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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>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.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/matthew/12-40.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/5/40_Mat_12_40.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Matthew 12:40 - The Sign of Jonah" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="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." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/nkjv/matthew/12.htm">New King James Version</a> For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/nasb_/matthew/12.htm">New American Standard Bible</a> for just as JONAH WAS IN THE STOMACH OF THE SEA MONSTER FOR THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. <a href="/nasb/matthew/12.htm">NASB 1995</a> for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/nasb77/matthew/12.htm">NASB 1977 </a> for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/lsb/matthew/12.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a> for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/amp/matthew/12.htm">Amplified Bible</a> for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/csb/matthew/12.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a> For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. <a href="/hcsb/matthew/12.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a> For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. <a href="/asv/matthew/12.htm">American Standard Version</a> for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/cev/matthew/12.htm">Contemporary English Version</a> He was in the stomach of a big fish for three days and nights, just as the Son of Man will be deep in the earth for three days and nights. <a href="/erv/matthew/12.htm">English Revised Version</a> for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/gwt/matthew/12.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a> Just as Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. <a href="/gnt/matthew/12.htm">Good News Translation</a> In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth. <a href="/isv/matthew/12.htm">International Standard Version</a> because just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. <a href="/msb/matthew/12.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a> 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. <a href="/net/matthew/12.htm">NET Bible</a> For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. <a href="/nheb/matthew/12.htm">New Heart English Bible</a> For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/wbt/matthew/12.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a> For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/wey/matthew/12.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a> For just as Jonah was three days in the sea-monster's belly, so will the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth. <a href="/web/matthew/12.htm">World English Bible</a> For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <div class="vheading2">Literal Translations</div><a href="/lsv/matthew/12.htm">Literal Standard Version</a> for as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. <a href="/blb/matthew/12.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a> For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. <a href="/ylt/matthew/12.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a> for, as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. <a href="/slt/matthew/12.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a> For as Jonas was in the whale's belly three days and three nights; so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.<div class="vheading2">Catholic Translations</div><a href="/drb/matthew/12.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a> For as Jonas was in the whale's belly three days and three nights: so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. <a href="/cpdv/matthew/12.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a> For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. <a href="/nabre/matthew/12.htm">New American Bible</a> Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. <a href="/nrsvce/matthew/12.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a> For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.<div class="vheading2">Translations from Aramaic</div><a href="/lamsa/matthew/12.htm">Lamsa Bible</a> For as Jonah was in the whale’s belly three days and three nights, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth, three days and three nights. <a href="/aramaic-plain-english/matthew/12.htm">Aramaic Bible in Plain English</a> For just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, thus The Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.<div class="vheading2">NT Translations</div><a href="/anderson/matthew/12.htm">Anderson New Testament</a> For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/godbey/matthew/12.htm">Godbey New Testament</a> <FR>For as Jonah was in the stomach of the whale three days and three nights, so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.