Go to Related Reading
About this book

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 Matthew 4:6 and Targum Psalm 91:5

New Testament · Targum

Share:

Summary

In Matthew, the devil quotes Psalm 91 to Jesus. In the Aramaic translation of Targum Psalms, Psalm 91 is interpreted to be about protection from demons, an ironic interpretation compared to its use by the devil in the gospels.

Passages

Matthew 4:6

New Testament
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.’”
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

Targum Psalm 91:5

Targum
5 Be not afraid of the terror of demons who walk at night, of the arrow of the angel of death that he looses during the day; 6 Of the death that walks in darkness, of the band of demons that attacks at noon. 7 You will invoke the holy name; a thousand will fall at your left side, and ten thousand at your right; they will not come near you to do harm. 8 Only with your eyes you will watch, and you will see the wicked as they are destroyed. 9 Solomon answered and said: “For you are my confidence, O Lord; in the highest dwelling place you have placed the house of your presence.” 10 The lord of the world responded and thus he said: “No harm shall happen to you; and no plague or demon shall come near to your tents.” 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
200–600 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Targum Psalms

References

“... While the Hebrew text of Psalm 91 asserts that those who God protects will not need to fear darkness or agricultural destruction, the Aramaic version is replete with references to demons of various kinds: [...] Matthew’s use of Ps 91:11-12 in Mt 4:6 has affinities with the targumic references to demons insofar as the evangelist puts the psalm on the lips of “the devil” [...], also called “Satan” [...]. The devil takes Jesus to the highest point of the Temple and tells him, “If you are the Son of God… throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’ (Ps 91:11-12).” The fact that Gospel has the devil cite Psalm 91 not only shows that its writer understands the psalm similarly to the targumist—i.e., as a text associated with demonic forces—but also that Matthew recalls the verses prior to those quoted, which state that “you shall not be afraid” of said demons (cf. TgPs 91:5-6): Matthew has Satan recite a psalm that, in its targumic translation, explicitly takes authority away from him so that there is no reason for Matthew’s Jesus, or Matthew’s readers, to be afraid of the devil. However, where the similarities between Matthew and the Targum end, differences begin: (1) the Targum references multiple demons, whereas Matthew has a single devil; (2) Matthew cites words (v. 12) of the psalm that do not contain reference to demons in the Targum; (3) the evangelist applies this verse to Jesus, “Son of God,” but the Targum has no reference to any kind of messianic or divine figure. ...”
Nicholas J. Schaser, “Matthew and the Rabbis: Symbol and Scripture in Gospel and Midrash” (PhD diss., Vanderbilt University, 2017), 102–103.

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

Your feedback

Matthew 4:6 and Targum Psalm 91:5

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library