Bible Strands
Luke 11:29
As the crowds were increasing, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses a crowd that has pressed around Him, responding to their ongoing demand for miraculous proof. He delivers this declaration directly to the assembled group as they continue to gather.
The words — The term γενεὰ (genea) identifies the "generation" He labels wicked, while ἤρξατο (ērxato) marks the commencement of His spoken response. These words frame His rejection of their demand and His substitution of the Jonah sign.
The thread — The demand for a sign appears in Mark 8:11, Luke 11:16, and Matthew 12:38, where religious figures test Jesus by requesting a sign from You. This sequence resolves in Luke 11:30, where the Son of Man is explicitly identified as that sign.
Why it lands — The text states that no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah, placing the burden of response on the listener. It requires readers to accept the proclaimed message without demanding further proof.
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 when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
Cross-references
- Mark 8:11 Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven.
- Luke 11:16 And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven.
- Matthew 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,
- Matthew 3:7 But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
- Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
- Luke 12:1 In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
- Isaiah 57:3 “But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
- Matthew 16:1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.
- Matthew 23:34 Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.