<Fr> <a href="/haweis/matthew/12.htm">Haweis New Testament</a> for as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights; so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. <a href="/mace/matthew/12.htm">Mace New Testament</a> for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly: so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <a href="/wey/matthew/12.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a> For just as Jonah was three days in the sea-monster's belly, so will the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth. <a href="/worrell/matthew/12.htm">Worrell New Testament</a> <FR>For, as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.<Fr> <a href="/worsley/matthew/12.htm">Worsley New Testament</a> <FR>for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.<Fr> <a href="/parallel/matthew/12-40.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv">Audio Bible</div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hriiyJYqzvc?start=3336" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="vheadingv">Context</div><a href="/bsb/matthew/12.htm">The Sign of Jonah</a> …39Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40<a href="/greek/1063.htm" title="1063: gar (Conj) -- For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.">For</a> <a href="/greek/5618.htm" title="5618: hōsper (Adv) -- Just as, as, even as. From hos and per; just as, i.e. Exactly like.">as</a> <a href="/greek/2495.htm" title="2495: Iōnas (N-NMS) -- (Hebrew), Jonah, the Hebrew prophet. Of Hebrew origin; Jonas, the name of two Israelites.">Jonah</a> <a href="/greek/1510.htm" title="1510: ēn (V-IIA-3S) -- I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.">was</a> <a href="/greek/5140.htm" title="5140: treis (Adj-AFP) -- Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; three.">three</a> <a href="/greek/2250.htm" title="2250: hēmeras (N-AFP) -- A day, the period from sunrise to sunset. ">days</a> <a href="/greek/2532.htm" title="2532: kai (Conj) -- And, even, also, namely. ">and</a> <a href="/greek/5140.htm" title="5140: treis (Adj-AFP) -- Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; three.">three</a> <a href="/greek/3571.htm" title="3571: nyktas (N-AFP) -- The night, night-time. A primary word; night.">nights</a> <a href="/greek/1722.htm" title="1722: en (Prep) -- In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; in, at, on, by, etc.">in</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tē (Art-DFS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">the</a> <a href="/greek/2836.htm" title="2836: koilia (N-DFS) -- From koilos; a cavity, i.e. the abdomen; by implication, the matrix; figuratively, the heart.">belly</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tou (Art-GNS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">of the</a> <a href="/greek/2785.htm" title="2785: kētous (N-GNS) -- A sea monster, huge sea fish, whale. Probably from the base of chasma; a huge fish.">great fish,</a> <a href="/greek/3779.htm" title="3779: houtōs (Adv) -- Thus, so, in this manner. Or (referring to what precedes or follows).">so</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: ho (Art-NMS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">the</a> <a href="/greek/5207.htm" title="5207: Huios (N-NMS) -- A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a son, used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.">Son</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tou (Art-GMS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the."></a> <a href="/greek/444.htm" title="444: anthrōpou (N-GMS) -- A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.">of Man</a> <a href="/greek/1510.htm" title="1510: estai (V-FIM-3S) -- I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.">will be</a> <a href="/greek/5140.htm" title="5140: treis (Adj-AFP) -- Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; three.">three</a> <a href="/greek/2250.htm" title="2250: hēmeras (N-AFP) -- A day, the period from sunrise to sunset. ">days</a> <a href="/greek/2532.htm" title="2532: kai (Conj) -- And, even, also, namely. ">and</a> <a href="/greek/5140.htm" title="5140: treis (Adj-AFP) -- Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; three.">three</a> <a href="/greek/3571.htm" title="3571: nyktas (N-AFP) -- The night, night-time. A primary word; night.">nights</a> <a href="/greek/1722.htm" title="1722: en (Prep) -- In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; in, at, on, by, etc.">in</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tē (Art-DFS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">the</a> <a href="/greek/2588.htm" title="2588: kardia (N-DFS) -- Prolonged from a primary kar; the heart, i.e. the thoughts or feelings; also the middle.">heart</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tēs (Art-GFS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">of the</a> <a href="/greek/1093.htm" title="1093: gēs (N-GFS) -- Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.">earth. </a> 41The 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.