Naravist

The Gospels · New Testament

Matthew 4

Matthew 4: the wilderness testing and the first calls in Galilee

General context

The Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. After forty days and nights of fasting he is hungry, and the tempter proposes that he turn stones into bread. Jesus answers with a written saying about bread and the word of God. The devil sets him on a pinnacle of the temple in the holy city and quotes a promise about angels, and Jesus answers that it is written again not to tempt the Lord thy God. On an exceeding high mountain the devil offers all the kingdoms of the world for an act of worship, and Jesus dismisses him by name. The devil leaves and angels minister. Hearing that John is imprisoned, Jesus goes into Galilee, leaves Nazareth and settles in Capernaum in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim, which the narrator ties to a saying of Esaias about light in a dark region. Jesus begins preaching the same words John used. By the sea of Galilee he calls Simon called Peter and Andrew, then James the son of Zebedee and John, and each pair leaves at once. He then teaches, preaches and heals across Galilee, and crowds come from several regions.

Cited passages: Matthew 4:1, Matthew 4:2, Matthew 4:3, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 4:5, Matthew 4:6, Matthew 4:7, Matthew 4:8, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 4:11, Matthew 4:12, Matthew 4:13, Matthew 4:16, Matthew 4:17, Matthew 4:18, Matthew 4:19, Matthew 4:21, Matthew 4:23, Matthew 4:25

Matthew 4 (KJV)

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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The same figure is given three labels in this chapter: the devil, the tempter, and Satan, the last used by Jesus in direct address. The second proposal has the devil quoting scripture, so quoted scripture appears on both sides of the exchange. The narrator states that John was cast into prison but gives no reason, no place and no length of time. Matthew's Esaias quotation is printed as The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, followed by The people which sat in darkness saw great light, while Isaiah 9:1 has the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali in Galilee of the nations and Isaiah 9:2 reads The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. The spellings and the verbs differ. Jesus' opening message in verse 17 repeats John's words in 3:2 exactly. Simon is introduced as Simon called Peter, and the chapter does not say where the second name came from.

Cited passages: Matthew 4:1, Matthew 4:3, Matthew 4:6, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 4:12, Matthew 4:15, Isaiah 9:1, Matthew 4:16, Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 4:17, Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:18

Literary context

The testing is built as three rounds with the same shape: a proposal, the first two opening If thou be the Son of God, and a reply that begins It is written. The settings rise as the rounds go on, from the wilderness to a pinnacle of the temple to an exceeding high mountain, and the offers grow from bread to a rescue by angels to all the kingdoms of the world. The calling scene is written twice in near identical form. Two brothers at work, a call, and an immediate departure, with straightway in the first pair and immediately in the second. The narrator marks what each pair leaves behind, nets in one case and the ship and their father in the other. The chapter closes with a wide summary of teaching, preaching and healing, and the gathering crowds set the stage for the discourse that follows.

Cited passages: Matthew 4:3, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 4:6, Matthew 4:7, Matthew 4:8, Matthew 4:9, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 4:19, Matthew 4:20, Matthew 4:21, Matthew 4:22, Matthew 4:24, Matthew 4:25

Key moments

  1. Bread from stones (Matthew 4:3). The tempter proposes that Jesus turn stones into bread after the fast.
  2. Scripture quoted back (Matthew 4:6). The devil quotes a promise about angels while urging a fall from the temple.
  3. Kingdoms offered (Matthew 4:9). The devil offers all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship.
  4. The devil leaves (Matthew 4:11). The devil departs and angels come and minister to Jesus.
  5. Preaching begins (Matthew 4:17). Jesus begins to preach repentance in the same words John used.
  6. Fishers called (Matthew 4:19). Jesus calls Simon called Peter and Andrew to follow him and become fishers of men.
  7. Crowds from many regions (Matthew 4:25). Great multitudes follow from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond Jordan.

For reflection

Each proposal in the wilderness is answered with a written saying, and one of the proposals quotes scripture too. What does the chapter show about how the quotations are used on either side?

People in this chapter

Also indexed here: