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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign

The Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a sign.

Spoken to
The Pharisees

Matthew 16:4 Γενεὰ πονηρὰ καὶ μοιχαλὶς σημεῖον ἐπιζητεῖ, καὶ σημεῖον οὐ δοθήσεται αὐτῇ εἰ μὴ τὸ σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶ.

KJV Verse

Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 16:4  A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”

What His Listeners Heard:

A worthless and cheating type focuses on proof, and a proof will not be given to it except the proof of Jonah.

Lost In Translation:

The beginning of this verse is more humorous in Greek than its English translation. It compares those that desire proof to an unfaithful woman who, who, in reading between the lines, when accused of sin, demands proof. The word for "sign" also means "proof," which is really what is being asked for here. "Adulterous" also means "untrustworthy" and "distrusting in God." Those who do not trust want proof.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

A wicked(CW) and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there(IW) shall no(WP) sign be given unto it, but the sign [of the prophet(IP)] Jonas.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.