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div> <a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><a href="/jonah/1-17.htm">Jonah 1:17</a> 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. <a href="/luke/11-30.htm">Luke 11:30</a> For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation. <a href="/1_corinthians/15-4.htm">1 Corinthians 15:4</a> that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, <a href="/romans/10-7.htm">Romans 10:7</a> or, ‘Who will descend into the Abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” <a href="/acts/2-27.htm">Acts 2:27</a> because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. <a href="/acts/2-31.htm">Acts 2:31</a> Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay. <a href="/john/2-19.htm">John 2:19-21</a> Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” / “This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?” / But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. <a href="/matthew/16-4.htm">Matthew 16:4</a> A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away. <a href="/luke/24-46.htm">Luke 24:46</a> And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, <a href="/hosea/6-2.htm">Hosea 6:2</a> After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence. <a href="/psalms/16-10.htm">Psalm 16:10</a> For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. <a href="/isaiah/53-9.htm">Isaiah 53:9</a> He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. <a href="/matthew/27-63.htm">Matthew 27:63</a> “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ <a href="/mark/8-31.htm">Mark 8:31</a> Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again. <a href="/mark/9-31.htm">Mark 9:31</a> because He was teaching His disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise.”</div> <a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div>For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.as.<a href="/jonah/1-17.htm">Jonah 1:17</a> Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.so.<a href="/matthew/16-21.htm">Matthew 16:21</a> From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.<a href="/matthew/17-23.htm">Matthew 17:23</a> And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.<a href="/matthew/27-40.htm">Matthew 27:40,63,64</a> And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross… in the heart.<a href="/psalms/63-9.htm">Psalm 63:9</a> But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.<a href="/jonah/2-2.htm">Jonah 2:2-6</a> And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice… <div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/habakkuk/3-16.htm">Belly</a> <a href="/matthew/11-25.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/matthew/7-10.htm">Fish</a> <a href="/matthew/12-15.htm">Great</a> <a href="/matthew/12-35.htm">Heart</a> <a href="/daniel/11-13.htm">Huge</a> <a href="/matthew/12-39.htm">Jonah</a> <a href="/matthew/12-39.htm">Jonas</a> <a href="/ezekiel/32-2.htm">Monster</a> <a href="/matthew/4-2.htm">Nights</a> <a href="/matthew/9-1.htm">Sea</a> <a href="/micah/6-14.htm">Stomach</a> <a href="/zechariah/11-8.htm">Three</a> <a href="/ezekiel/32-2.htm">Whale</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/matthew/15-17.htm">Belly</a> <a href="/matthew/12-42.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/matthew/13-47.htm">Fish</a> <a href="/matthew/13-2.htm">Great</a> <a href="/matthew/13-15.htm">Heart</a> <a href="/matthew/18-6.htm">Huge</a> <a href="/matthew/12-41.htm">Jonah</a> <a href="/matthew/12-41.htm">Jonas</a> <a href="/exodus/7-10.htm">Monster</a> <a href="/mark/4-27.htm">Nights</a> <a href="/matthew/13-1.htm">Sea</a> <a href="/matthew/15-17.htm">Stomach</a> <a href="/matthew/13-33.htm">Three</a> <a href="/job/7-12.htm">Whale</a><div class="vheading2">Matthew 12</div>1. <a href="/matthew/12-1.htm">Jesus reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath,</a> 3. <a href="/matthew/12-3.htm">by scripture,</a> 9. <a href="/matthew/12-9.htm">by reason,</a> 13. <a href="/matthew/12-13.htm">and by a miracle.</a> 22. <a href="/matthew/12-22.htm">He heals a man possessed that was blind and mute;</a> 24. <a href="/matthew/12-24.htm">and confronting the absurd charge of casting out demons by Beelzebub, </a> 32. <a href="/matthew/12-32.htm">he shows that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.</a> 36. <a href="/matthew/12-36.htm">Account shall be made of idle words.</a> 38. <a href="/matthew/12-38.htm">He rebukes the unfaithful, who seek after a sign,</a> 46. <a href="/matthew/12-46.htm">and shows who is his brother, sister, and mother.</a> </div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/matthew/12.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/matthew/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/matthew/12.