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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 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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