A sign in Scripture is a visible, concrete reality that points beyond itself to God's character, covenant, or redemptive purpose. Signs are not ends in themselves — they signify. The rainbow is a sign of God's covenant with Noah (Gen 9:12–13). Circumcision is a sign of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 17:11). The Sabbath is a sign between God and Israel (Exod 31:13). In John's Gospel, Jesus' miracles are consistently called "signs" (sēmeia) — not merely demonstrations of power but revelations of who Jesus is and what God is doing. The Pharisees' demand for a sign (Matt 12:38–39) was condemned not because signs are wrong but because they sought a sign to avoid faith — using signs as substitutes for belief rather than aids to it. The ultimate sign is the resurrection: "the sign of Jonah" (Matt 12:40).
SIGN — A token; that by which anything is shown or represented; a mark of distinction; a wonder or miracle intended as evidence or proof of divine authority; an outward mark or visible representation of something intended to be known or remembered. Signs and wonders frequently occur together in Scripture to describe God's mighty acts in redemption.
Contemporary Christianity has split into two equally dangerous errors regarding signs. Sign-chasers treat signs as the goal — demanding miraculous experiences as validation of faith, building spirituality on subjective signs rather than objective Word. Sign-deniers dismiss all signs as the province of a less sophisticated age, intellectualizing away the supernatural. Scripture navigates between both: signs serve the Word, they do not replace it. Signs point; they do not prove. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29) is not a rejection of signs but the recognition that faith does not ultimately stand on visible evidence — it stands on the Word of God himself.
Latin signum ("mark, token, signal") → Old French signe → English "sign"
→ Related: signal, signature, signify, significant, insignia, signet
Hebrew:
אוֹת (ot, H226) — sign, mark, token, pledge; 79 occurrences in OT
→ Used for covenant signs (rainbow, circumcision, Sabbath), miraculous signs (plagues), and prophetic signs
מוֹפֵת (mopheth, H4159) — wonder, portent; often paired with ot in "signs and wonders"
Greek:
σημεῖον (sēmeion, G4592) — sign, distinguishing mark; John's preferred miracle-word (17x in John)
τέρας (teras, G5059) — wonder, portent; always paired with sēmeion in NT
→ "signs and wonders" (σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα) is a unified phrase
• John 20:30–31 — "Jesus performed many other signs…but these are written so that you may believe."
• Genesis 9:12–13 — "This is the sign of the covenant I make…I have set my bow in the cloud."
• Matthew 12:39–40 — "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign…no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah."
• Exodus 31:13 — "You are to keep my Sabbaths…it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations."
• Isaiah 7:14 — "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son."
H226 — ot (אוֹת): sign, mark, token; the fundamental Hebrew word for covenantal and miraculous signs, including the marks on Cain (Gen 4:15) and the Passover blood (Exod 12:13).
G4592 — sēmeion (σημεῖον): sign; John's theological term for Jesus' miracles — they signify divine identity and mission, not merely power.
G5059 — teras (τέρας): wonder, portent; never used alone in NT — always with sēmeion — emphasizing that wonders must point to something beyond themselves.
• "A sign that doesn't point you to God is not a sign — it's a spectacle. Spectacles entertain; signs direct."
• "The rainbow is not just beautiful weather. It is a signed covenant — God's public oath never to destroy the earth by flood again."
• "Jesus turned water to wine as a sign — not to supply a party but to reveal his glory and prompt his disciples to believe (John 2:11)."