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div>For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish This phrase refers to the Old Testament account of Jonah, a prophet who was swallowed by a great fish (often thought to be a whale) as a result of his disobedience to God's command to go to Nineveh. The story is found in the Book of Jonah, specifically <a href="/jonah/1-17.htm">Jonah 1:17</a>. The "three days and three nights" is a Hebrew idiom for a period that includes parts of three days, not necessarily 72 hours. This event is a type of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, symbolizing deliverance and redemption. Jonah's experience prefigures Jesus' own death and resurrection, serving as a prophetic sign to the people of Jesus' time.so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth The term "Son of Man" is a messianic title that Jesus frequently used for Himself, emphasizing both His humanity and His divine authority. The "heart of the earth" refers to Jesus' burial and His descent into the grave following His crucifixion. This phrase underscores the reality of Jesus' death and His physical entombment. The parallel to Jonah highlights the miraculous nature of Jesus' resurrection, as Jonah's emergence from the fish was seen as a sign of God's power and mercy. This prophecy is fulfilled in the New Testament accounts of Jesus' resurrection on the third day, as recorded in the Gospels (e.g., <a href="/matthew/28.htm">Matthew 28:1-10</a>, <a href="/mark/16.htm">Mark 16:1-8</a>, <a href="/luke/24.htm">Luke 24:1-12</a>, <a href="/john/20.htm">John 20:1-18</a>). The reference to "three days and three nights" aligns with the Jewish understanding of time, where any part of a day is considered a full day.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <a href="/topical/j/jonah.htm">Jonah</a> A prophet from the Old Testament who was swallowed by a great fish as a result of his disobedience to God's command to preach to Nineveh. His experience is a typology of Christ's death and resurrection. 2. <a href="/topical/t/the_great_fish.htm">The Great Fish</a> The creature that swallowed Jonah, symbolizing the grave or death, which temporarily held Jonah as the earth would hold Jesus. 3. <a href="/topical/t/the_son_of_man.htm">The Son of Man</a> A title Jesus frequently used for Himself, emphasizing His role as the Messiah and His identification with humanity. 4. <a href="/topical/t/the_heart_of_the_earth.htm">The Heart of the Earth</a> A metaphorical expression referring to Jesus' burial and His time in the tomb, signifying His death and the period before His resurrection. 5. <a href="/topical/t/three_days_and_three_nights.htm">Three Days and Three Nights</a> A time frame that signifies completeness in Jewish tradition, used here to parallel Jonah's experience and Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><a href="/topical/t/typology_of_jonah_and_jesus.htm">Typology of Jonah and Jesus</a> Jonah's experience is a foreshadowing of Christ's death and resurrection. Understanding this typology helps us see the continuity of God's redemptive plan throughout Scripture. <a href="/topical/s/significance_of_the_resurrection.htm">Significance of the Resurrection</a> The resurrection is central to Christian faith. It validates Jesus' claims and assures believers of their future resurrection and eternal life. <a href="/topical/t/trust_in_god's_timing.htm">Trust in God's Timing</a> The "three days and three nights" symbolize God's perfect timing. Believers are encouraged to trust in God's timing in their own lives, even when it involves waiting or enduring difficult circumstances. <a href="/topical/r/repentance_and_obedience.htm">Repentance and Obedience</a> Jonah's account is also about repentance and obedience. Believers are called to respond to God's call with obedience, learning from Jonah's initial reluctance. <a href="/topical/h/hope_in_the_midst_of_darkness.htm">Hope in the Midst of Darkness</a> Just as Jonah was delivered from the fish and Jesus rose from the dead, believers can have hope that God will deliver them from their trials and bring new life from situations that seem hopeless.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_matthew_12.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Matthew 12</a> <a href="/q/what's_the_earth's_core_made_of.htm">What constitutes the heart of the earth?</a> <a href="/q/what's_the_satisfaction_theory.htm">What constitutes the heart of the earth?</a> <a href="/q/where_was_jesus_after_his_death.htm">Where was Jesus during the three days after His death?</a> <a href="/q/why_did_jesus_say_'three_days'_in_the_tomb.htm">Why did Jesus say He would be in the tomb for "three days and three nights" (Matthew 12:40) when He was only buried from Friday to Sunday?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/matthew/12.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(40) As Jonas was three days and three nights.--To understand the words rightly, we have to remember the prominence which our Lord gives to the history of Jonah, and to the repentance of the men of Nineveh, in this and in the parallel passage of <a href="/luke/11-29.htm" title="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.">Luke 11:29</a>, and in answer to another demand for a sign in <a href="/matthew/16-4.htm" title="A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.">Matthew 16:4</a>. In the other passages "the sign of the prophet Jonas" appears with a vague mysteriousness, unexplained. Not a few critics have accordingly inferred from this difference that the explanation given by St. Matthew was an addition to the words actually spoken by our Lord, and that "the sign of the prophet Jonas" was sufficiently fulfilled by His preaching repentance to the wicked and adulterous generation as Jonah had done to the Ninevites. Against this view, however, it may be urged:--(1) That Jonah's work as a preacher was not a "sign" in any sense, and that nothing in his history