Matthew 4:3

Matthew 4:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
• New International Version (NIV)The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

Context of Matthew 4:3

1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 5Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,

Matthew 4:3 word by word

καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ πειράζων εἶπεν αὐτῷ· εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰπὲ ἵνα οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• when the tempterπειράζωpeirazō · to test/tempt: temptG3985
• cameπροσέρχομαιproserchomai · to come near/agreeG4334
• to himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• he saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Ifεἰei · ifG1487
• thou beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• the Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• theseοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• stonesλίθοςlithos · stoneG3037
• be madeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• breadἄρτοςartos · breadG740

Cross-references for Matthew 4:3

• Job 1:9Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
• Job 2:4“Skin for skin!” Satan answered the Lord. “A man will give up everything he owns in exchange for his life.
• Luke 22:31“Simon, Simon, look out. Satan has asked to sift you like wheat.
• 1 Thessalonians 3:5For this reason, when I could no longer stand it, I also sent him to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter had tempted you and that our labor might be for nothing.
• Revelation 2:10Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
• Revelation 12:9So the great dragon was thrown out — the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.
• Matthew 3:17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”
• Luke 4:3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
• Genesis 3:1Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
• Genesis 25:29Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted.
• Exodus 16:3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!”
• Numbers 11:4The riffraff among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites wept again and said, “Who will feed us meat?
• Psalms 78:17But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
• Hebrews 12:16And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for a single meal.

Commentaries on Matthew 4:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3And when the tempter - This onset of Satan was made (speaking after the manner of men) judiciously: he came when Jesus, after having fasted forty days and forty nights, was hungry: now, as hunger naturally diminishes the strength of the body, the mind gets enfeebled, and becomes easily irritated; and if much watching and prayer be not employed, the uneasiness which is occasioned by a lack of food may soon produce impatience, and in this state of mind the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The tempter - The devil, or Satan. See Matthew 4:1. If thou be the Son of God - If thou art God‘s own Son, then thou hast power to work a miracle, and here is a suitable opportunity to try thy power, and show that thou art sent from God. Command that these stones … - The stones that were lying around him in the wilderness. No temptation could have been more plausible, or more likely to succeed, than this. He had just been declared to be the Son of God…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4Jesus refused to use his supernatural power to get food, trusting God to provide it. The people of Israel relentlessly tested God with complaints and disbelief (see Exodus 16). But, Jesus refused to doubt God's faithfulness. Instead, he relied on God to meet his real need. This was the spiritual provision that comes from every word of God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. And when the tempter came to him--Evidently we have here a new scene. he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread--rather, "loaves," answering to "stones" in the plural; whereas Luke, having said, "Command this stone," in the singular, adds, "that it be made bread," in the singular (Lu 4:3). The sensation of hunger, unfelt during all the forty days, seems now to have come on in all its keenness--no doubt to open a door…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 4:3

• Hunger
• Jesus Continued
• Miracles
• Satan
• Temptation

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Son of God
• Dash
• Fame
• Humiliation of Christ
• Light
• Satan
• Temptation
• Tempter

Commentaries on Matthew 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings