the marvelous sign

σημεῖον, ου, τό (s. prec. entry; Aeschyl., Hdt.+; ins, pap, LXX, pseudepigr., Philo, Joseph., apolog.; loanw. in rabb.; Hippol., Ref. 6, 27, 4; Did., Gen. 115, 9 ‘symbol’; gener. ‘sign’)

① a sign or distinguishing mark whereby someth. is known, sign, token, indication (Diod S 3, 66, 3=evidences τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ θεοῦ; Cornutus 16 p. 21, 9.—Arrian, Anab. 6, 26, 4 of marks in the landscape showing direction; ParJer 5:11 τὰ ς. τῆς πόλεως; Just., A I, 55, 6 al.; Iren. 1, 14, 8 [Harv. I 143, 10]; Orig., C. Cels. 3, 43, 36 ς. τῆς μετὰ θάνατον ἐπιφανείας αὐτοῦ [sc. Ἰησοῦ]; 2, 59, 6 of the scars of the resurrected Lord τὰ ς. τῆς κολάσεως). τοῦτο ὑμῖν σημεῖον this (will be) a sign for you Lk 2:12 (cp. Is 37:30). ὅ ἐστιν ς. ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιστολῇ this is the mark of genuineness in every letter 2 Th 3:17 (Ps.-Pla., Ep. 13, 360a has at its beginning the words σύμβολον ὅτι παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἐστιν). Of a signal previously agreed upon δοῦναί τινι σημεῖον (PFay 128, 7 ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν σημεῖον ‘he gave us a signal’; Jos., Ant. 12, 404) Mt 26:48; 1 Cl 12:7.— A sign of things to come (PsSol 15:9 τὸ … σημεῖον ἀπωλείας ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου αὐτῶν; Did., Gen. 191, 6; Philo, Op. M. 58 σημεῖα μελλόντων; Jos., Bell. 6, 285; 296; 297) Mk 13:4; Lk 21:7. The event to be expected is added in the gen. τί τὸ ς. τῆς σῆς παρουσίας; Mt 24:3. τὸ ς. τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου the sign by which one can mark the coming of the Human One (Son of Man) vs. 30 (TGlasson, JTS 15, ’64, 299f [a military metaphor, ‘standard’; cp. Is 18:3; 1QM 3f]). τὰ σημεῖα τῶν καιρῶν the signs of the (end)times (καιρός 3b) Mt 16:3.— A sign of warning (Plut., Caes. 737 [63, 1]; SibOr 3, 457; Mel., P. 14, 90) 1 Cl 11:2. Prob. in like manner αἱ γλῶσσαι εἰς σημεῖόν εἰσιν τοῖς ἀπίστοις the tongues (γλῶσσα 3) serve as a (warning) sign to the unbelievers 1 Cor 14:22. Likew. the sign of Jonah (s. Ἰωνᾶς 1) in Luke: Lk 11:29, 30. Here the Human One is to be a sign to his generation, as Jonah was to the Ninevites; cp. οὗτος κεῖται εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον (s. ἀντιλέγω 2) 2:34 (cp. Is 11:12).—W-S. §30, 10d.—GRunze, Das Zeichen des Menschensohnes u. der Doppelsinn des Jonazeichens 1897 (against him PSchmiedel, Lit. Centralblatt 48, 1897, 513–15; Runze again, ZWT 41, 1898, 171–85; finally PSchm. ibid. 514–25); PAsmussen, Protestantenblatt 37, 1904, 375–8; STyson, Bibl. World 33,1909, 96–101; CBowen, AJT 20, 1916, 414–21; JMichael, JTS 21, 1920, 146–59; JBonsirven, RSR 24, ’34, 450–55; HGale, JBL 60, ’41, 255–60; PSeidelin, Das Jonaszeichen, StTh 5, ’51, 119–31; AVögtle, Wikenhauser Festschr. ’53, 230–77; OGlombitza, D. Zeichen des Jona, NTS 8, ’62, 359–66.—In the OT circumcision is σημεῖον διαθήκης=a sign or token of belonging to the covenant (Gen 17:11). For Paul this sign becomes a mark, or seal (so σημεῖον: PRev 26, 5 [III B.C.]; PRein 9 introd. [II B.C.]; 35, 3; BGU 1064, 18) σημεῖον ἔλαβεν περιτομῆς σφραγῖδα he got the mark of circumcision as a seal Ro 4:11. In the difficult pass. B 12:5 ἐν σημείῳ is prob. best taken as by a sign; but it is poss. that the text is defective (s. Windisch, Hdb. ad loc.; RKraft, Did. and Barnabas ’65, 119 note: ‘standard, norm’).—τὰ σημεῖα τοῦ ἀποστόλου 2 Cor 12:12a belongs rather to the next category; the signs of the (true) apostle (cp. SIG 831, 14 [117 A.D.] ἡγούμην σημεῖα ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν) are, as is shown by the verb κατειργάσθη and what follows, the wonders or miracles performed by him.

