Matthew — Chapter 4
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1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.
3The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.
6“If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
7Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9“All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship me.”
10“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus told him. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
11Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.
12When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.
13Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
15“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
19“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
20And at once they left their nets and followed Him.
21Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them,
22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.
23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
24News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them.
25Large crowds followed Him, having come from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
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.
5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
12Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
13And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
18And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
21And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
22And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
24And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered.
3And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.
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.
5Then the devil taketh him into the holy city; and he set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6and saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God.
8Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11Then the devil leaveth him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
12Now when he heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee;
13and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali:
14that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
15The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, Toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,
16The people that sat in darkness Saw a great light, And to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, To them did light spring up.
17From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
18And walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishers.
19And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20And they straightway left the nets, and followed him.
21And going on from thence he saw two other brethren, James the [son] of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
22And they straightway left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people.
24And the report of him went forth into all Syria: and they brought unto him all that were sick, holden with divers diseases and torments, possessed with demons, and epileptic, and palsied; and he healed them.
25And there followed him great multitudes from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judaea and [from] beyond the Jordan.
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2After he fasted 40 days and 40 nights he was famished.
3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”
4But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point of the temple,
6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.
9And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.”
10Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.
12Now when Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, he went into Galilee.
13While in Galilee, he moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled:
15“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.”
17From that time Jesus began to preach this message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!”
18As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).
19He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people!”
20They left their nets immediately and followed him.
21Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Then he called them.
22They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
23Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people.
24So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them.
25And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.
1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.
3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
5Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you.’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’”
7Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”
8Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.
9He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.”
10Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.
12Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee.
13Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
15“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,
16the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned.”
17From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
18Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”
20They immediately left their nets and followed him.
21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them.
22They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
24The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them.
25Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
Summary
The Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness, where he fasts forty days and is tempted three times by the devil — to turn stones to bread, to throw himself from the temple, and to worship Satan in exchange for the kingdoms of the world — answering each temptation with Scripture until the devil leaves him (vv. 1-11). Hearing that John the Baptist has been arrested, Jesus withdraws to Capernaum in Galilee, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy that a great light would dawn on that region (vv. 12-16). He begins preaching that people should repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near, then calls the fishermen Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave their nets and follow him as fishers of men (vv. 17-22). Jesus travels through Galilee teaching in synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease, drawing large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan (vv. 23-25).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Judean Wilderness: The barren, desolate region where Jesus was tempted for 40 days. Traditionally located west of Jericho.
- Pinnacle of the Temple: The southeastern corner of the Temple complex in Jerusalem, overlooking the Kidron Valley — a dramatic drop.
- Capernaum: A fishing town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus made this His ministry headquarters ("His own city," Matt. 9:1).
- Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, beyond the Jordan (v.25): The regions from which crowds gathered, showing the breadth of Jesus' early fame.
Places on this map
- Judean WildernessWest Bank and IsraelThe rain shadow on the eastern side of the Judean ridge: chalk hills falling 3,500 feet to the Dead Sea in about 15 miles, with almost no water. Close enough to Jerusalem to walk to in a morning, empty enough to disappear into, which is why fugitives, prophets and monastics all used it. Wikipedia
- JerichoJericho, West BankAn oasis at a perennial spring in the Jordan valley, 850 feet below sea level and among the oldest continuously settled sites anywhere. It guarded the ford and the climb up to the central hills, so anyone entering Canaan from the east had to deal with it first. Wikipedia
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
- Kidron ValleyJerusalemThe dry ravine between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, dropping steeply below the temple's eastern wall. It ran with the runoff of sacrifice and became the city's dumping ground for idols, and it is the valley David crossed fleeing Absalom and Jesus crossed to Gethsemane. Wikipedia
- CapernaumKfar Nahum, IsraelA fishing village on the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee, on the road running from the coast to Damascus. A customs post and a garrison explain the tax collector and the centurion; the harbour and the synagogue explain why Jesus made it his base. Wikipedia
- Sea of GalileeLake Kinneret, IsraelA freshwater lake 13 miles by 8, sunk 700 feet below sea level in a bowl of hills. Cold air spilling over the rim onto warm water is what produces the sudden violent squalls the Gospels keep describing. Wikipedia
- Galileenorthern IsraelThe northern hill country above the Jezreel Valley, wetter and greener than Judah and crossed by the trade road to Damascus. That traffic is why Judeans considered it mixed and provincial, and why Jesus grew up hearing more than one language. Wikipedia
- Decapolisnorthern Jordan and southern SyriaA cluster of Greek-speaking cities east and south-east of the Sea of Galilee, Gerasa and Gadara among them, self-governing under Rome. Gentile territory a day's walk from Jewish Galilee, which is why there were pigs there to drown. Wikipedia
- Jordan RiverIsrael / Jordan borderRuns about 65 miles as the crow flies from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping from 700 to 1,400 feet below sea level. Narrow enough to wade at most fords, it was still the boundary that divided wilderness from inheritance. Wikipedia
- Judeasouthern Israel and the West BankThe southern hill country around Jerusalem, high, stony and dry, with the wilderness on one side and the Philistine plain on the other. Poor farming and hard access are what let it stay independent longest. Wikipedia
- Transjordanwestern JordanEverything east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea: the plateau taken before the river was crossed and settled by Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh, who then spent centuries anxious about being counted out. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the three temptations in detail, Satan's misuse of Scripture, why Jesus answered only with Deuteronomy, the significance of Galilee as His base, and the immediacy of the disciples' response.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Matthew -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Led Into the Test (v.1) — The Spirit deliberately leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted, not to harm Him but to prove Him. Can you identify a wilderness season God used to deepen your character?
- Answering Temptation With the Word (v.4) — Though genuinely hungry and able to turn stones to bread, Jesus refuses to bypass trust in God and answers with Scripture instead. What specific verses are you memorizing to fight the specific temptations you face?
- Scripture Misused (v.6) — Satan himself quotes Scripture to tempt Jesus, showing that the Bible can be twisted to justify almost anything. How do you guard against using Scripture to rationalize what you want rather than to discover what God wants?
- A Shortcut Without the Cross (vv.9-10) — Satan offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world without suffering, a shortcut to something already His by right. Where in your life are you being offered a shortcut that bypasses God's path?
- Immediate, Costly Obedience (vv.19-22) — Peter, Andrew, James, and John leave their nets and their father the moment Jesus calls them, with no negotiation or delay. What nets are you still holding onto that keep you from following more fully?
- Fame Through Compassion (vv.23-24) — Jesus' reputation spreads through the region because of His healing ministry, before He has even preached the Sermon on the Mount. How does meeting people's practical needs open doors for the Gospel in your own life?