Matthew 12:41
in Matthew 12The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.
KJV
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
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This verse in Matthew 12
Commentary
5 notes on this verse(Verse 41) The men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment with this generation, and will condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. Not by the power of judgment, but by the example of comparison. And behold, here is more than Jonah. Here, 'here' is an adverb of place, not a pronoun. Jonah, according to the Septuagint Interpreters, preached for three days: I for so much time. He to the unbelieving Assyrians: I to the people of God, the Jews. He to foreigners: I to fellow citizens.
This site's exposition
men of Nineveh
on Matthew 12:41-42
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation names Gentile pagans who repented at a foreign prophet's single sermon, and the queen of the south who travelled far to hear Solomon's wisdom stands as the second Gentile witness against a generation that has both greater than Jonas and greater than Solomon standing in front of them and will not repent. The bench reads this as the chapter's own completion of the greater-than chain begun at verse 6, greater than the temple, greater than Jonas, greater than Solomon, three claims naming one person.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The men of Nineveh shell rise in judgment - The voice of God, threatening temporal judgments, caused a whole people to repent, who had neither Moses nor Christ, neither the law nor the prophets; and who perhaps never had but this one preacher among them. What judgment may not we expect, if we continue impenitent, after all that God has bestowed upon us? A greater than Jonas is here - Πλειον, for τι πλειον, something more.
on Matthew 12:38-50
The beginning of this passage is one of those places which strikingly illustrate the truth of Old Testament history. Our Lord speaks of the Queen of the South as a real, true person, who had lived and died. He refers to the story of Jonah, and his miraculous preservation in the whale’s belly, as undeniable matters of fact. Let us remember this if we hear men professing to believe the writers of the New Testament, and yet sneering at the things recorded in the Old Testament as if they were fables.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, &c.--The Ninevites, though heathens, repented at a man's preaching; while they, God's covenant-people, repented not at the preaching of the Son of God--whose supreme dignity is rather implied here than expressed.
The words behind it
24 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ἄνδρες | andres | [The] men | G435 → | 216 times |
| Νινευῖται | nineuitai | of Nineveh | G3536 → | |
| ἀναστήσονται | anastesontai | will stand up | G450 → | 107 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| τῇ | tea | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κρίσει | krisei | judgment | G2920 → | 47 times |
| μετὰ | meta | with | G3326 → | 461 times |
| τῆς | tes | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γενεᾶς | geneas | generation | G1074 → | 43 times |
| ταύτης | tautes | this | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| κατακρινοῦσιν | katakrinousin | will condemn | G2632 → | 15 times |
| αὐτήν, | auten | it, | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | for | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| μετενόησαν | metenoesan | they repented | G3340 → | 34 times |
| εἰς | eis | at | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κήρυγμα | kerugma | preaching | G2782 → | |
| Ἰωνᾶ· | iona | of Jonah; | G2495 → | 9 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἰδοὺ | idou | behold | G2400 → | 200 times |
| πλεῖον | pleion | greater | G4119 → | 45 times |
| Ἰωνᾶ | iona | than Jonah | G2495 → | 9 times |
| ὧδε.¶ | hode | here. | G5602 → | 61 times |
Ἄνδρες[The] men
andresG435 →216 times
Νινευῖταιof Nineveh
nineuitaiG3536 →
ἀναστήσονταιwill stand up
anastesontaiG450 →107 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
τῇthe
teaG3588 →19766 times
κρίσειjudgment
kriseiG2920 →47 times
μετὰwith
metaG3326 →461 times
τῆς<the>
tesG3588 →19766 times
γενεᾶςgeneration
geneasG1074 →43 times
ταύτηςthis
tautesG3778 →1381 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
κατακρινοῦσινwill condemn
katakrinousinG2632 →15 times
αὐτήν,it,
autenG846 →5565 times
ὅτιfor
hotiG3754 →1292 times
μετενόησανthey repented
metenoesanG3340 →34 times
εἰςat
eisG1519 →1755 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
κήρυγμαpreaching
kerugmaG2782 →
Ἰωνᾶ·of Jonah;
ionaG2495 →9 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἰδοὺbehold
idouG2400 →200 times
πλεῖονgreater
pleionG4119 →45 times
Ἰωνᾶthan Jonah
ionaG2495 →9 times
ὧδε.¶here.
hodeG5602 →61 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hebrews 11:7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes…
it leads to
- Genesis 6:13
Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.
- 1 Peter 3:20
who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water.
- Ezekiel 14:14
then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.
- Romans 4:13
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
- Luke 17:26
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man:
- Genesis 6:13
Through
Matthew 12:42The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 10:1–13
Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions.
- 2 Chronicles 9:1–12
Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in…
- 1 Kings 10:1–13
Through
Matthew 12:6But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
it leads to
- Matthew 12:41–42
The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 12:41–42
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Matthew

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonDivided kingdomJonahThe prophet who fled his commission, prayed from the fish's belly, preached Nineveh's overthrow, and sulked at its mercy — the sig…
- PlaceAssyriaNinevehThe great city of Assyria that repented in sackcloth at Jonah’s preaching, that Sennacherib returned to after Jerusalem was spared…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
