Will This Be on the Test?

Below is a rough translation and some initial comments regarding Matthew 4:1-11, the gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent. This story of Jesus’ tests follows immediately after the baptism story, where Jesus is baptized as a way to “fulfill all righteousness,” the spirit comes down to Jesus as a dove, and a voice from the heavens declares Jesus the beloved son. This story also follows – in the lectionary, not in sequence – after another mountain story from Matthew 17 where, again, Jesus is declared the beloved son. These intertextual connections are on my mind as I translate this story.

¹ Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀνήχθη εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος, πειρασθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου.

Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the spirit, to be tested by the devil.

ἀνήχθη: API 3s, ἀνάγω, 1) to lead up, to lead or bring into a higher place  2) of navigators: launch out, set sail, put to sea

πειρασθῆναι: APInf, πειράζω, 1) to try whether a thing can be done  1a) to attempt, endeavour  2) to try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining  his quantity, or what he thinks, or how he will behave himself 

1. The story makes it clear from the beginning that “the spirit” was the agent by which Jesus was led to the wilderness for this ordeal of temptation, which raises some questions. Jesus taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation," a petition that raises its own host of questions for me. But that is precisely what the Spirit is doing here. And consider this passage from James 1:12-16, "Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved." I don't usually try to contest one NT writer with another in this stage of rough translations, but I do find the agency of the Spirit in this story to be an interesting note that will, eventually, have to be reconciled with some other texts at a later stage. 

2. Perhaps this story is drawing on a familiar tradition of religious persons or heroic persons who not only contend with maintaining their integrity in the face of human opposition, but first must undergo an ordeal to prove themselves before being ready to perform their task. 

3. Translations are a bit inconsistent when it comes to translating πειράζω. Sometimes they say “tempt,” especially when it is associated with the devil, and other times “test.” On the whole, I think “test” is a better translation for Matthew’s use.

Mt. 16:1 - … Sadducees came, and testing …

Mt. 19:3 - … Pharisees came to him, testing him …

Mt. 22:18 - … [Jesus] said, ‘Why test me, you hypocrites …”

Mt. 22:35 - … A lawyer asked him a question to test him …

3. The devil’s role in this story seems akin to “Satan’s” role in the story of Job. In Job, Satan is more like a prosecutor that acts with God’s permission than the embodiment of all things evil. Likewise, here, the devil is testing, but the spirit has brought Jesus in for the test, so the devil’s role is subservient to the spirit’s intentions.

Outside of this story, Matthew mentions the devil on two other occasions. In Mt. 13:39, during the explanation of the wheat and weeds, Jesus says the weeds are the children of the evil one and the devil is the one who sowed the weeds. In Mt. 25:41, Jesus says that the eternal fire has been prepared for “the devil and all of his angels.”

² καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

And having fasting forty days and forty nights afterward he hungered.

νηστεύσας: AAPart nsm, νηστεύω, to fast, to abstain from eating

ἐπείνασεν: AAI 3s, πεινάω, 1) to hunger, be hungry 

1. The significance of the 40 days and nights is huge for the season of Lent. The biblical significance of the number 40 is intriguing as well - the flood, the wilderness journey, Moses' time on the mountain, significant ones. A curious reference to 40 days is when Jacob/Israel died. He was embalmed by Egyptian physicians with the note, "they spent forty days in doing this, for that is the time required for embalming."

³ Καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ πειράζων εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰπὲ ἵνα οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται.

And having come the tester said to him, “Since you are a son of the God, speak in order that these stones might become breads.”

προσελθὼν: AAPart nsm, προσέρχομαι, 1) to come to, approach 

πειράζων: PAPart nsm, πειράζω, 1) to try whether a thing can be done  1a) to attempt, endeavour  2) to try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining  his quantity, or what he thinks, or how he will behave himself

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

εἶ: PAI 2s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present

εἰπὲ: AAImpv 2s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

γένωνται: AMSubj 3p, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being

1. The devil is now called “the tester” a participial phrase using the same verb as in v.1.

2. Paul Achtemeier has argued (related to a different text, but with the same words) that Εἰ … εἶ should be translated, "Since you are” not “If you are ....” because the Εἰ is followed by an indicative and not a subjunctive verb. Says Achtemeier, “What is at issue is not whether Jesus is really God's son; even the devil is willing to concede that. The temptation has to do with how God's son should act.”

3. Bread is in the nominative case, but γίνομαι is one of those verbs that takes a predicate in the nominative case, rather than the usual accusative case. Bread is also plural. I think this is to be in sync with ‘stones,’ and indicates multiple ‘loaves of bread’ rather than several different types of bread.

⁴ ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν, Γέγραπται, Οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος θεοῦ.

Yet having answered he said, “It has been written, ‘Not by bread alone will the human live, but by every word that comes from a mouth of God.’”

ἀποκριθεὶς: APPart nsm, ἀποκρίνομαι, 1) to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

Γέγραπται: PerfPI 3s, γράφω, 1) to write, …  2) to write, with reference to the contents of the writing 

ζήσεται: FMI 3s, ζάω, 1) to live, breathe, be among the living

ἐκπορευομένῳ: PMPart dsm, ἐκπορεύομαι, 1) to go forth, go out, depart

1. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, which is part of a very interesting text. The immediate context of the quote is a reference to the 40 years of Israel’s wandering in the desert, which I cannot help but think is absolutely being echoed in this entire pericope, therefore making this pericope entirely appropriate for the 40 day journey of the season of Lent.

