Devine Scripture

Matthew 4:3

What does Matthew 4:3 mean?

A plain-English look at Matthew 4:3 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Matthew 4:3 means

The devil, personally identified as "the tempter," approached Jesus with a cunning test, challenging His divine sonship. By suggesting Jesus use His miraculous power to turn stones into bread, the devil aimed to provoke Him to satisfy self-interest rather than relying on God's provision. This temptation directly targeted Jesus' physical need after His extended fast, seeking to undermine His trust and obedience to the Father.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And the Evil One came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, give the word for these stones to become bread.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And the Tempter having come to him said, `If Son thou art of God--speak that these stones may become loaves.'

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And the tempter coming said to him: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And the tempter coming up to him said, If thou be Son ofGod, speak, that these stones may become loaves of bread.

Context

This verse initiates the direct confrontation between Jesus and the devil, immediately following Jesus' forty-day fast and intense hunger. The temptation to turn stones into bread is the first of three major tests, and Jesus' response to it will establish His pattern of resisting temptation by quoting Scripture. This encounter sets the stage for a spiritual battle.

v.2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered.

v.3This passage

v.4But 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.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Genesis 25:29

    And Jacob boiled pottage: and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint:

  • Hebrews 12:16

    lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright.

  • Acts 9:20

    And straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God.

  • 1 Thessalonians 3:5

    For this cause I also, when I could no longer forbear, sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.

  • Genesis 3:1

    Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?

  • Numbers 11:4

    And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

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