had this character, except the two narratives of the whale (<a href="/jonah/1-17.htm" title="Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.">Jonah 1:17</a>) and the gourd (<a href="/context/jonah/4-6.htm" title="And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.">Jonah 4:6-10</a>). Any reference to the latter is, of course, out of the question; and it remains therefore, in any case, that we must look to the former as that to which our Lord alluded. (2) That the very difficulty presented by the prediction of "three days and three nights" as compared with the six-and-thirty hours (two nights and one day) of the actual history of the Resurrection, is against the probability of the verse having been inserted as a prophecy after the event. (3) That if we believe that our Lord had a distinct prevision of His resurrection, and foretold it, sometimes plainly and sometimes in dark sayings--and of this the Gospels leave no room for doubt (<a href="/matthew/16-21.htm" title="From that time forth began Jesus to show to his disciples, how that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.">Matthew 16:21</a>; <a href="/matthew/26-32.htm" title="But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.">Matthew 26:32</a>; <a href="/john/2-19.htm" title="Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.">John 2:19</a>)--then the history of Jonah presented an analogy which it was natural that He should notice. It does not necessarily follow that this use of the history as a prophetic symbol of the Resurrection requires us to accept it in the very letter of its details. It was enough, for the purposes of the illustration, that it was familiar and generally accepted. The purely chronological difficulty is explained by the common mode of speech among the Jews, according to which, any part of a day, though it were but a single hour, was for legal purposes considered as a whole. An instance of this mode of speech is found in <a href="/context/1_samuel/30-12.htm" title="And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.">1Samuel 30:12-13</a>, and it is possible that in the history of Jonah itself the measurement of time is to be taken with the same laxity. . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/matthew/12.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div>Verse 40. - Matthew only. For as Jonas (Jonah, Revised Version) was three days and three nights in the whale's belly. Verbally from the LXX. of <a href="/jonah/1-17.htm">Jonah 1:17</a> (2:1). So shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Since, so far as the balance of evidence goes (cf., however, Bishop Westcott, 'Introduction,' p. 344, edit. 1872), the Crucifixion was on Friday and the Resurrection on Sunday, the actual time between them was only one clear day and two parts of days (which might fairly be called three days) and two whole nights. The reckoning, therefore, here is, strictly speaking, inaccurate. The words are perhaps a mere adaptation of the phrase in Jonah, and are here used only to roughly mark the time of our Lord's stay in the grave. Observe, however, that the addition of" nights" tends to emphasize the reality of our Lord's stay there. It was a matter of days and nights; he spent both kinds of earthly time "in the heart of the earth" (cf. <a href="/matthew/4-2.htm">Matthew 4:2</a>, note). It will be noticed that the inaccuracy of the wording would, if modern Western habits were alone to be considered, make it most unlikely that the phrase is a later addition; but in view of the early Christian and Jewish method of illustrating events by passages of Scripture which do not apply in all respects, the improbability is not so great as would at first sight appear. However, upon our present information, we must say that the phrase was spoken by our Lord himself, and that although the exact time of his stay in the grave was well known to the early believers, they continued to repeat the saying in the form in which the Lord left it. In the heart of the earth. The form of the expression is derived from <a href="/jonah/2-3.htm">Jonah 2:3</a> (4), "in the heart of the seas" (cf. <a href="/exodus/15-8.htm">Exodus 15:8</a>), and would therefore appear to mean some deeper place than the rock-hewn sepulchre. Hence many commentators, beginning with Irenaeus ('Adv. Haer.,' V. 31.) and Tertullian ('De Anima,' Iv.), understand it as directly denoting the place of departed spirits. <a href="/ephesians/4-9.htm">Ephesians 4:9</a> ("the lower parts of the earth"), on the contrary, probably refers to the earth as such in contrast to heaven. <a href="/commentaries/matthew/12-40.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a> <a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Greek</div>For γὰρ (gar) Conjunction <a href="/greek/strongs_1063.htm">Strong's 1063: </a> For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason. just as ὥσπερ (hōsper) Adverb <a href="/greek/strongs_5618.htm">Strong's 5618: </a> Just as, as, even as. From hos and per; just as, i.e. Exactly like. Jonah Ἰωνᾶς (Iōnas) Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_2495.htm">Strong's 2495: </a> (Hebrew), Jonah, the Hebrew prophet. Of Hebrew origin; Jonas, the name of two Israelites. was ἦν (ēn) Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_1510.htm">Strong's 1510: </a> I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. three τρεῖς (treis) Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_5140.htm">Strong's 5140: </a> Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; 'three'. days ἡμέρας (hēmeras) Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_2250.htm">Strong's 2250: </a> A day, the period from sunrise to sunset. