Section 11:29–32
The people demanded a miracle
In 11:17–26, Jesus answered the accusation in 11:15 that he drove out demons by the power of Beelzebul. In this section, he answered the other group of people who wanted him to show them a sign from heaven (11:16). Even though he had already done many miracles for them, they would not believe that he had come from God. Jesus made it clear that God would punish them because they would not believe in him. He reminded them that the people of Jonah’s time believed what Jonah preached. He also reminded them that the Queen of Sheba in Solomon’s time came from a distant country to listen to Solomon wise words. The people of Jesus’ time were seeing God reveal himself in an even greater way, but they still did not believe.
Some other possible headings for this section are:
The People Want A Miracle (New Century Version)
-or-
The Sign of Jonah (New International Version)
There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 12:38–42.
Paragraph 11:29–32
11:29a
As the crowds were increasing: There are two ways to interpret the meaning of the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as As the crowds were increasing:
(1) More and more people came to see Jesus. For example:
As the crowd grew larger (New Century Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, NET Bible, New Century Version)
(2) The people who had already come to see Jesus gathered/crowded together around him. For example:
As the people crowded around Jesus (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), King James Version, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). As more and more people heard about the man that Jesus had healed, they came and joined the crowd that had gathered around him. Another way to translate this clause is:
More and more people gathered
11:29b
This is a wicked generation: The clause This is a wicked generation means “the people living at this time are evil.” Jesus said this because the people refused to believe that God had sent him, even though they had seen him perform many miracles. Another way to translate this is:
The people who live today are evil. (New Century Version)
The word generation also occurs in 9:41a in a similar context.
Since Jesus was including the people he was talking to, in some languages it may be necessary to use the second person:
You(plur) are a wicked generation.
11:29c
Verse 11:29c helps to explain why Jesus called the people of 11:29b “wicked.” They were wicked because they demanded a sign. In some languages it may be more natural to translate this relationship explicitly. For example:
because it asks for…
It: The pronoun It refers to “this wicked generation” in 11:29b.
demands a sign: The clause demands a sign probably refers back to 11:16. In that verse, some of the people in the crowd asked Jesus “for a sign from heaven.” The requests in both of these verses mean essentially the same thing. Both contain similar implied information. In some languages, some of this implied information may need to be made explicit. For example:
They are asking ⌊me to perform⌋ a miracle ⌊to prove that God has sent me⌋.
If you used the second person “you” in 11:29b, it will probably be necessary to do so here also. For example:
You keep looking for a sign from God. (Contemporary English Version)
demands: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as demands is literally “seeks.” Some other ways to translate this verb are:
asks for (New International Version)
-or-
want to see (New Century Version)
The same verb was used in 11:16.
a sign: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a sign means “a sign or distinguishing mark by which people know that something is true.” In this context it refers to a miracle that would prove that God had sent Jesus. The same word occurs in 11:16.
11:29d
but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but introduces a contrast between what the people were demanding in 11:29c and what they would receive in 11:29d. Use a natural way in your language to introduce this contrast.
none will be given it: The clause none will be given it means “no sign will be given to this generation.” The verb will be given is a passive verb. Some ways to translate this verb are:
• As a passive verb. For example:
no sign will be given them (New Century Version)
• As an active verb. For example:
they will not see/receive any miraculous sign
-or-
⌊I⌋ will not give them a miraculous sign
Translate this verb in a way that is most natural in your language.
except the sign of Jonah: Jesus made one exception. He would give that generation one sign: the sign of the prophet Jonah.
In some languages it may be more natural to place this phrase at the beginning of 11:29d. For example:
But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. (New Living Translation (2004))
the sign of Jonah: There are two ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as the sign of Jonah:
(1) It refers to what happened to Jonah. For example:
But what happened to Jonah is the only sign you will be given. (Contemporary English Version)
(Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))
(2) It refers to Jonah’s preaching. For example:
The only sign they will be given is what Jonah preached.
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most scholars. The parallel passage in Matthew 12:40 clearly identifies the “sign of Jonah” as Jonah being three days inside the belly of the fish. This experience is compared to Jesus being dead and buried for three days. In 11:29d Jesus stated that this sign was still in the future, whereas Jesus had already been preaching for some time.
Most English versions literally follow the Greek grammar and say “the sign of Jonah.” There are at least two translation issues to consider:
(a) Some readers may wrongly interpret this phrase to mean “the sign/miracle that Jonah performed for others.” In your translation, be sure that the sign/miracle refers to the miracle that happened to Jonah, as in the Contemporary English Version example above.
(b) Your readers may not understand from 11:29d that Jesus was using a comparison. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this clear in 11:29d so that it fits with the comparison in 11:30a–b. For example:
The only sign they will be shown is like what happened to Jonah.
If your readers are not familiar with what happened to Jonah, it may be helpful to add a footnote. For example:
Jonah was a prophet of God long ago. A large fish swallowed him, but after three days God caused the fish to vomit Jonah onto the land. See Jonah 1:17 and 2:10. See also Matthew 12:40.
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