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Friday, October 25th, 2024
the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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King James Version

Matthew 4:6

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Angel (a Spirit);   Jesus Continued;   Presumption;   Quotations and Allusions;   Satan;   Suicide;   Temple;   Temptation;   Scofield Reference Index - Test-Tempt;   Thompson Chain Reference - Adversary;   Arch Deceiver;   Divinity;   If's, Satanic;   Satan;   Satan-Evil Spirits;   Satanic;   Scriptures;   Serpent;   Tempter;   Wrested, Scripture;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Christ, Character of;   Devil, the;   Temptation;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Miracle;   Pinnacle;   Tempt;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jesus christ;   Miracles;   Satan;   Son of god;   Temptation;   Testing;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Adam, the Second;   Baptize, Baptism;   Demon;   Image of God;   Jesus Christ, Name and Titles of;   Lord's Prayer, the;   Persecution;   Temptation, Test;   Watchfulness;   Work;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Satan;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Humiliation of Christ;   Satan;   Temptation;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Adam (1);   Angels;   Matthew, the Gospel According to;   Satan;   Scriptures;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Atonement;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Son of God;   Wilderness;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ethics;   Incarnation;   Jesus Christ;   Law;   Miracles;   Mss;   Satan;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Abstinence;   Antichrist ;   Attributes of Christ;   Claims (of Christ);   Feet (2);   Gods;   Hand ;   Humanity of Christ;   Imagination;   Judaea;   Lawlessness;   Logia;   Manliness;   Mission;   Names and Titles of Christ;   Personality;   Popularity;   Popularity ;   Pride (2);   Prudence;   Quotations (2);   Redemption (2);   Scripture (2);   Selfishness;   Septuagint;   Sign ;   Silence;   Stone;   Struggles of Soul;   Temptation;   Temptation ;   Trinity (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Kingdom of christ of heaven;   Kingdom of god;   Kingdom of heaven;   Levi;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Adam in the Old Testament;   Antichrist;   Dash;   Hap;   Kingdom of God (of Heaven), the;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Temptation of Christ;   Trinity;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Christianity in Its Relation to Judaism;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for April 20;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
He said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, jump off, because the Scriptures say, ‘God will command his angels to help you, and their hands will catch you, so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.'"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and sayd vnto hym: yf thou be the sonne of God cast thy sylfe doune. For it is wrytte he shall geve his angels charge over the and with their handes they shall holde yt vp that thou dashe not thy fote agaynst a stone.
International Standard Version
He said to Jesus,him">[fn] "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written,Psalm 91:11-12;">[xr] 'GodHe">[fn] will put his angels in charge of you,' and 'With their hands they will hold you up, so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.'"Psalm 91:11-12">[fn]
New American Standard Bible
and he said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written: 'HE WILL GIVE HIS ANGELS ORDERS CONCERNING YOU'; and 'ON THEIR HANDS THEY WILL LIFT YOU UP, SO THAT YOU DO NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'"
New Century Version
The devil said, "If you are the Son of God, jump down, because it is written in the Scriptures: ‘He has put his angels in charge of you. They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.'" Psalm 91:11–12
Update Bible Version
and says to him, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning you: and, On their hands they shall bear you up, Lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.
Webster's Bible Translation
And saith to him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall uphold thee, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Amplified Bible
And he said [mockingly] to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU [to serve, care for, protect and watch over You]'; and 'THEY WILL LIFT YOU UP ON their HANDS, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'"
English Standard Version
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 "‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
World English Bible
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will give his angels charge concerning you.' and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, So that you don't dash your foot against a stone.'"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And saith to him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall charge his angels concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Weymouth's New Testament
and said, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, "`To His angels He will give orders concerning thee, and on their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any moment thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and seide to hym, If thou art Goddis sone, sende thee adoun; for it is writun, That to hise aungels he comaundide of thee, and thei schulen take thee in hondis, lest perauenture thou hirte thi foot at a stoon.
English Revised Version
and saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: And on their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Berean Standard Bible
"If You are the Son of God," he said, "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.'"
Contemporary English Version
