Language Studies

Greek Thoughts

PROSKUNEO* - Part 5 - εχηγεομαι (Strong's #1834)
To worship, to bow down, to show reverence and submission

Please note that all Biblical quotes are from the Literal Translation.

This week we continue our study of προσκυνὲω (Strong's #4352), the Greek word most often used for the English translation "worship." Προσκυνὲω is a compound word that represents a form of worship which shows reverence and submission to someone or something by bowing to the ground and kissing the feet, the hem of a garment, or the ground.

We have established, from the Old Testament usage of the word, that προσκυνὲω conveys the meaning of a person or group of people showing reverence and submission by bowing to the ground. In the early stages of the Lord's public ministry, instances of this physical posture expressing submission are recorded in the New Testament Gospels. Last week we studied from John 4:21-24, and saw how Jesus changes the principles of worship forever. Jesus establishes that true worshipers worship the Father "in spirit and truth." He gives two reasons for this: first, the Father is seeking this kind of person to worship Him; and second, He is Spirit in nature and character. In this teaching, Jesus removes the physical posture and geographical location previously attendant to worship. He teaches that genuine worship takes place in the spirit realm where the heart of the worshiper expresses reverence and submission to the Spirit of God and His truth. This is the highest form of worship; in fact, Jesus teaches that it is necessary for worship to be done this way (John 4:24).

This week and next, we consider the seriousness and depth of true worship through the study of the temptations of the Lord, as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11. (Please note that the word προσκυνὲω will only be directly involved in next week's study.)

Matthew 4:1-11

1)

Then Jesus was led up into the desert by the Spirit, in order that He might be tempted^F1 by the devil.

2)

And when He fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He became hungry.

Matthew gives four pieces of information that we need to know before we study the actual temptations with which Jesus is confronted: First, that Jesus is led into the desert by the Spirit of God— not by the devil; second, that Jesus is led into the desert to be tempted. (The Greek word used here for tempt is πειρὰζω (Strong's #3985), which means "to put to the test" or "to prove." This Scripture does not imply that Jesus could, or ever would, succumb to temptations, since James 1:13 establishes that God is unable to be tempted by evils Instead, God leads Jesus into this place and time of temptation, so that He can defeat the devil and give example for all of those who will follow after Him.); Third, that the temptations are to be carried out "by the devil;" Fourth, that Jesus would spend forty days fasting and then would physically become hungry.

ςερσεσ͂͂Τηε͂Φιρστ͂Τεμπτατιον

3)

And when the tempter^F2 came near to Him, he said, "If you are the Son of God, speak — in order that these stones might become bread."

The devil begins his string of temptations with, "If you are the Son of God." The Greek word translated "if" is the conjunction εἰ (Strong's #1487). Εἰ is used here with the present tense verb and is in the first class condition assumed to be true. Therefore, the Greek would be more literally translated, "If you are the Son of God, and You are." The more literal English meaning is rendered, "Since you are the Son of God." So we first learn that the devil is not tempting Jesus to prove that He is the Son of God, but rather is tempting Him to abuse His authority as the Son of God. Another thing we learn from this first temptation is that the devil is appealing to Jesus' physical condition, hunger. The devil is calling for Jesus to use His authority as the Son of God to turn stones into loaves of bread, so that His hunger can be satisfied.

4)

And when He answered, He said, "It has been written, 'Man shall not live upon bread only, but upon every word going out through the mouth of God.'"

In His response, the Lord references Deuteronomy 8:3, which says that human beings will not live upon the basis of bread only, but upon the basis of "every word going out through the mouth of God." In response to this first temptation from the devil, Jesus establishes the premise of His approach to the physical, material world around Him. The Lord is not going to use His authority as the Son of God to satisfy the hunger of His physical body; He will feed, instead, upon the Words of God. Although He is still physically hungry, Jesus reveals that His source of satisfaction is found in the words coming from God's mouth.

Verses 5-7: The Second Temptation

5)

Then the devil takes Him into the holy city, and stood Him upon the ledge of the temple.

For this temptation, the devil takes Jesus into the holy city and stands Him upon a ledge of the temple. Then Satan quotes from Psalm 91:11-12 (Psalm 90:11-12 LXX).

6)

And he says to Him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For that it has been written, 'To His angels He will command concerning you,' and, 'upon their hands they will lift you up, in order that you should not strike^F3 your foot against a stone.'"

The devil begins this temptation with the same phrase he used to begin the first temptation: "If you are the Son of God." Again, the conjunction εἰ (Strong's #1487) — translated "if"— is used with the present tense verb and is in the first class condition assumed to be true. A more accurate translation would be "Since you are the Son of God." Again, with this temptation, the devil is not challenging Jesus to prove that He is the Son of God, since we see from the Greek that the devil already acknowledges Him as the Son of God. The devil's actual challenge is for Jesus to throw Himself down from the ledge while claiming the promise given to the one who puts his trust in God: "To His angels He will command concerning you," and, "Upon their hands they will lift you up, in order that you should not strike your foot against a stone." The devil is tempting Jesus to make a glorious and miraculous entrance by coming down from the ledge and landing safely for all to see, since the Jews had long expected the Messiah to come down from the clouds as Daniel had prophesied

7)

Jesus was saying to him, "Again it has been written, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"

The Lord's response references Deuteronomy 6:16: "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." In this reply, Jesus does not treat the devil's words as a misquoting of the Psalms (as some people presume Satan's statement to be), but reveals the devil's misapplication of Scripture. Jesus corrects the devil by stating that one does not tempt God by putting His promises to the test.

Abraham is a good example of someone who put a promise of God to the test. God promised a son to Abraham, and Abraham waited many years. But when the promised son did not come, Abraham went into Hagar, the handmaid of his wife Sarah. Hagar conceived and bore a son, Ishmael. Abraham claimed Ishmael to be the promised son but God did not recognize Ishmael as the son He promised. This is because God is the only One who can fulfill any promise that He makes; and He does not produce His promise according to the time table and perceptions of man. If God promises something, He Himself will bring that promise to fulfillment.

Throughout these temptations, Jesus remains in submission to God alone. He does not take matters into His own hands by seizing the opportunities laid out before Him to satisfy His physical hunger or to make a glorious (and painless) entrance into "Messiahship." Instead, Jesus entrusts Himself fully and completely to the Father, a living example for us in our struggles against the temptations the devil places before us.

Next week we will study the third temptation considering the what and how of Jesus' triumph over Satan.

* PROSKUNEO is the English font spelling of the Greek word προσκυνὲω.

Technical Notes:

F1: The infinitive of purpose πειρασθῆναι, "to be tempted," is translated by διὰ͂νὰ͂πειρασθῇ, "in order that He might be tempted."

F2: The Greek phrase is ὁ͂πειρὰζων, the article with the present participle and is literally translated, "the one continually tempting."

F3: The conjunction μὴποτε, "not ever," used with the subjunctive expressing purpose προσκὸψῃς, "you should strike," is translated διὰ͂νὰ͂μὴ͂προσκὸψῃς, "in order that you should not strike."

Copyright Statement
'Greek Thoughts' Copyright 2024© Bill Klein. 'Greek Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each article, along with a link to https://www.studylight.org/language-studies/greek-thoughts.html  2) 'Greek Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.