O Sinal Cronológico de Jonas: Exegese de Mateus 12:38-42

Waldecir Gonzaga; Henderson Hermes Leite Velten

doi:10.19141/1809-2454.kerygma.v20.n1.pe1993

The Chronological Sign of Jonah: Exegesis of Matthew 12:38-42

Authors

Waldecir Gonzaga Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro - PUC/Rio, Rio de Janeiro, (Brasil)
Henderson Hermes Leite Velten Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro - PUC/Rio, Rio de Janeiro, (Brasil) https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8629-9871

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19141/1809-2454.kerygma.v20.n1.pe1993

Keywords:

Sign, Jonah, preaching, resurrection, chronology

Abstract

This study addresses the pericope of Matthew 12:38-40, in which Jesus declares that no sign will be given to His generation except the sign of the prophet Jonah. The passage is part of the broader section of Matthew 12:22-50, which depicts the Pharisees and scribes disputing one of Jesus’ miracles: the exorcism of a demon responsible for blindness and muteness. The purpose of this study is to investigate the meaning of the expression “sign of Jonah” within this pericope and its connection to other occurrences of the same phrase in the Gospels (Matt 16:4; Luke 11:29). The study also examines the intention and accuracy of the typological relationship established in Matthew 12:40 between the episode of Jonah in the belly of the “great fish” and the death and resurrection of Christ. In Matthew, the reference to three days and three nights suggests the time Jesus remained in the tomb; however, Luke’s wording appears to point in a different direction, presenting Jonah’s preaching in Nineveh as the sign—thus, in the view of some commentators, weakening the typology proposed in Matthew. This research adopts selected steps from the historical method and narrative analysis. The stages followed include the segmentation and translation of Matthew 12:38-42, analysis of the pericope in its immediate context and within the larger framework of Matthew’s Gospel (Matt 16:4), and a comparative study of the parallel texts in Mark 8:11-13 and Luke 11:29-32. The study also considers the biblical data concerning the temporal interval between the death and resurrection of Jesus.

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Author Biographies

Waldecir Gonzaga, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro - PUC/Rio, Rio de Janeiro, (Brasil)

Doutor em Teologia Bíblica pela Pontifícia Universidade Gregoriana (Roma). Diretor e Professor de Teologia Bíblica do Departamento de Teologia da PUC-Rio e do Instituto Superior de Ciências Religiosas da Arquidiocese do Rio de Janeiro.

Henderson Hermes Leite Velten , Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro - PUC/Rio, Rio de Janeiro, (Brasil)

Mestrando em Teologia Bíblica pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. Graduado em Direito pela Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. Graduado em Teologia pela Inta/Uninta.

References

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Published

2025-11-10

How to Cite

GONZAGA, W.; LEITE VELTEN , H. H. The Chronological Sign of Jonah: Exegesis of Matthew 12:38-42. Kerygma, Engenheiro Coelho, SP, v. 20, n. 1, p. e1993, 2025. DOI: 10.19141/1809-2454.kerygma.v20.n1.pe1993. Disponível em: https://revistas.unasp.edu.br/kerygma/article/view/1993. Acesso em: 27 jan. 2026.

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Vol. 20 No. 1 (2025): Fluxo contínuo

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