The devil said, "If you are God's Son, jump off. The Scriptures say: ‘God will give his angels orders about you. They will catch you in their arms, and you won't hurt your feet on the stones.'"
American Standard Version
and saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Bible in Basic English
If you are the Son of God, let yourself go down; for it is in the Writings, He will give his angels care over you; and, In their hands they will keep you up, so that your foot may not be crushed against a stone.
Complete Jewish Bible
"If you are the Son of God," he said, "jump! For the Tanakh says, ‘He will order his angels to be responsible for you. . . . They will support you with their hands, so that you will not hurt your feet on the stones.'"
Darby Translation
and says to him, If thou be Son of God cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give charge to his angels concerning thee, and on [their] hands shall they bear thee, lest in anywise thou strike thy foot against a stone.
Etheridge Translation
and said to him, If the Son thou art of Aloha, throw thyself down; for it is written that his angels he shall command concerning thee, and upon their hands they shall bear thee, that thou strike not against a stone thy foot.
Murdock Translation
and said to him: If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, that he will give his angels charge of thee, and in their hands will they sustain thee, lest thou strike thy foot against a stone.
King James Version (1611)
And saith vnto him, If thou bee the Sonne of God, cast thy selfe downe: For it is written, He shall giue his Angels charge concerning thee, & in their handes they shall beare thee vp, lest at any time thou dash thy foote against a stone.
New Living Translation
and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"
New Life Bible
The devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. It is written, ‘He has told His angels to look after You. In their hands they will hold You up. Then Your foot will not hit against a stone.'"
New Revised Standard
saying to him, "If 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.'"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And said vnto him, If thou be the Sonne of God, cast thy selfe downe: for it is written, that he wil giue his Angels charge ouer thee, and with their hands they shall lift thee vp, lest at any time thou shouldest dash thy foote against a stone.
George Lamsa Translation
And he said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, that he will command his angels concerning you, and they will bear you up on their hands, so that even your foot may not strike a stone.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and saith to him - If thou art God's, Son, cast thyself down, - for it is written, To his messengers, will he give charge concerning thee; and, on hands, will they bear thee up, lest once thou strike, against a stone, thy foot.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And said to him: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written: That he hath given his angels charge over thee, and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Revised Standard Version
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will give his angels charge of you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And saith vnto hym: If thou be the sonne of God, cast thy selfe downe. For it is written: He shall geue his Angels charge ouer thee, & with their handes they shall lyft thee vp, lest at any tyme thou dashe thy foote agaynst a stone.
Good News Translation
and said to him, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says, ‘God will give orders to his angels about you; they will hold you up with their hands, so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.'"
Christian Standard Bible®
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
Hebrew Names Version
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will give his angels charge concerning you.' and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, So that you don't dash your foot against a stone.'"
Lexham English Bible
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 ‘On their hands they will lift you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
Literal Translation
And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it has been written: "He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and they shall bear You on their hands,lest You strike Your foot against a stone."
Young's Literal Translation
and saith to him, `If Son thou art of God -- cast thyself down, for it hath been written, that, His messengers He shall charge concerning thee, and on hands they shall bear thee up, that thou mayest not dash on a stone thy foot.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and sayde vnto hym: yf thou be ye sonne of God, cast thy sylfe downe. For it is wrytten: he shall geue his angels charge ouer the and with their handes they shal holde the vp, that thou dashe not thy fote agaynst a stone.
Mace New Testament (1729)
if you are the Son of God, throw your self down: for it is written , "he will charge his angels to take care of you, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest you bruise your foot against a stone."
New English Translation
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 .'"
New King James Version
and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,'
and,'In their hands they shall bear you up,Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " Psalms 91:11, 12 ">[fn]
Simplified Cowboy Version
"If you're God's Boy," the devil said, "bail off of here. 'Cause it's written that, 'God's angels are gonna look out for you. They won't let a scratch of harm come to you.'"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
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 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'"
Legacy Standard Bible
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‘On their hands they will bear You up,Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.'"

