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 the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2Jesus did not eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights. At the end of that time, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4Jesus answered, “Scripture says, ‘A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks.’ ” 5Then the devil took him into the holy city and had him stand on the highest part 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, “Haven’t you given Job a reason to fear God?
• Job 2:4Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! Certainly, a man will give everything he has for his life.
• Luke 22:31⌞Then the Lord said,⌟ “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to have you apostles for himself. He wants to separate you from me as a farmer separates wheat from husks.
• 1 Thessalonians 3:5But when I couldn’t wait any longer, I sent ⌞Timothy⌟ to find out about your faith. I wanted to see whether the tempter had in some way tempted you, making our work meaningless.
• Revelation 2:10Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. Your suffering will go on for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
• Revelation 12:9The huge serpent was thrown down. That ancient snake, named Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to earth. Its angels were thrown down with it.
• Matthew 3:17Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love—my Son with whom I am pleased.”
• Luke 4:3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
• Genesis 3:1The snake was more clever than all the wild animals the Lord God had made. He asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must never eat the fruit of any tree in the garden’?”
• Genesis 25:29Once, Jacob was preparing a meal when Esau, exhausted, came in from outdoors.
• Exodus 16:3The Israelites said to them, “If only the Lord had let us die in Egypt! There we sat by our pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted! You brought us out into this desert to let us all starve to death!”
• Numbers 11:4Some foreigners among the Israelites had a strong craving for ⌞other kinds of⌟ food. Even the Israelites started crying again and said, “If only we had meat to eat!
• Psalms 78:17They continued to sin against him, to rebel in the desert against the Most High.
• Hebrews 12:16Make sure that no one commits sexual sin or is as concerned about earthly things as Esau was. He sold his rights as the firstborn son 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