Matthew 4
Expanded Bible
The Temptation of Jesus(A)
4 Then the Spirit led Jesus [L up; out] into the ·desert [wilderness] to be tempted [or tested] by the devil. 2 Jesus fasted for forty days and nights [C analogous to Israel’s forty years in the desert]. After this, he was ·very hungry [famished]. 3 The ·devil came to Jesus to tempt him [L tempter/tester came to Jesus], saying, “If you are the Son of God, ·tell [command] these rocks to ·become bread [turn into loaves].”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘A person lives not on bread alone, but by ·everything God says [L every word that comes out of God’s mouth; Deut. 8:3].’”
5 Then the devil ·led [took] Jesus to the holy city [C Jerusalem] and put him on ·a high place [the highest point; the pinnacle] of the Temple. 6 The devil said, “If you are the Son of God, ·jump [L throw yourself] down, because it is written in the Scriptures:
‘He ·has put his angels in charge of you [or will order his angels to protect you; L will command his angel concerning you].
They will ·catch you in [lift you up with] their hands
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock [Ps. 91:11–12].’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It also says in the Scriptures, ‘Do not test the Lord your God [Deut. 6:16].’”
8 ·Then [Again] the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all their ·splendor [glory]. 9 The devil said, “If you will ·bow [fall] down and worship me, I will give you all these things.”
10 Jesus said to him, “·Go away from me [Get out of here; Be gone], Satan! [L For] It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him [Deut. 6:13].’”
11 So the devil left Jesus, and angels came and ·took care of [served; ministered to] him.
Jesus Begins Work in Galilee(B)
12 When Jesus heard that John had been ·put in prison [arrested], he ·went back [withdrew] to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, ·a town near Lake Galilee [L by the sea], in the ·area near [region of] Zebulun and Naphtali [C two northern tribes of Israel]. 14 Jesus did this to ·bring about [fulfill] what the prophet Isaiah had said:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali
·along [on the road by; L the way of] the sea,
beyond the Jordan River.
·This is Galilee where the Gentiles live [L Galilee of the Gentiles/nations].
16 These people who ·live [dwell; sit] in darkness
·will see [L have seen] a great light.
And on those ·living [dwelling; sitting] in ·a place covered with the shadows of death [a land overshadowed by death; L a/the region and shadow of death],
a light ·will shine [L has dawned] on them [Is. 9:1–2].”
Jesus Chooses Some Followers(C)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “·Change your hearts and lives [Repent], because the kingdom of heaven is ·near [at hand].”
18 As Jesus was walking by ·Lake Galilee [T the Sea of Galilee], he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were ·throwing [casting] a net into the lake because they were fishermen. 19 Jesus said, “Come ·follow me [be my disciples], and I will ·make you [teach you how to] ·fish for people [T fishers of men].” 20 So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.
21 As Jesus ·continued walking by Lake Galilee [went on from there], he saw two other brothers, ·James and John, the sons of Zebedee [L James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John]. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, ·mending [or preparing] their nets. Jesus ·told them to come with him [called them]. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.
Jesus Teaches and Heals People(D)
23 Jesus went everywhere in Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the ·Good News about [Gospel of] the kingdom, and healing ·all [or every kind of] the people’s diseases and sicknesses. 24 The ·news [fame] about Jesus spread ·all over [or as far as] Syria, and people brought all the sick to him. They were suffering from different kinds of diseases. Some were in great pain, some ·had demons [were demon-possessed], some were epileptics, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed all of them. 25 ·Many people [Great crowds] from Galilee, the ·Ten Towns [L Decapolis; C the area east of Lake Galilee that once had ten main towns], Jerusalem, Judea, and ·the land across [beyond] the Jordan River followed him.
Matthew 4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 4
The Temptation of Jesus. 1 [a](A)Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 (B)He fasted for forty days and forty nights,[b] and afterwards he was hungry. 3 The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” 4 [c]He said in reply, “It is written:(C)
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”
5 [d]Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, 6 and 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 support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”(D)
7 Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”(E) 8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, 9 and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”[e] 10 At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written:
‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.’”(F)
11 Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry.[f] 12 (G)When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,(H) 14 that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,(I)
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
16 the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.”(J)
17 [g]From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,(K) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The Call of the First Disciples.[h] 18 (L)As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 [i]At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
Ministering to a Great Multitude.[j] 23 He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,[k] proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.(M) 24 [l]His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics, and he cured them. 25 (N)And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,[m] Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
Footnotes
- 4:1–11 Jesus, proclaimed Son of God at his baptism, is subjected to a triple temptation. Obedience to the Father is a characteristic of true sonship, and Jesus is tempted by the devil to rebel against God, overtly in the third case, more subtly in the first two. Each refusal of Jesus is expressed in language taken from the Book of Deuteronomy (Dt 8:3; 6:13, 16). The testings of Jesus resemble those of Israel during the wandering in the desert and later in Canaan, and the victory of Jesus, the true Israel and the true Son, contrasts with the failure of the ancient and disobedient “son,” the old Israel. In the temptation account Matthew is almost identical with Luke; both seem to have drawn upon the same source.
- 4:2 Forty days and forty nights: the same time as that during which Moses remained on Sinai (Ex 24:18). The time reference, however, seems primarily intended to recall the forty years during which Israel was tempted in the desert (Dt 8:2).
- 4:4 Cf. Dt 8:3. Jesus refuses to use his power for his own benefit and accepts whatever God wills.
- 4:5–7 The devil supports his proposal by an appeal to the scriptures, Ps 91:11a, 12. Unlike Israel (Dt 6:16), Jesus refuses to “test” God by demanding from him an extraordinary show of power.
- 4:9 The worship of Satan to which Jesus is tempted is probably intended to recall Israel’s worship of false gods. His refusal is expressed in the words of Dt 6:13.
- 4:12–17 Isaiah’s prophecy of the light rising upon Zebulun and Naphtali (Is 8:22–9:1) is fulfilled in Jesus’ residence at Capernaum. The territory of these two tribes was the first to be devastated (733–32 B.C.) at the time of the Assyrian invasion. In order to accommodate Jesus’ move to Capernaum to the prophecy, Matthew speaks of that town as being “in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali” (Mt 4:13), whereas it was only in the territory of the latter, and he understands the sea of the prophecy, the Mediterranean, as the sea of Galilee.
- 4:17 At the beginning of his preaching Jesus takes up the words of John the Baptist (Mt 3:2) although with a different meaning; in his ministry the kingdom of heaven has already begun to be present (Mt 12:28).
- 4:18–22 The call of the first disciples promises them a share in Jesus’ work and entails abandonment of family and former way of life. Three of the four, Simon, James, and John, are distinguished among the disciples by a closer relation with Jesus (Mt 17:1; 26:37).
- 4:20 Here and in Mt 4:22, as in Mark (Mk 1:16–20) and unlike the Lucan account (Lk 5:1–11), the disciples’ response is motivated only by Jesus’ invitation, an element that emphasizes his mysterious power.
- 4:23–25 This summary of Jesus’ ministry concludes the narrative part of the first book of Matthew’s gospel (Mt 3–4). The activities of his ministry are teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and healing; cf. Mt 9:35.
- 4:23 Their synagogues: Matthew usually designates the Jewish synagogues as their synagogue(s) (Mt 9:35; 10:17; 12:9; 13:54) or, in address to Jews, your synagogues (Mt 23:34), an indication that he wrote after the break between church and synagogue.
- 4:24 Syria: the Roman province to which Palestine belonged.
- 4:25 The Decapolis: a federation of Greek cities in Palestine, originally ten in number, all but one east of the Jordan.
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