John 2:18

John 2:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
• New International Version (NIV)The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?"
• New Living Translation (NLT)But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”

Context of John 2:18

16And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” 19Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

John 2:18 word by word

ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· τί σημεῖον δεικνύεις ἡμῖν ὅτι ταῦτα ποιεῖς;¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
• the JewsἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• signσημεῖονsēmeion · signG4592
• shewest thouδεικνύωdeiknuō · to showG1166
• unto usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• seeing thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• thou doestποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• these thingsοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778

Cross-references for John 2:18

• John 6:30Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?
• Matthew 12:38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
• Matthew 16:1Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.
• Mark 8:11Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.
• Luke 11:29And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
• John 1:25And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
• Matthew 21:23Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”
• Mark 11:27Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.
• Luke 20:1Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him
• Acts 4:7And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”
• Acts 5:28saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

Commentaries on John 2:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18What sign showest thou - See on Matthew 12:38; (note); Matthew 16:1; (note). When Moses came to deliver Israel, he gave signs, or miracles, that he acted under a Divine commission. What miracle dost thou work to show us that thou art vested with similar authority?Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18What sign … - What “miracle” dost thou work? He assumed the character of a prophet. He was reforming, by his “authority,” the temple. It was natural to ask by what authority this was done; and as they had been accustomed to miracles in the life of Moses, and Elijah, and the other prophets, so they demanded evidence that he had authority thus to cleanse the house of God. Seeing that thou doest - Rather “by what title or authority thou doest these things.”…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-22Verses 12-22 The first public work in which we find Christ engaged, was driving from the temple the traders whom the covetous priests and rulers encouraged to make a market-place of its courts. Those now make God's house a house of merchandise, whose minds are filled with cares about worldly business when attending religious exercises, or who perform Divine offices for love of gain. Christ, having thus cleansed the temple, gave a sign to those who…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-25In this section, Jesus appeared at two symbolic Jewish ceremonies. At a wedding in Cana (2:1–12), he replaced the ritual cleansing water with his own superior wine. Later, around Passover, he cleansed the temple (2:13–25).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2218-22. What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?--Though the act and the words of Christ, taken together, were sign enough, they were unconvinced: yet they were awed, and though at His very next appearance at Jerusalem they "sought to kill Him" for speaking of "His Father" just as He did now (Joh 5:18), they, at this early stage, only ask a sign.Read the comment

Topics related to John 2:18

• Jesus, the Christ

In the dictionaries

• Fill
• Hour
• Miracle
• Propitiation
• Scourge
• Syriac
• Testify
• Jesus Christ
• John, the Epistles of
• Last Time, Times

Commentaries on John 2

• 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
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings