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.”
• 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.”
• New Living Translation (NLT)During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

Context of Matthew 4:3

1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" 5Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him 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 1:9Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason?
• Job 2:4Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.
• Luke 22:31"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,
• 1 Thessalonians 3:5For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.
• Revelation 2:10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
• Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
• Matthew 3:17and behold, 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, command this stone to become bread."
• Genesis 3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"
• Genesis 25:29Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted.
• Exodus 16:3and the people of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
• Numbers 11:4Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat!
• Psalms 78:17Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
• Hebrews 12:16that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright 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