Bible Strands
Luke 11:30
For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses a growing crowd that has demanded a miraculous sign, declaring that only one will be granted to them. He speaks this declaration directly to the contemporary generation witnessing his ministry.
The words — The noun σημεῖον (sēmeion) literally denotes “a sign” or “demonstration,” while καθὼς (kathōs) establishes a direct comparative structure. The syntax explicitly parallels Jonah’s historical appearance to the Ninevites with the future appearance of the Son of Man.
The thread — This comparison is recorded in Matthew 12:40, which specifies Jonah’s three days and nights in the fish as the parallel to the Son of Man’s time in the earth. The historical basis for the comparison is found in Jonah 1:17 and Jonah 3:2, where Jonah’s journey to Nineveh is recorded.
Why it lands — The text states that the Son of Man will function as the definitive sign to the present generation, just Jonah functioned for Nineveh. It requires the reader to confront their own response to Jesus rather than demanding additional 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
For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
Cross-references
- Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
- Jonah 3:2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.”
- Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.
- Luke 24:46 And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
- Jonah 2:10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.