② an event that is an indication or confirmation of intervention by transcendent powers, miracle, portent

ⓐ miracle

α. a miracle of divine origin, performed by God himself, by Christ, or by men of God (cp. Diod S 5, 70, 4 πολλὰ ς. of the young Zeus; 16, 27, 2 ἐγένετο αὐτῷ σημεῖον ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος; Strabo 16, 2, 35 παρὰ τ. θεοῦ ς.; Appian, Ital. 8 §1 σημείων γενομένων ἐκ Διός, Hann. 56 §233; SIG 709, 25 [c. 107 B.C.] διὰ τῶν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ γενομένων σαμείων; PGM 1, 65; 74; Jos., Ant. 2, 274; 280; Mel., P. 78, 568): Mt 12:38f; 16:1 (ς. ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ), 4; Mk 8:11 (ς. ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, as Synes., Prov. 1, 7; s. OLinton, The Demand for a Sign from Heaven, StTh 19, ’65, 112–29; JGibson, JSNT 38, ’90, 37–66, a phenomenon suggesting divine deliverance), 12; 16:17, 20; Lk 11:16 (ς. ἐξ οὐρανοῦ), 29 (s. 1 above); 23:8; J 2:11, 18, 23; 3:2; 4:54; 6:2, 14, 26, 30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18, 37; 20:30 (on σημ. as a designation of Jesus’ miracles in J s. Hdb. on J 2:11 and 6:26; JBernard, ICC John 1929, I introd. 176–86; CBarrett, The Gosp. acc. to St. John, ’55, 62–65); Ac 4:16, 22 (τὸ ς. τῆς ἰάσεως the miracle of healing); 8:6; 1 Cor 1:22; Agr 9. τί εἴδετε σημεῖον ἐπὶ τὸν γεννηθέντα βασιλέα; what kind of sign did you see over the newborn king? GJs 21:2 (codd.). τὸ σημεῖον τὸ ἐνάρετον the marvelous sign AcPl Ha 3,16.—σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα (Polyb. 3, 112, 8 σημείων δὲ καὶ τεράτων πᾶν μὲν ἱερόν, πᾶσα δʼ ἦν οἰκία πλήρης; Plut., Alex. 706 [75, 1 sing.]; Appian, Bell. Civ. 2, 36 §144 τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα οὐράνια; 4, 4 §14; Aelian, VH 12, 57; Philo, Mos. 1, 95, Aet. M. 2; Jos., Bell. 1, 28, Ant. 20, 168. Oft. in LXX: Ex 7:3; Dt 4:34; 6:22; 7:19 al.; Is 8:18; 20:3; Jer 39:21; Wsd 8:8; 10:16) J 4:48; Ac 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12; Ro 15:19; Hb 2:4; 1 Cl 51:5; B 4:14; 5:8. δυνάμεις καὶ τέρατα κ. σημεῖα Ac 2:22; 2 Cor 12:12b (SSchreiber, Paulus als Wundertäter: BZNW 79, ’96) σημεῖα καὶ δυνάμεις Ac 8:13.—1 Cl 25:1; 2 Cl 15:4. SMc-Casland, JBL 76, ’57, 149–52; MWhittaker, Studia Evangelica 5, ’68, 155–58.

β. worked by Satan or his agents to mislead God’s people (s. Iren. 5, 28, 2 [Harv. V 401, 32]) Rv 13:13f; 16:14; 19:20. σημεῖα κ. τέρατα Mt 24:24; Mk 13:22 (GBeasley-Murray, A Commentary on Mk 13, ’57; EGrässer, D. Problem der Parusie-verzögerung, ’57, 152–70); 2 Th 2:9; D 16:4.

