Matthew 12:40

Matthew 12:40 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Context of Matthew 12:40

38Then some of the experts in the law along with some Pharisees answered him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 39But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 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. 41The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them – and now, something greater than Jonah is here! 42The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon – and now, something greater than Solomon is here!

Matthew 12:40 word by word

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.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• asὥσπερhōsper · just asG5618
• JonasἸωνᾶςIōnas · JonahG2495
• wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• threeτρεῖςtreis tria · ThreeG5140
• daysἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• nightsνύξnux · nightG3571
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the whale’sὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the whale’sκῆτοςkētos · sea monsterG2785
• bellyκοιλίαkoilia · belly/womb/stomachG2836
• soοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
• the Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• the heartκαρδίαkardia · heartG2588
• of the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093

Cross-references for Matthew 12:40

• Matthew 16:21From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
• Matthew 17:23They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they became greatly distressed.
• Matthew 27:40and saying, “You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from the cross!”
• John 2:19Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.”
• Psalms 63:9Enemies seek to destroy my life, but they will descend into the depths of the earth.
• Jonah 2:2and said, “I called out to the Lord from my distress, and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help, and you heard my prayer.

Commentaries on Matthew 12:40

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 40Three days and three nights - Our Lord rose from the grave on the day but one after his crucifixion: so that, in the computation in this verse, the part of the day on which he was crucified, and the part of that on which he rose again, are severally estimated as an entire day; and this, no doubt, exactly corresponded to the time in which Jonah was in the belly of the fish. Our Lord says, As Jonah was, so shall the Son of man be, etc. Evening and morning…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 38-42Verses 38-42 We would see a sign from thee - See Luke 11:16, Luke 11:29-32. A “sign” commonly signifies a miracle - that is, a sign that God was with the person or had sent him. Compare the notes at Isaiah 7:11. Luke adds that this was done “tempting him;” that is, trying him, doubting if he had the power to do it. If these persons had been present with him for any considerable time, they had already seen sufficient proofs that he was what he claimed to…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 38-45Verses 38-45 Though Christ is always ready to hear and answer holy desires and prayers, yet those who ask amiss, ask and have not. Signs were granted to those who desired them to confirm their faith, as Abraham and Gideon; but denied to those who demanded them to excuse their unbelief. The resurrection of Christ from the dead by his own power, called here the sign of the prophet Jonah, was the great proof of Christ's being the Messiah. As Jonah was three…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 39-40To demand a sign shows a lack of faith. The sign of the prophet Jonah was his "resurrection" from the large fish after three days and nights. It also referred to his preaching (12:41; Luke 11:32). This was similar to the burial, resurrection, and preaching of Jesus. Jesus compared Jonah's experience to what he would experience. He was not predicting the exact timing of his death and resurrection. Heart of the earth is another way of saying "the grave."Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4040. For as Jonas was--"a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation" (Lu 11:30). For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly--(Jon 1:17). so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth--This was the second public announcement of His resurrection three days after His death. (For the first, see Joh 2:19). Jonah's case was analogous to this, as being a signal judgment of…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 12:40

• Fish
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Jonah
• Resurrection
• Types

In the dictionaries

• Son of man
• Adulterous
• Condemn
• Desolation
• Idle
• Jonah, Book of
• Jonas
• Judgment
• Restore
• Sin

Commentaries on Matthew 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings