Job 2:6

2:6 So the Lord said to Satan, “All right, ¹  he is ²  in your power; ³  only preserve ⁴  his life.”

Matthew 4:5

4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, ⁵  had him stand ⁶  on the highest point ⁷  of the temple,

¹ tn The particle הִנּוֹ (hinno) is literally, “here he is!” God presents Job to Satan, with the restriction on preserving Job’s life.

² tn The LXX has “I deliver him up to you.”

³ tn Heb “hand.”

⁴ sn The irony of the passage comes through with this choice of words. The verb שָׁמַר (shamar) means “to keep; to guard; to preserve.” The exceptive clause casts Satan in the role of a savior – he cannot destroy this life but must protect it.

⁵ sn The order of the second and third temptations differs in Luke’s account (4:5-12) from the order given in Matthew.

⁶ tn Grk “and he stood him.”

⁷ sn The highest point of the temple probably refers to the point on the temple’s southeast corner where it looms directly over a cliff some 450 ft (135 m) high. However, some have suggested the reference could be to the temple’s high gate.