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LXX Psalms

Septuagint

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Psalm 90

1 Praise of a Song, for David. He that dwells in the help of the Highest, shall stay under the shelter of the God of heaven. 2 He shall say to the Lord, You are my helper and my refuge: my God; I will hope in him. 3 For he shall deliver me from the snare of the hunters, from every troublesome matter. 4 He shall overshadow you with his shoulders, and you shall trust under his wings: his truth shall cover you with a shield. 5 You shall not be afraid of terror by night; nor of the arrow flying by day; 6 nor of the evil thing that walks in darkness; nor of calamity, and the evil spirit at noon-day. 7 A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you observe and see the reward of sinners. 9 For you, Lord, are my hope: you have made the Most High your refuge. 10 No evils shall come upon you, and no scourge shall draw near to your dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge concerning you, to keep you in all your ways.⁠ 12 They shall bear you up on their hands, for fear that you might dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread on the asp and basilisk: and you shall trample on the lion and dragon.⁠ 14 For he has hoped in me, and I will deliver him: I will protect him, because he has known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will listen to him: I am with him in affliction; and I will deliver him, and glorify him. 16 I will satisfy him with length of days, and show him my salvation.

Texts in conversation

Compare LXX Psalms 90:11 and Matthew 4:6

Septuagint · New Testament

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Summary

In Matthew’s temptation narrative, the devil cites the Greek Septuagint translation of Psalm 90 to challenge Jesus to leap from the temple, invoking the promise of angelic protection. This reshapes the psalm into a test of faith, which Jesus passes.

Passages

LXX Psalms 90:11

Septuagint
8 Only with your eyes shall you observe and see the reward of sinners. 9 For you, Lord, are my hope: you have made the Most High your refuge. 10 No evils shall come upon you, and no scourge shall draw near to your dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge concerning you, to keep you in all your ways. 12 They shall bear you up on their hands, for fear that you might dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread on the asp and basilisk: and you shall trample on the lion and dragon.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Psalms

Matthew 4:6

New Testament
4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, 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’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... Between the birth narrative (Matthew 1:18–2:21) and Jesus’s temptation (Matthew 4:1–11), both of which include angel references, Matthew describes Jesus’s baptism (Matthew 3:1–17), complete with its own unveiling of apocalyptic elements: the heavens split open, the spirit comes down as a dove, and a voice calls from heaven (Matthew 3:16–17). The significance of this event is brought to the forefront in the testing that immediately follows the baptism. Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit and is tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). After forty days, Jesus is tested three times. In the second temptation, Jesus is taken to the top of the temple and challenged, “Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone’” (Matthew 4:6; Psalm 91:11). The devil taunts Jesus with Psalm 91’s promise of angelic assistance in the time of need. Here, in Matthew 4, it is not the military might of angels that are intimated (as will be in Matthew 26), but a picture of angels coming to one’s aid. Outside Psalm 91’s picture of celestial help, angels act as personal guides and protectors ..."
Kristian Bendoraitis, “Apocalypticism, Angels, and Matthew,” in The Jewish Apocalyptic Tradition and the Shaping of New Testament Thought, ed. Loren T. Stuckenbruck (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017), 31–51.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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LXX Psalms 90:11 and Matthew 4:6

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