Matthew 16:3
in Matthew 16and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day: for the heaven is red and lowering. Ye know how to discern the face of the heaven; but ye cannot discern the signs of the times.
KJV
And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
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This verse in Matthew 16
Commentary
10 notes on this verseAnd in the morning, it will be foul weather today,.... When you rise in the morning, and take a survey of the heavens, it is a very usual thing with you to say, it is like to be windy or rainy weather today, for the sky is red and lowring; which shows, that the clouds are so thick that the sun cannot pierce through them, and its face is not seen; so that it may be reasonably concluded they will issue in rain, or wind, or both. O ye hypocrites.
This site's exposition
interpret the appearance of the sky
on Matthew 16:3-4
Jesus answers with a weather saying about a red sky. He presses the point: You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times. The sign refused is the sign of Jonah, given already in 12:39-41, and He left them and went away.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Chapter XVI—Verse 1 and following) And the Pharisees and Sadducees came to him and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from heaven. But he answered and said to them: When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
"And the Pharisees and Sadducees came and desired Him to show them a sign from Heaven. But He saith, When it is evening, ye say, Fair weather, for the sky is red; and in the morning, Foul weather today, for the sky is red and lowering. Ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not the signs of the times? 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. And He left them, and departed." But Mark saith, that when they were come unto Him, and were questioning with Him, "He sighed deeply in His spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign?" And yet surely their inquiry was deserving of anger and great displeasure; yet nevertheless the benevolent and provident One is not angry, but pities and bewails them as incurably diseased, and after so full a demonstration of His power, tempting Him. For not in order to believe did they seek, but to lay hold of Him. Since had they come unto Him as ready to believe, He would have given it. For He who said to the woman, "It is not meet," and afterwards gave, much more would He have shown His bounty to these. But since they did not seek to believe, therefore He also calls them hypocrites, because in another place they said one thing, and meant another. Yea, had they believed, they would not even have asked. And from another thing too it is evident that they believed not; that when reproved and exposed, they abode not with Him, nor said, "We are ignorant and seek to learn." But for what sign from Heaven were they asking? Either that He should stay the sun, or curb the moon, or bring down thunderbolts, or work a change in the air, or some other such thing. What then saith He to all this? "Ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" See His meekness and moderation. […]
The Medieval Church2 voices
Then he reproves them, and first for their laziness in believing divine things. For if someone has a defect from the nature of his senses, he has an excuse; but when he has wisdom in earthly things and laziness in spiritual things, he is to …
He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and threatening. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Can ye not discern the signs of the times? [1.] "Do you not see that the Messiah is come?" The sceptre was departed from Judah, Daniel's weeks were just expiring, and yet they regarded not. The miracles Christ wrought, and the gathering of the people to him, were plain indications that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, that this was the day of their visitation.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The sky is red and lowering - The signs of fair and foul weather were observed in a similar manner among the Romans, and indeed among most other people. Many treatises have been written on the subject: thus a poet: - Caeruleus pluviam denunciant, Igneus euros Sin Maculae incipient Rutilo immiscerier Igni, Omnia tunc pariter Vento Nimbisque videbis Fervere Virg. Geor. i. l.
In these verses we find our Lord assailed by the untiring enmity of the Pharisees and Sadducees. As a general rule these two sects were at enmity between themselves; in persecuting Christ, however, they made common cause. Truly it was an unholy alliance! Yet how often we see the same thing in the present day. Men of the most opposite opinions and habits will agree in disliking the Gospel, and will work together to oppose its progress. “There is no new thing under the sun” ( Ecclesiastes 1:9 ).
In these verses we find our Lord assailed by the untiring enmity of the Pharisees and Sadducees. As a general rule these two sects were at enmity between themselves; in persecuting Christ, however, they made common cause. Truly it was an unholy alliance! Yet how often we see the same thing in the present day. Men of the most opposite opinions and habits will agree in disliking the Gospel, and will work together to oppose its progress. “There is no new thing under the sun” ( Ecclesiastes 1:9 ). The first point in this passage which deserves special notice is the repetition which our Lord makes of words used by him on a former occasion. He says, “a wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it but the sign of the prophet Jonah.” If we turn to the twelth chapter of this gospel and the thirty ninth verse, we shall find that he had said the very same thing once before. This repetition may seem a trifling and unimportant matter in the eyes of some. But it is not so in reality. It throws light on a subject which has perplexed the minds of many sincere lovers of the Bible, and ought therefore to be specially observed. This repetition shows us that our Lord was in the habit of saying the same things over again. He did not content himself with saying a thing once, and afterwards never repeating it. It is evident that it was his custom to bring forward certain truths again and again, and thus to impress them more deeply on the minds of his disciples. He knew the weakness of our memories on spiritual things; he knew that what we hear twice, we remember better than what we hear once. He therefore brought out of his treasury old things as well as new. Now what does all this teach us? It teaches us that we need not be so anxious to harmonize the narratives we read in the four Gospels, as many are disposed to be.
The words behind it
23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| πρωΐ· | proi | in the morning; | G4404 → | 11 times |
| σήμερον | semeron | Today | G4594 → | 41 times |
| χειμών, | cheimon | a storm, | G5494 → | |
| πυρράζει | purrazei | is red | G4449 → | |
| γὰρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| στυγνάζων | stugnazon | being overcast | G4768 → | |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| οὐρανός. | ouranos | sky. | G3772 → | 272 times |
| τὸ | to | The | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μὲν | men | indeed | G3303 → | 176 times |
| πρόσωπον | prosopon | appearance | G4383 → | 75 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| οὐρανοῦ | ouranou | sky | G3772 → | 272 times |
| γινώσκετε | ginoskete | you know [how] | G1097 → | 221 times |
| διακρίνειν, | diakrinein | to discern, | G1252 → | |
| τὰ | ta | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | however | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| σημεῖα | semeia | the signs | G4592 → | 75 times |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| καιρῶν | kairon | times | G2540 → | 84 times |
| οὐ | ou | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| δύνασθε; | dunasthe | you are able? | G1410 → | 207 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
πρωΐ·in the morning;
proiG4404 →11 times
σήμερονToday
semeronG4594 →41 times
χειμών,a storm,
cheimonG5494 →
πυρράζειis red
purrazeiG4449 →
γὰρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
στυγνάζωνbeing overcast
stugnazonG4768 →
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
οὐρανός.sky.
ouranosG3772 →272 times
τὸThe
toG3588 →19766 times
μὲνindeed
menG3303 →176 times
πρόσωπονappearance
prosoponG4383 →75 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
οὐρανοῦsky
ouranouG3772 →272 times
γινώσκετεyou know [how]
ginosketeG1097 →221 times
διακρίνειν,to discern,
diakrineinG1252 →
τὰ<the>
taG3588 →19766 times
δὲhowever
deG1161 →2765 times
σημεῖαthe signs
semeiaG4592 →75 times
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
καιρῶνtimes
kaironG2540 →84 times
οὐnot
ouG3756 →1664 times
δύνασθε;you are able?
dunastheG1410 →207 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
Matthew 11:5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
it leads to
- Isaiah 35:4–6
Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”
- Isaiah 61:1–3
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty…
- Isaiah 42:6–7
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a…
- Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight…
- Isaiah 29:18
On that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of the deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
- Isaiah 35:4–6
Through
1 Chronicles 12:32From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:17
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
- Esther 1:13
Then the king consulted the wise men who knew the times, for it was customary for him to confer with the experts in law and justice.
- Luke 12:56–57
You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time?
- Ephesians 5:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies15
About Matthew
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 53; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.