MAT 16:1 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]Some from the Pharisee party and some from the Sadducee sect approached Yeshua, and trying to tempt him they asked him to make a sign in the sky to show his power to them.

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 And the Pharisees and Sadducees, having approached, testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

UST Some Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus in order to investigate him. They said to him, “We want you to perform a miracle that shows that God sent you.”

BLB And the Pharisees and Sadducees having approached testing Him, asked Him to show them a sign out of heaven.

AICNT And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

OEB Here the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and, to test Jesus, requested him to show them some sign from the heavens.

WEBBE The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Now when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

LSV And the Pharisees and Sadducees having come, tempting, questioned Him, to show to them a sign from Heaven,

FBV The Pharisees and Sadducees came to test[fn] Jesus, demanding that he show them a sign from heaven.

16:1 Since the test was in an attempt to discredit Jesus, this could also be translated “came to trap Jesus.”

TCNT Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus, asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

T4T Some Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him to perform a miracle that would prove that Godhad sent him.

LEB And when[fn] the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test him,[fn] they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

16:1 *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal

16:1 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

BBE And the Pharisees and Sadducees came and, testing him, made a request to him to give them a sign from heaven.

Moff Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came up and, in order to tempt him, asked him to show them a Sign from heaven.

Wymth Here the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Him; and, to make trial of Him, they asked Him to show them a sign in the sky.

ASV And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and trying him asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

DRA And there came to him the Pharisees and Sadduccees tempting: and they asked him to shew them a sign from heaven.

YLT And the Pharisees and Sadducees having come, tempting, did question him, to shew to them a sign from the heaven,

Drby And the Pharisees and Sadducees, coming to [him], asked him, tempting [him], to shew them a sign out of heaven.

RV And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and tempting him asked him to shew them a sign from heaven.
(And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and tempting him asked him to show them a sign from heaven. )

SLT And the Pharisees and Sadducees having come, tempting, asked him to shew them a sign from heaven.

Wbstr The Pharisees also and the Sadducees came, and, tempting, desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven.

KJB-1769 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
(The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. )

KJB-1611 ¶ The Pharises also, with the Sadduces, came, and tempting, desired him that hee would shew them a signe from heauen.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps The Pharisees also, with the Saducees, came, and temptyng, desired hym that he woulde shewe them a signe from heauen.
(The Pharisees also, with the Saducees, came, and tempting, desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven.)

Gnva Then came the Pharises and Sadduces, and did tempt him, desiring him to shew them a signe from heauen.
(Then came the Pharisees and Sadducees, and did tempt him, desiring him to show them a sign from heaven. )

Cvdl Then came the Pharises & Saduces vnto him, & tepted him, requyringe him to shewe the a toke from heaue.
(Then came the Pharisees and Sadducees unto him, and tepted him, requyringe him to show the a took from heaven.)

TNT Then came the pharises and saduces and did tempte him desyringe him to shewe them some signe from heven.
(Then came the Pharisees and saduces and did tempt him desyringe him to show them some sign from heaven. )

Wycl And the Farisees and the Saducees camen to hym temptynge, and preieden hym to schewe hem a tokene fro heuene.
(And the Pharisees and the Saducees came to him tempting, and prayed him to show hem a token from heaven.)

Luth Da traten die Pharisäer und Sadduzäer zu ihm, die versuchten ihn und forderten, daß er sie ein Zeichen vom Himmel sehen ließe.
(So occurred the Pharisees and Sadduzäer to/for him, the tried him/it and demanded/required, that he they/she/them a sign from_the heaven see let.)

ClVg Et accesserunt ad eum pharisæi et sadducæi tentantes: et rogaverunt eum ut signum de cælo ostenderet eis.[fn]
(And they_came to him Pharisees and sadducæi tempting: and rogaverunt him as sign/signal from/about the_sky would_show to_them. )

16.1 Et accesserunt, etc. Ut signum de cœlo, etc. Ut qui pavit multos paucis: manna plueret quo omnes reficeret. Unde Joannes post edulium panum: Quod signum facis, ut videamus et credamus tibi? quid operaris? Patres nostri manducarunt manna in deserto Joan. 6.. Petebant tentando ut in morem Eliæ ignem de sublimi mitteret, vel in similitudinem Samuelis æstivo tempore mugire tonitrua faceret, quasi non possent et illa calumniari, et dicere ex occultis et variis æris passionibus accidisse.

