Matthew 4:4-9

4:4 But he answered, ¹  “It is written, ‘Man ²  does not live ³  by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ⁴  4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, ⁵  had him stand ⁶  on the highest point ⁷  of the temple, 4:6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ ⁸  and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ⁹  4:7 Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹⁰  4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. ¹¹  4:9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship ¹²  me.”

[4:4]  ¹ tn Grk “answering, he said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been changed for clarity.

[4:4]  ² tn Or “a person.” Greek ὁ ἄνθρωπος (Jo anqrwpo") is used generically for humanity. The translation “man” is used because the emphasis in Jesus’ response seems to be on his dependence on God as a man.

[4:4]  ³ tn Grk “will not live.” The verb in Greek is a future tense, but it is unclear whether it is meant to be taken as a command (also known as an imperatival future) or as a statement of reality (predictive future).

[4:4]  ⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 8:3.

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

[4:5]  ⁶ tn Grk “and he stood him.”

[4:5]  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.

[4:6]  ⁹ sn A quotation from Ps 91:11. This was not so much an incorrect citation as a use in a wrong context (a misapplication of the passage).

[4:6]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Ps 91:12.

[4:7]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Deut 6:16.

[4:8]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “glory.”

[4:9]  ²¹ tn Grk “if, falling down, you will worship.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”