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Matthew

About this book
Chapter 4

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.⁠ 2 After he fasted 40 days and 40 nights he was famished.⁠ 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”⁠ 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.⁠ 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs. 12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, he went into Galilee. 13 While in Galilee, he moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled: 15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—⁠ 16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,⁠ and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach this message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” 18 As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). 19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people!” 20 They left their nets immediately and followed him. 21 Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Then he called them. 22 They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him. 23 Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people. 24 So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them. 25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.

Texts in conversation

Compare Wisdom of Solomon 16:26 and Matthew 4:4

Deuterocanon · New Testament

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Summary

In Matthew’s account of the temptation, Jesus answers by quoting Deuteronomy, following Jewish traditions such as in the Wisdom of Solomon, as a way to demonstrate that his life and teaching are in continuity and conformity with the Torah.

Passages

Wisdom of Solomon 16:26

Deuterocanon
24 For the creation, ministering to you, its maker, strains its force against the unrighteous for punishment and in kindness, slackens it on behalf of those who trust in you. 25 Therefore at that time also, converting itself into all forms, it ministered to your all-nourishing bounty, according to the desire of those who had need, 26 that your children, whom you loved, O Lord, might learn that it is not the growth of crops that nourishes a man, but that your word preserves those who trust you. 27 For that which was not destroyed by fire, melted away when it was simply warmed by a faint sunbeam, 28 that it might be known that we must rise before the sun to give you thanks, and must pray to you at the dawning of the light;
50 BCE – 50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Wisdom of Solomon

Matthew 4:4

New Testament
2 After he fasted 40 days and 40 nights he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” 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.’”
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... The scene of the temptation at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in the fourth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew gives clear guidelines. Christ firmly responds to the devil’s persistent temptation: “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). Luke the Evangelist preserves a shorter version of Jesus’ logion: “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone’” (Luke 4:4). The words of Deuteronomy 8:3 are cited in both statements. Citing the exception to the Law, Jesus as the beloved Son (Matthew 3:17; see: Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22) is an expression of complete obedience to God, at the same time being a paragon of humanity that understands that God’s word nourishes and preserves those who trust the Lord (see: Wisdom of Solomon 16:26). Obedience to the word – and thus to God Himself – ensures one’s participation in the legacy of the Lord Jesus and is opposed to the devil’s demands. Being faithful to the Lord as the one sent by Him, Jesus also satisfies righteousness. According to Matthew, Jesus calls those who thirst and desire (πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες) righteousness blessed in the Sermon on the Mount (μακάριοι, Matthew 5:6). Meanwhile, according to the parallel version presented by Luke (6 : 21), the subject of thirst and desire is not explicitly defined. However, the reference to those who laugh and those who cry can be interpreted as an indirect allusion to the state of experiencing righteousness or experiencing its lack thereof ..."
David Ledwoń, “Bread and Water as Metaphors for the Word of God in the Four Gospels,” Ruch Biblijny i Liturgiczny 70.2 (2017): 109–135.

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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Wisdom of Solomon 16:26 and Matthew 4:4

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