Bible Strands
Luke 11:16
And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Unnamed opponents test Jesus immediately after hearing accusations that He casts out demons by Beelzebul. They demand a miraculous demonstration to challenge His authority.
The words — πειράζοντες (peirazontes) means testing, and ἐζήτουν (ezētoun) means were seeking. The text records these opponents actively seeking a sign from heaven to probe Jesus’s claims.
The thread — This demand for a heavenly sign recurs in Matthew 12:38, Matthew 16:1, and 1 Corinthians 1:22, where it is linked to Jewish expectations and skeptical inquiry.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to confront demands for proof that function as tests rather than honest searches. It forces an examination of whether miraculous evidence is sought to confirm truth or to trap the messenger.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 1:22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,
- Matthew 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
- Matthew 16:1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.
- Mark 8:11 Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven.
- John 6:30 So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do?