Luke 4:2 kjv
Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
Luke 4:2 nkjv
being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
Luke 4:2 niv
where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
Luke 4:2 esv
for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
Luke 4:2 nlt
where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
Luke 4 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Temptation Parallels | ||
| Mk 1:12-13 | The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan... | Parallel account in Mark. |
| Mt 4:1-2 | Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. | Parallel account in Matthew. |
| Heb 4:15 | For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. | Jesus's sinless humanity amidst temptation. |
| Jas 1:13 | Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. | Distinction of God's role in testing/temptation. |
| 1 Cor 10:13 | No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man... and with the temptation will also provide the way of escape... | God's provision in temptation. |
| Forty Days Motifs | ||
| Exod 34:28 | So he [Moses] was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water... | Moses' 40-day fast on Sinai. |
| Deut 9:9 | When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone... I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. | Moses' another 40-day fast. |
| 1 Kgs 19:8 | He [Elijah] arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. | Elijah's 40-day journey in desert. |
| Num 14:34 | According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years... | Israel's 40 years in wilderness due to disobedience. |
| Gen 7:4, 12 | For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights... And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. | The Flood's 40-day duration. |
| Acts 1:3 | He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days... | Jesus' post-resurrection appearances. |
| The Devil / Satan | ||
| Zech 3:1 | Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. | Satan as the accuser. |
| Rev 12:9 | And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world... | Identity of the devil. |
| Gen 3:1 | Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field... | Original tempter in Eden. |
| Job 1:6 | Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. | Satan's role in Job's testing. |
| Fasting & Hunger | ||
| Mt 6:16 | And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites... | Instruction on proper fasting. |
| Isa 58:6 | Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke... | True purpose of fasting. |
| Dan 9:3 | Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas in fasting and sackcloth and ashes. | Daniel's penitential fast. |
| Lk 5:35 | The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. | Jesus's prophecy about His disciples fasting. |
| Phil 2:7-8 | But emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men... and became obedient to the point of death... | Jesus' self-emptying and humanity. |
| Deut 8:3 | And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna... that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone... | Man lives by God's word, related to hunger. |
Luke 4 verses
Luke 4 2 Meaning
Luke 4:2 describes the initial phase of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. For forty continuous days, Jesus was subjected to ongoing temptation by the devil. During this period, He observed a complete fast, consuming no food. At the conclusion of these forty days, His human body experienced profound hunger, setting the stage for the specific temptations to follow. This verse underscores Jesus' full humanity and His unwavering resolve to endure severe spiritual and physical testing as a prelude to His public ministry.
Luke 4 2 Context
Luke chapter 4 opens immediately after significant events in Jesus' life: His baptism (Lk 3:21-22), where the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the voice of the Father affirmed Him as the beloved Son; and the detailed genealogy tracing His lineage back to Adam (Lk 3:23-38). With the Holy Spirit's power, Jesus is led directly into the wilderness to be tempted. This wilderness experience serves as a crucial prelude to His public ministry, establishing His spiritual authority, faithfulness, and absolute obedience to God, qualities that His human lineage implied He should possess. Historically, the wilderness was often a place of testing and revelation for God's people (like Israel after the Exodus), a stark environment for purification and deep reliance on divine provision. Jesus's journey mirrors and reverses the failures of Israel in their forty years in the wilderness.
Luke 4 2 Word analysis
- For forty days (Greek: hēmeras tesserakonta - ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα): "Days" indicates a span of time. "Forty" carries significant biblical weight, often symbolizing a period of testing, preparation, or judgment (e.g., Noah's flood, Israel's wandering, Moses' and Elijah's fasts). For Jesus, it denotes a prolonged, intense period of purification and consecration for His ministry, setting Him apart.
- being tempted (Greek: peirazomenos - πειραζόμενος): This is a present participle, implying continuous or repeated action, not just a single incident. The Greek verb peirazō can mean to "test," "try," or "tempt." In this context, from "the devil," it signifies a malevolent enticement to sin or to deviate from God's will. It shows the active, persistent nature of the devil's assault.
- by the devil (Greek: hypo tou diabolou - ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου): "Hypo" indicates agency, signifying that the devil is the active force behind the temptation. Diabolos means "slanderer," "accuser," or "adversary." This specifies the personal, malevolent entity directly opposing Jesus. It marks a direct spiritual confrontation, not a general inner struggle.
- And he ate nothing (Greek: ouk ephagen ouden - οὐκ ἔφαγεν οὐδὲν): "Ouk" is an emphatic negative. "Ouden" means "nothing." This conveys a complete, total fast. This absolute abstinence signifies intense dedication, spiritual discipline, and complete dependence on God beyond physical sustenance.
- during those days (Greek: en tais hēmerais ekeinais - ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις): This reiterates and reinforces the duration of the complete fast, emphasizing the severity and length of the physical deprivation endured during the temptation period.
- And when they were ended (Greek: kai telesthiesōn autōn - καὶ τελεσθεισῶν αὐτῶν): "Telesthiesōn" is a perfect participle, denoting a completed action, marking the definitive end of the forty days. This closure is significant, leading to the subsequent specific temptations.
- he was hungry (Greek: hysteron epeinasen - ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν): "Hysteron" means "afterward" or "later." "Epeinasen" means "he hungered." This simple statement profoundly asserts Jesus' genuine human nature, including His susceptibility to basic physical needs and desires. It highlights His full identification with humanity and sets the physical basis for the first specific temptation from the devil to turn stones into bread.
Luke 4 2 Bonus section
The intense, sustained temptation of Jesus during these forty days was a proving ground. While the specific temptations follow in Luke 4:3-11, this verse emphasizes the cumulative spiritual struggle. This preparatory period allowed Jesus to exercise His reliance on the Father and His understanding of Scripture before His public ministry. The complete physical fast also serves as a spiritual counter-narrative to humanity's initial fall, which stemmed from physical desire and disobedience regarding food (Gen 3). Jesus’ overcoming hunger and sustained temptation underscores His sinlessness, demonstrating His perfect will and unbroken communion with God, setting a precedent for His life and work of salvation.
Luke 4 2 Commentary
Luke 4:2 establishes the context for Jesus' specific temptations. His forty-day period in the wilderness, guided by the Holy Spirit, mirrors significant Old Testament figures (Moses, Elijah) who also endured extended periods of divine communion and preparation, often involving fasting. This span of "forty days" also typologically reverses Israel's failure during their forty years of wilderness wandering. Jesus' fast was not merely physical; it represented profound spiritual dedication and complete dependence on God in an environment of extreme vulnerability. The devil's ongoing temptation throughout this period, implied by the continuous action verb, underscores the relentless nature of spiritual warfare directed at the Son of God. Jesus' enduring hunger at the close of this fast affirms His genuine humanity, a crucial theological point, as only a fully human Messiah could perfectly suffer and conquer temptation where Adam and Israel had failed. This perfect obedience under intense pressure demonstrates His qualification for messianic ministry, exhibiting a divine faithfulness unparalleled in human history.