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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 16:3 And in the morning, foul weather today:

The Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a sign.

Spoken to
The Pharisees

Matthew 16:3 καὶ πρωί Σήμερον χειμών, πυρράζει γὰρ στυγνάζων ὁ οὐρανός. τὸ μὲν πρόσωπον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ γινώσκετε διακρίνειν, τὰ δὲ σημεῖα τῶν καιρῶν οὐ δύνασθε.

KJV Verse

Matthew 16:3 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?

NIV Verse:

Matthew 16:3 and 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 you cannot interpret the signs of the times

What His Listeners Heard:

And early today, stormy weather! Because it is fiery, threatening, this sky. Indeed This face of the sky you learn to discern. These signs, however, of this season, you don't have the power. 

Lost In Translation:

There is nothing in the Greek here to indicate that the second part of this phrase is a question as in KJV, rather than a statement. In Greek, this is a contrast between what we know how to do, judge by appearances, and what we have no power to do, see when times are critical. Much of this is lost in translation. There is also a play on words contrasting our ability to see the appearance of a calamity before the fact.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

And [in the(IP)] morning(CW), [It will be(IP)] foul weather to day: for the sky is red and(IW) lowring. [O ye hypocrites(OS)], ye can(WW) discern the (MW) face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times(CW)?

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.