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?

MATTHEW 16:3KJV
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Matthew 16:3 (KJV)

What does Matthew 16:3 mean?

Matthew 16:3 describes Jesus criticizing people for being able to predict the weather by looking at the sky but failing to recognize the important spiritual signs happening around them. Jesus calls them hypocrites for understanding everyday things but missing deeper truths about their own times.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to a group of religious leaders who are demanding a sign from Him. He points out that they are skilled at reading natural signs, like a red and gloomy sky meaning bad weather, but they cannot "discern the signs of the times"—the significant events and changes happening in their generation. Jesus is highlighting their spiritual blindness and misplaced priorities.

The Greek behind Matthew 16:3

  • ὑποκριταί (hypokritai, "hypocrites"): This word refers to people who pretend or put on a false appearance. Here, Jesus uses it to call out the religious leaders for acting as if they are wise and discerning, while missing what truly matters.
  • διακρίνετε (diakrinete, "discern"): This Greek word means to judge, distinguish, or separate. Jesus points out that the leaders can discern (make judgments about) the weather, but not about the spiritual realities unfolding before them.
  • σημεῖα (sēmeia, "signs"): This word means signs, miracles, or indicators. Jesus is referring to the clear signs of God's work and the fulfillment of prophecy in their midst, which the leaders are ignoring.
  • καιροί (kairoi, "times"): This word means specific, significant periods or seasons. Jesus is not just talking about the passage of time, but about important moments that carry deeper meaning.

Why Matthew 16:3 matters

  • Matthew 16:3 clears up the idea that spiritual understanding is separate from everyday wisdom; Jesus shows that being able to read ordinary signs but missing spiritual ones is a form of hypocrisy.
  • This verse emphasizes that recognizing God's work requires more than just surface-level observation; it calls for deeper awareness and openness to what is happening spiritually.
  • Matthew 16:3 connects to the wider passage where Jesus challenges the religious leaders’ demands for a sign, showing that the real issue is not lack of evidence but unwillingness to see what is already plain.

Where else these words appear

“red” Greek G4449 · used in 2 verses

  • Matthew 16:2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

“lowring” Greek G4768 · used in 2 verses

  • Mark 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

“weather” Greek G5494 · used in 6 verses

  • Matthew 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
  • Mark 13:18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
  • Acts 27:20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

“morning” Greek G4404 · used in 10 verses

  • Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
  • Mark 13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
  • Mark 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.