What Does Luke 11:16 Mean in the King James?
And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
They are not simply asking for a sign; they are using the request to put him to the test.
THE MEANING
A person can seek an answer while making the one before them prove himself on their terms. The request is for a sign from heaven, but the verse identifies the seeking as a test.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the assumption that every request for evidence is neutral: a demand can function as a test of the one asked, even when it sounds like a search for clarity.
THE ROOT
πειράζοντες
peirazontes
GROWS FROM
πειραζ-
peiraz-
To test, try, or put to trial.
The verb carries the sense of putting someone to a test; English “tempting” can hide that examination. The sentence names both the test of him and the sign demanded from heaven as proof.
ALSO GROWS
peirasmos: Trial, testing, temptation
πειρασμός
This related noun names the trial itself, showing that their action belongs to a family of testing words.
ekpeirazō: To put to a test, test thoroughly
ἐκπειράζω
Luke uses this intensified form in Luke 4:12, where Jesus says not to test the Lord, echoing the testing named here.
σημεῖον
sēmeion
GROWS FROM
σημ-
sēm-
A mark or indicator that points to something.
A sign is a marker that indicates something beyond itself. Here they seek an indication with heaven as its source, while the verse’s first verb reveals that the request is also a test.
ALSO GROWS
sēma: Mark, sign, token
σῆμα
This related word makes visible the shared idea of a sign as a mark that points.
sēmainō: To indicate, signify, make known
σημαίνω
This verb shows the sign’s pointing function: it indicates or makes something known.
THE PATTERN
Seeking a sign becomes testing when the seeker makes it the measure by which the one addressed must prove himself.
Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.THE THREAD
Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.The same Greek verb, πειράζω (peirazō), names the testing in both verses. That echo sharpens the request here: asking for evidence can put the divine source itself on trial.
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