Luke 4:9
What does Luke 4:9 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 4:9 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 4:9 means
Verse 9 introduces the third temptation: the devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem, sets him on the temple’s pinnacle, and challenges him to cast himself down. The site is charged with religious symbolism; the devil cites Scripture about angelic protection to provoke a dramatic, public proof of identity. The temptation appeals to presumption and forces Jesus to test God’s promises in a sensational way. It aims to turn faith into spectacle and to make the Father’s faithfulness a means to self-aggrandizement rather than trust expressed in humble obedience.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
KJV
King James Version · 1611And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And he took him to Jerusalem and put him on the highest point of the Temple and said to him, If you are the Son of God, let yourself go down from here; for it is said in the Writings,
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, `If the Son thou art of God, cast thyself down hence,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And he brought him to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple and said to him: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself from hence.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the edge of the temple, and said to him, If thou be Son ofGod, cast thyself down hence;
Context
Following refusals to misuse power and wealth, the tempter attacks through presumption, using the most sacred setting: the temple. The third temptation probes whether Jesus will manipulate God’s protective promises for personal display. This prepares for Jesus’ final rebuttal and reinforces the narrative arc: three escalating tests—physical appetite, political power, and spiritual presumption—each answered with Scripture. The scene underscores that true faith resists turning God’s truth into self-serving proof.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Job 2:6
And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.
- 2 Chronicles 3:4
And the porch that was before the house, the length of it, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
- Luke 4:3
And the devil said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread.
- Romans 1:4
who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord,
- Matthew 4:5
Then the devil taketh him into the holy city; and he set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
- Matthew 8:29
And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
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