Matthew 4:1-11

The Temptation of Jesus

4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness ¹  to be tempted by the devil. 4:2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. ²  4:3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” ³  4:4 But he answered, ⁴  “It is written, ‘Man ⁵  does not live ⁶  by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ⁷  4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, ⁸  had him stand ⁹  on the highest point ¹⁰  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’ ¹¹  and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ¹²  4:7 Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³  4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. ¹⁴  4:9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship ¹⁵  me.” 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, ¹⁶  Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” ¹⁷  4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels ¹⁸  came and began ministering to his needs.

[4:1]  ¹ tn Or “desert.”

[4:2]  ² tn Grk “and having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry.”

[4:3]  ³ tn Grk “say that these stones should become bread.”

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

[4:4]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ sn A quotation from Deut 8:3.

[4:5]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “and he stood him.”

[4:5]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² sn A quotation from Ps 91:12.

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

[4:8]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “glory.”

[4:9]  ¹⁵ 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.”

[4:10]  ¹⁶ tc The majority of later witnesses (C² D L Z 33 Ï) have “behind me” (ὀπίσω μου; opisw mou) after “Go away.” But since this is the wording in Matt 16:23, where the text is certain, scribes most likely added the words here to conform to the later passage. Further, the shorter reading has superior support (א B C*^vid K P W Δ 0233 Ë^1,13 565 579* 700 al). Thus, both externally and internally, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.

[4:10]  ¹⁷ sn A quotation from Deut 6:13. The word “only” is an interpretive expansion not found in either the Hebrew or Greek (LXX) text of the OT.

[4:11]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and behold, angels.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).