Luke 4:11
What does Luke 4:11 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 4:11 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 4:11 means
Here the devil completes the Psalm quotation: angels will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. The promise is true in its proper context—God’s care over his people—but here it is proposed as a guarantee for reckless testing. The verse exposes the subtlety of temptation: it can point to real divine truths while inviting sinful misuse. Jesus recognizes the difference and refuses to oblige God into proving himself. The result is a faithful trust that does not force God’s hand through spectacle or presumption.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And, In their hands they will keep you up, so that your foot may not be crushed against a stone.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and--On hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou mayest dash against a stone thy foot.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And that in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890and on [their] hands shall they bear thee, lest in any wise thou strike thy foot against a stone.
Context
This continues the devil’s attempt to use Scripture to provoke a dramatic sign. Having offered worldly power, the devil now tempts Jesus toward reckless testing of divine protection. The passage sets the stage for Jesus’ succinct refutation: Scripture warns against presumption. In the chapter’s flow, this temptation is the climax of the wilderness trials and completes the threefold testing that prefigures the way Jesus will exercise authority—not by spectacle but through obedient service.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Psalms 91:12
They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
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