Jonah to preach to people in the town of Nineveh, but Jonah ran away instead. God had a big fish swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside this fish for three days and three nights. After that, God had the fish spit Jonah out. You can read this story in [Jonah 1–2](../jon/01/01.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could include some extra information in your translation or in a footnote. Alternate translation: [just as Jonah was swallowed by a big fish and was in its belly for three days and three nights before it spit him out]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / merism

(Occurrence -1) τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας

The phrase three days and three nights refers to three periods of 24 hours in a row. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable expression. Alternate translation: [three straight days … three straight days]

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

(Occurrence -1) τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους

Here, the phrase big fish refers to any large creature that lives in the sea or ocean. Its belly is its stomach. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of sea creature, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: [the stomach of the large sea creature] or [the stomach of the sea monster]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου

the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὥσπερ Γάρ Ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας οὕτως ἔσται ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας)

Here Jesus speaks about himself in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the first person. Alternate translation: [the Son of Man, that is, me,]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας

in the in the heart ˱of˲_the earth three days (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὥσπερ Γάρ Ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας οὕτως ἔσται ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας)

Here Jesus implies that after the three days and three nights he will no longer be in the heart of the earth. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, and then he will arise]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς

in the in the heart ˱of˲_the earth

Here, the phrase the heart of the earth refers to how people are buried deep in the ground. Jesus means that he will be in a tomb for three days and three nights. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [deep in the ground] or [in a grave]

Parallel MAT 12:40

Section 12:38–45: Jesus rebuked those who asked for a sign

12:40a

12:40b