ⓑ portent terrifying appearances in the heavens, never before seen, as portents of the last days Lk 21:11, 25 (Appian, Bell. Civ. 4, 4 §14 σημεῖα πολλά around the sun; AscIs 3, 20); Ac 2:19 (cp. Jo 3:3); s. D 16:6. Of that which the seer of the Apocalypse sees ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ Rv 12:1, 3; 15:1. Of the portentous signs in heaven and earth at the death of Jesus GPt 8:28 (cp. Da 6:28 Theod. σημεῖα κ. τέρατα ἐν οὐρανῷ κ. ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; Diod S 38 + 39 Fgm. 5: at the end of each one of the eight ages ordained by God there is a σημεῖον ἐκ γῆς ἢ οὐρανοῦ θαυμάσιον).—On miracles s. SIG 1168–73; RLembert, Das Wunder bei Römern u. Griechen I 1905; RReitzenstein, Hellenist. Wundererzählungen 1906, OWeinreich, Antike Heilungswunder 1909, Gebet u. Wunder: WSchmid Festschr. 1929, 169ff; PWendland, De Fabellis Antiquis earumque ad Christianos Propagatione 1911; FKutsch, Attische Heilgötter u. Heilheroen 1913; WJayne, The Healing Gods of Ancient Civilizations 1925; RHerzog, D. Wunderheilungen v. Epidaurus ’31; PFiebig, Jüdische Wundergeschichten des ntl. Zeitalters 1911; ASchlatter, Das Wunder in d. Synagoge 1912.—RLehmann, Naturwissenschaft u. bibl. Wunderfrage 1930; GNaumann, Die Wertschätzung des Wunders im NT 1903; GTraub, Das Wunder im NT² 1907; KBeth, Die Wunder Jesu 1908; JThompson, Miracles in the NT 1911; LFonck, Die Wunder des Herrn im Ev.² 1907; LFillion, Les miracles de Jésus-Christ 1909/1910; PDausch, Die Wunder Jesu 1912; SEitrem, Nordisk Tidskrift for Filologie 5, 1919, 30–36; RBultmann, Die Gesch. der synopt. Tradition² ’31, 223–60; RJelke, Die Wunder Jesu 1922; GShafto, The Wonders of the Kingdom 1924; JBest, The Miracles of Christ in the Light of our Present Day Knowledge ’37; TTorrance, Expository Studies in St. John’s Miracles ’38; ARichardson, The Miracle Stories of the Gospels ’41; AFridrichsen, Le Problème du Miracle dans le Christianisme primitif: Études d’ Hist. et de Phil. rel. XII 1925; HSchlingensiepen, Die Wunder des NT ’33; OPerels, D. Wunderüberlieferung der Synoptiker ’34; PSaintyves, Essais de folklore biblique 1923; GMarquardt, D. Wunderproblem in d. deutschen prot. Theologie der Gegenwart ’33; GDelling, D. Verständnis des Wunders im NT, ZST 24, ’55, 265–80, Zur Beurteilung des Wunders durch d. Antike: Studien zum NT ’70, 53–71; SMcCasland, Signs and Wonders, JBL 76, ’57, 149–52; CBarrett, The Gosp. Acc. to John ’55, 62–65; JCharlier, La notion de signe (sêmeion) dans J: RSPT 43, ’59, 434–48; PRiga, Signs of Glory (J): Int 17, ’63, 402–24; HvanderLoos, The Miracles of Jesus ’65; WNicol, The Semeia in the Fourth Gosp. ’72; for Acts s. FNeirynck, the Miracle Stories in the Acts of the Apostles, An Introduction, in Les Actes des Apôtres, ed. JKremer ’79, 169–213.—Esp. on the healing of demoniacs JWeiss, RE IV 408ff; JJaeger, Ist Jesus Christus ein Suggestionstherapeut gewesen? 1918; KKnur, M.D., Christus medicus? 1905; KDusberger, Bibel u. Kirche ’51, 114–17 (foretoken).—RGrant, Miracle and Natural Law in Graeco-Roman and Early Christian Thought ’52. S. also the lit. s.v. δαιμόνιον 2.—See further MWestermann, ed. ΠΑΡΑΔΟΞΑΓΡΑΦΟΙ, Scriptores Rerum Mirabilium Graeci, 1839.—B. 914. DELG s.v. σῆμα. M-M. DBS XII 1281–1330. EDNT. ABD IV 869 (lit.). TW. Spicq. Sv.