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction <a href="/greek/strongs_2532.htm">Strong's 2532: </a> And, even, also, namely. three τρεῖς (treis) Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_5140.htm">Strong's 5140: </a> Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; 'three'. nights νύκτας (nyktas) Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3571.htm">Strong's 3571: </a> The night, night-time. A primary word; 'night'. in ἐν (en) Preposition <a href="/greek/strongs_1722.htm">Strong's 1722: </a> In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. the τῇ (tē) Article - Dative Feminine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. belly κοιλίᾳ (koilia) Noun - Dative Feminine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_2836.htm">Strong's 2836: </a> From koilos; a cavity, i.e. the abdomen; by implication, the matrix; figuratively, the heart. of the τοῦ (tou) Article - Genitive Neuter Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. great fish, κήτους (kētous) Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_2785.htm">Strong's 2785: </a> A sea monster, huge sea fish, whale. Probably from the base of chasma; a huge fish. so οὕτως (houtōs) Adverb <a href="/greek/strongs_3779.htm">Strong's 3779: </a> Thus, so, in this manner. Or (referring to what precedes or follows). the ὁ (ho) Article - Nominative Masculine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. Son Υἱὸς (Huios) Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_5207.htm">Strong's 5207: </a> A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'son', used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship. of Man ἀνθρώπου (anthrōpou) Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_444.htm">Strong's 444: </a> A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being. will be ἔσται (estai) Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_1510.htm">Strong's 1510: </a> I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. three τρεῖς (treis) Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_5140.htm">Strong's 5140: </a> Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; 'three'. days ἡμέρας (hēmeras) Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_2250.htm">Strong's 2250: </a> A day, the period from sunrise to sunset. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction <a href="/greek/strongs_2532.htm">Strong's 2532: </a> And, even, also, namely. three τρεῖς (treis) Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_5140.htm">Strong's 5140: </a> Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; 'three'. nights νύκτας (nyktas) Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3571.htm">Strong's 3571: </a> The night, night-time. A primary word; 'night'. in ἐν (en) Preposition <a href="/greek/strongs_1722.htm">Strong's 1722: </a> In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. the τῇ (tē) Article - Dative Feminine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. heart καρδίᾳ (kardia) Noun - Dative Feminine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_2588.htm">Strong's 2588: </a> Prolonged from a primary kar; the heart, i.e. the thoughts or feelings; also the middle. of the τῆς (tēs) Article - Genitive Feminine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. earth. γῆς (gēs) Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_1093.htm">Strong's 1093: </a> Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe. <div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 NIV</a> <a href="/nlt/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 NLT</a> <a href="/esv/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 ESV</a> <a href="/nasb/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 NASB</a> <a href="/kjv/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 KJV</a> <a href="//bibleapps.com/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 BibleApps.com</a> <a href="//bibliaparalela.com/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 Biblia Paralela</a> <a href="//holybible.com.cn/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 Chinese Bible</a> <a href="//saintebible.com/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 French Bible</a> <a href="/catholic/matthew/12-40.htm">Matthew 12:40 Catholic Bible</a> <a href="/matthew/12-40.htm">NT Gospels: Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days (Matt. Mat Mt) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/matthew/12-39.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Matthew 12:39"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Matthew 12:39" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/matthew/12-41.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Matthew 12:41"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Matthew 12:41" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>