16.1 And they_came, etc. As sign/signal from/about sky, etc. As who/which pavit many in_a_few: manna plueret where everyone reficeret. From_where/who Yoannes after edulium bread/food: That sign/signal you_do, as let's_see and let_us_believe to_you? what to_works? Fathers our manducarunt manna in/into/on in_the_desert Yohan 6.. Petebant tentando as in/into/on custom Eliyah fire from/about sublime/unparalleled to_sendt, or in/into/on similarity Samuelis brasstivo at_the_time mugire tonitrua would_do, as_if not/no they_could and that calumniari, and to_say from hidden and various copper passionbus accidisse.

UGNT καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι, πειράζοντες ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς.
(kai proselthontes hoi Farisaioi kai Saddoukaioi, peirazontes epaʸrōtaʸsan auton saʸmeion ek tou ouranou epideixai autois.)

SBL-GNT Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι πειράζοντες ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς.
(Kai proselthontes hoi Farisaioi kai Saddoukaioi peirazontes epaʸrōtaʸsan auton saʸmeion ek tou ouranou epideixai autois.)

RP-GNT Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι πειράζοντες ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς.
(Kai proselthontes hoi Farisaioi kai Saddoukaioi peirazontes epaʸrōtaʸsan auton saʸmeion ek tou ouranou epideixai autois.)

TC-GNT Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι πειράζοντες ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς.
(Kai proselthontes hoi Farisaioi kai Saddoukaioi peirazontes epaʸrōtaʸsan auton saʸmeion ek tou ouranou epideixai autois. )

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

SOTN 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.

16:1a

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came

¶ Then some Pharisees and Sadducees came
¶ There were some Pharisee members and Sadducee members who came to Jesus.

Then: This is the beginning of a new story. The Greek introduces this story with a word that the BSB translates as Then. Most English versions do not translate this word. In your translation, use a natural way to begin a new story. For example:

There were

Then

the Pharisees and Sadducees came: This clause means that “some” Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus. It does not mean that all of them came. Only some came representing both groups.

In some languages, it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

Some Pharisees and Sadducees…came (GNT)

Pharisees: The word Pharisees last occurred in 15:12b. You should translate it here as you did there.

Sadducees: Use the same term here as you used in 3:7a.

came: The Greek text does not indicate where the Pharisees and Sadducees came from. It also does not indicate where Jesus was when they came to him. In your translation, do not try to make these things explicit.

16:1b

and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.

to test Jesus. They asked him to do something to show that he came from heaven.
They came and asked him to do a miracle to show/prove that God had sent him. They did this to test/trap him.

and tested Jesus: In this context, the word tested means “tried to trick/trap” so that he would fail. The Pharisees and Sadducees wanted Jesus to fail to show that he was from heaven. If (or when) he failed, they could declare that he was not from God. Their purpose was to discredit Jesus so that people would not listen to him.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

wanting to trick him (NCV)

wanted to trap him (GNT)

by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven: Here the word sign refers to a special miracle that shows a particular truth. The Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus to do a miracle to show that he truly came from heaven/God. They did this because they did not believe that he could actually prove that he came from God.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

by asking him to show them a miraculous sign from heaven (NLT96)

they asked him to show them a miracle from God (NCV)

they asked him to do a miracle to show/prove that God had sent him

from heaven: The Greek word that the BSB translates as heaven can mean either:

sky – the space above the earth where birds fly, or
heaven – the place where God lives.

If you can, use a word that means both sky and heaven. If you must make a choice, choose (b) heaven. Here, the Pharisees and Sadducees wanted to see something that showed that Jesus came from “heaven/God.”

In some languages, it may be necessary to make the Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ request more explicit. For example:

from God (NCV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-newevent

καὶ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καί Σαδδουκαῖοι πειράζοντες ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς)

Here, the word And introduces the next major event in the story. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces the next event, or you could leave And untranslated. Alternate translation: [Then,]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

προσελθόντες & πειράζοντες

˓having˒_approached & tempting_‹him›

Here, the word testing introduces the purpose for which the Pharisees and Sadducees approached Jesus. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a purpose. Alternate translation: [having approached with the goal of testing him]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations

ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς

˱they˲_asked (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καί Σαδδουκαῖοι πειράζοντες ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς)

It may be more natural in your language to have a direct quotation here. Alternate translation: [asked him, ”Show us a sign from heaven!”]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ

˱for˲_˓a˒_sign out_of the sky

The implication is that the Pharisees and Sadducees wanted Jesus to do a miracle to prove that his authority came from God. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [a sign from heaven that proved that his authority was from God]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ

out_of the sky

Here, the phrase from heaven indicates that the sign originates in heaven, where God rules. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [from heaven, where God rules] or [that comes from the place where God is]

Parallel MAT 16:1

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

Paragraph 16:1–4

16:1a

16:1b