Contextual Overview

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

for: Matthew 4:4, 2 Corinthians 11:14

He shall: Psalms 91:11, Psalms 91:12, Luke 4:9-12, Hebrews 1:14

lest: Job 1:10, Job 5:23, Psalms 34:7, Psalms 34:20

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:1 - hath Exodus 6:13 - General Malachi 3:15 - they that tempt Matthew 4:11 - behold Matthew 27:40 - If Mark 3:11 - the Son Luke 22:43 - an John 1:34 - this John 7:4 - show

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord .
Genesis 4:3
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord .
Genesis 4:4
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Genesis 4:5
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Genesis 4:8
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Genesis 4:11
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
Genesis 4:13
And Cain said unto the Lord , My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Job 5:2
For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Jeremiah 2:5
Thus saith the Lord , What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And saith unto him, if thou be the Son of God,.... He addresses him after the same manner as before; if, or seeing,

thou art the Son of God, show thyself to be so; give proof of thy sonship before all the priests which are in and about the temple, and before all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

cast thyself down that is, from the pinnacle of the temple: for since thou art the Son of God, no hurt will come to thee; thou wilt be in the utmost safety; and this will at once be a full demonstration to all the people, that thou art the Son of God: for hither Satan brought him, hoping to have got an advantage of him publicly; otherwise, had his view only been to have got him to cast himself down from any place of eminence, and so to have destroyed himself, he might have set him upon any other precipice; but he chose to have it done in the sight of the people, and in the holy city, and holy place. Let it be observed, that Satan did not offer to cast him down himself; for this was not in his power, nor within his permission, which reached only to tempt; and besides, would not have answered his end; for that would have been his own sin, and not Christ's: accordingly, we may observe, that when he seeks the lives of men, he does not attempt to destroy them himself, but always puts them upon doing it. To proceed, Satan not only argues from his divine power, as the Son of God, that he would be safe in casting himself down; but observing the advantageous use Christ made of the scriptures, transforms himself into an angel of light, and cites scripture too, to encourage him to this action; assuring him of the protection of angels. The passage cited is Psalms 91:11 which expresses God's tender care and concern for his people, in charging the angels with the guardianship and preservation of them, in all their ways, that they might be secured from sin and danger. It does not appear that Satan was wrong in the application of this passage to Christ; for since it respects all the righteous in general, why not Christ as man? the head, as well as the members? And certain it is, that angels had the charge of him, did watch over him, and were a guard about him; the angels of God ascended, and descended on him; they were employed in preserving him from Herod's malice in his infancy; they ministered to him here in the wilderness, and attended him in his agony in the garden: but what Satan failed in, and that wilfully, and wickedly, was, in omitting that part of it,

to keep thee in all thy ways; which he saw was contrary to his purpose, and would have spoiled his design at once; and also in urging this passage, which only regards godly persons, in the way of their duty, to countenance actions which are out of the way of a man's calling, or which he is not called unto; and which are contrary to religion, and a tempting God. Satan before tempted Christ to distrust the providence of God, and now he tempts him to presume upon it: in like manner he deals with men, when he argues from the doctrines of predestination and providence to the disuse of means, for their good, either for this life, or that which is to come; and if he tempted the Son of God to destroy himself, it is no wonder that the saints should be sometimes harassed with this temptation.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down - The temptation here was, that he should at once avail himself of the protection of a promise of safety made to him, and thus demonstrate that he was the Messiah. If he was the true Messiah he had a certain assurance of protection, a promise that no harm could befall him; and thus, by so surprising a miracle, and such a clear proof of the divine interposition, he could at once establish his claim to the Messiahship. How much more easy would this be than to engage in a slow work of years to establish that claim; to encounter fatigue, and want, and poverty, and persecution, before that claim would be admitted! And where could be a more suitable place for thus at once demonstrating that he was the Son of God, than on this pinnacle of the temple, in the very midst of Jerusalem, and perhaps in the presence of thousands who would see the wonderful performance? The temptation, therefore, in this case was, that by thus establishing his claim he would avoid all the obloquy, persecution, and suffering which he must otherwise endure if he attempted to prove that he was the Son of God by a life of toil and privation.

It is written - That is, there is a passage of Scripture which promises special protection in such a case, and on which you may rely. The argument was not, perhaps, that this applied exclusively to the Messiah, but that, if applicable in any case, it would be in this; if any one could plead this promise, assuredly he could who claimed to be the Son of God.

He shall give his angels charge concerning thee ... - That is, they shall protect thee.

And in their hands they shall bear thee up - They shall sustain thee, or hold thee up, so that thou shalt not be endangered by the fall.

Lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone - This would be especially appropriate in such a case. The promise, as Satan applied it, was that he should not be injured by the stones lying at the bottom of the wall or in the valley below. The case, therefore, seemed to be one that was especially contemplated by the promise.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 4:6. Cast thyself down — Our Lord had repelled the first temptation by an act of confidence in the power and goodness of God; and now Satan solicits him to make trial of it. Through the unparalleled subtlety of Satan, the very means we make use of to repel one temptation may he used by him as the groundwork of another. This method he often uses, in order to confound us in our confidence.

He shall give his angels charge, c.] This is a mutilated quotation of Psalms 91:11. The clause, to keep thee in all thy ways, Satan chose to leave out, as quite unsuitable to his design. That God has promised to protect and support his servants, admits of no dispute but, as the path of duty is the way of safety, they are entitled to no good when they walk out of it.

In their hands they shall bear thee up — This quotation from Psalms 91:11, is a metaphor taken from a nurse's management of her child: in teaching it to walk, she guides it along plain ground; but, when stones or other obstacles occur, she lifts up the child, and carries it over them, and then sets it down to walk again. Thus she keeps it in all its ways, watching over, and guarding every step it takes. To this St. Paul seems also to allude, 1 Thessalonians 2:7. We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children. Thus the most merciful God deals with the children of men, ever guarding them by his eye, and defending them by his power.


 
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