Matthew 4 3

Matthew 4:3 kjv

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

Matthew 4:3 nkjv

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

Matthew 4:3 niv

The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

Matthew 4:3 esv

And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

Matthew 4:3 nlt

During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread."

Matthew 4 verses

Matthew 4 3 Meaning

Matthew 4:3 records the commencement of Satan's temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness. After forty days of fasting, the "tempter" approached Jesus, challenging His divine identity by urging Him to miraculously turn stones into bread to satisfy His profound hunger. This test aimed to induce Jesus to use His power independently of God's will and timing, seeking immediate self-gratification over reliance on the Father's provision and guidance.

Matthew 4 3 Context

Matthew chapter 4 opens immediately after Jesus' baptism in chapter 3, where a heavenly voice publicly affirmed Him as God's beloved Son. Led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, Jesus spent forty days and nights fasting, a period reminiscent of Israel's forty years of wandering and testing in the desert, as well as Moses' and Elijah's forty-day fasts. By the end of this profound spiritual and physical ordeal, Jesus was extremely hungry. It is at this moment of physical weakness and vulnerability that the devil, identified as "the tempter," makes his approach, launching the first of three direct assaults against Jesus' identity, purpose, and loyalty to God.

Matthew 4 3 Word analysis

• And when: This connective phrase smoothly transitions from the narrative of Jesus' fasting to the active arrival of the tempter, signaling a new, direct confrontation.
• the tempter: Greek: ho peirazón (ὁ πειράζων). This is a definitive title, "the one who tests" or "the one who tempts," unambiguously referring to Satan (cf. 1 Thess 3:5). His very designation reveals his nature and purpose: to provoke to sin, to try to lead astray from righteousness, not merely to evaluate or purify.
• came to him: Greek: proselthōn (προσελθὼν), meaning "having approached" or "having come near." This conveys a deliberate, direct, and personal initiative by the tempter, suggesting a physical or otherwise manifest presence in proximity to Jesus.
• he said: Denotes a direct address, setting the stage for a verbal challenge.
• If thou be the Son of God: Greek: Ei Huios ei tou Theou (Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ).
  • If: The Greek particle ei (εἰ) in this context is often understood not as expressing genuine doubt, but rather as a challenge based on an assumed or recently declared premise ("Since you are..." or "If indeed you are..."). Satan does not doubt Jesus' identity as declared at the baptism, but rather challenges Him to prove it through a specific act, or to act as if He is independent of the Father's will.
  • Son of God: Refers to Jesus' unique divine relationship with God the Father and His pre-eminent status and authority (Mt 3:17; Ps 2:7). Satan aims to provoke Jesus to misuse or demonstrate this divine power outside of the Father's timing and will, turning spiritual truth into an occasion for disobedience or self-serving gratification.
• command: Greek: eipe (εἰπὲ), an imperative, meaning "say!" or "speak!" It implies that Jesus, through His authoritative divine word, could effect the change, akin to the creative power of God (Gen 1:3; Ps 33:9).
• that these stones be made bread: Greek: hina hoi lithoi houtoi artoi genōntai (ἵνα οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται).
  • stones: Represent the readily available, mundane, and unyielding elements of the desert environment.
  • made bread: The proposed transformation addresses Jesus' immediate and profound physical need (hunger). This temptation primarily targets the "lust of the flesh" (1 Jn 2:16), seeking to tempt Jesus to prioritize physical needs and comforts over spiritual obedience and trust in divine provision. It aims for a selfish, independent exercise of power, bypassing the pathway of dependence upon God that He would later teach His disciples (Mt 6:11).

Matthew 4 3 Bonus section

• The wilderness setting for the temptation is significant. Biblically, it's often a place of testing, purification, and encounter with God, as seen with Israel, Moses, and Elijah. It prepares Jesus for His ministry.
• The timing of the temptation—after 40 days of fasting—targets Jesus at His weakest human point, highlighting the subtlety and malevolence of Satan who exploits vulnerability.
• This first temptation corresponds to the "lust of the flesh" (1 Jn 2:16), the desire for immediate physical gratification, mirroring Eve's temptation to eat the forbidden fruit based on its appeal (Gen 3:6). Jesus, as the "New Adam," successfully resists where humanity previously failed.
• Satan's use of "Son of God" suggests an attempt to exploit Jesus' established identity, aiming to pervert His sonship into a means of selfish power rather than selfless obedience.

Matthew 4 3 Commentary

Matthew 4:3 serves as the opening move in Satan's strategic assault against Jesus, targeting Him at a point of extreme physical vulnerability following His extended fast. The tempter's question, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread," is less about genuine doubt concerning Jesus' identity and more about challenging the way Jesus chooses to live out that identity. Satan aims to persuade Jesus to leverage His divine power for immediate, self-gratifying ends, thus diverging from His Father's path of humble obedience and reliance. This temptation tests Jesus' trust in God's provision and His willingness to endure hunger in submission to the divine will. Jesus' perfect resistance, exemplified by His later response rooted in Scripture, models for believers how to combat temptations that seek to manipulate legitimate needs (like hunger) into opportunities for disobedience, emphasizing that true sustenance comes not just from physical provision, but from adherence to every word that proceeds from God. It highlights the principle of divine dependency over autonomous self-provision, crucial for understanding Christ's subsequent ministry and the life of faith.