2. Deuteronomy 8 is also interesting in its own right. See v.10 note 1.

⁵ Τότε παραλαμβάνει αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν, καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ πτερύγιον τοῦ ἱεροῦ,

Then the devil takes him into the holy city, and placed him on the peak of the temple,

παραλαμβάνει: PAI 3s, παραλαμβάνω, 1) to take to, to take with one's self, to join to one's self 

ἔστησεν: AAI 3s, ἵστημι, 1) to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set

⁶ καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, βάλε σεαυτὸν κάτω: γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι Τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ χειρῶν ἀροῦσίν σε, μήποτε προσκόψῃς πρὸς λίθον τὸν πόδα σου.

And says to him, “Since you are a son of the God, cast yourself down; for it has been written ‘His angels he will command concerning you and in hands they will keep you, that you may not strike your foot to a stone.’”

λέγει: PAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

εἶ: PAI 2s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present

βάλε: AAImpv 2s, βάλλω, 1) to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls

Γέγραπται: PerfPI 3s, γράφω, 1) to write, …  2) to write, with reference to the contents of the writing 

ἐντελεῖται: FMI 3s, ἐντέλλομαι, 1) to order, command to be done, enjoin 

ἀροῦσίν: FAI 3p, αἴρω, 1) to raise up, elevate, lift up 

προσκόψῃς: AASubj 2s, προσκόπτω, 1) to strike against 

1. The devil is quoting Psalm 91:11-12, “For he will command his angels concerning you
 to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” I find it interesting that the devil quotes scripture as a way of putting God to the test.

2. Angels will indeed appear in this story, but not until after the testing is over. I wonder if there is a theological dispute in play about whether or how God is present in adversity. Is relying on a Scripture like Ps. 91:11-12 an act of faith or is it a manner of testing God? Do God’s angels prevent the foot from dashing against a stone or do they show up afterwards and minister to the one who has undergone an ordeal? I think there are questions of theodicy and theo-presence that underlie this story, which were vivid in Matthew’s day and continue to be.

⁷ ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Πάλιν γέγραπται, Οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου.

Jesus was explaining to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’”

ἔφη: IAI 3s, φημί, 1) to make known one's thoughts, to declare

γέγραπται: PerfPI 3s, γράφω, 1) to write, …  2) to write, with reference to the contents of the writing 

ἐκπειράσεις: FAI 2s, ἐκπειράζω, 1) to prove, test, thoroughly. 

1. Matthew breaks from the usual word for “says” (λέγω) and uses φημί, the root of which is φάω, meaning “to bring forth into the light.” The idea is to enlighten, not just to speak, so I am using “was explaining” to show that Jesus was engaging thoughtfully here, not just verbally sparring. This is a real question on this test!

2. The word ἐκπειράζω has the root πειράζω (test, tester in vv.1 and 3). I am not sure what the significance of the prefix ἐκ (typically ‘out’) lends to the verb.

3. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 in answering this test. More below.

⁸ Πάλιν παραλαμβάνει αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν λίαν, καὶ δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ πάσας τὰς βασιλείας τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν,

Again the devil takes him into a mountain very high, and shows to him all of the kingdoms of the world and their glory,

παραλαμβάνει: PAI 3s, παραλαμβάνω, 1) to take to, to take with one's self, to join to one's self 

δείκνυσιν: PAI 3s, δεικνύω, to show, exhibit 
1. We’ve gone from the wilderness to the peak of the temple to a very high mountain. While one can certainly think of the significance of the wilderness, the temple, and the mountain, I’m not sure of the significance of the pinnacle of the temple or the three locations taken together. The remembrance that by the time Matthew's gospel is written, that temple is destroyed might give this pinnacle more significance. 

2. It stretches the imagination to think that there could be an actual place from which one can see all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. This is one of those stories that seems to be real but also visionary, not only in how we might interpret or imagine it today, but in the telling itself. 

3. This is an interesting use of the word “glory.” It’s not just a religious/God term. Matthew typically uses the term along with words like “throne” or “power.”

⁹ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ταῦτά σοι πάντα δώσω ἐὰν πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃς μοι.

And said to him, “All these I will give to you if you having bowed worship me.”

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

δώσω: FAI 1s, δίδωμι, 1) to give

πεσὼν: AAPart nsm, πίπτω, 1) to descend from a higher place to a lower 

προσκυνήσῃς:  AASubj 2s, προσκυνέω, 1) to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence  … 3) in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make  obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication 

1. Here we to have an “if” clause, with ἐὰν followed by a subjunctive (which is conditional, unlike the phrase, "Since you are the son of God" where ἐὰν was followed by an indicative phrase). Whether Jesus will bow down is the question, not whether Jesus is the son of God.

¹⁰ τότε λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Υπαγε, Σατανᾶ: γέγραπται γάρ, Κύριον τὸν θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις.

Then Jesus says to him, “Go, Satan; for it has been written, ‘The Lord your God will you worship and to him alone you will serve.”

λέγει: PAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

Υπαγε: PAImpv 2p, ὑπάγω, 1) to lead under, bring under  2) to withdraw one's self, to go away, depart

γέγραπται: PerfPI 3s, γράφω, 1) to write, …  2) to write, with reference to the contents of the writing 

προσκυνήσεις: FAI 2s, προσκυνέω, 1) to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence  … 3) in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make  obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication 

λατρεύσεις: FAI 2s, λατρεύω, 1) to serve for hire  2) to serve, minister to, either to the gods or men and used  alike of slaves and freemen

1. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13 in answering this test. All of his answers have come from Deuteronomy cc.6-8, which caution Israel against losing faith after their 40 year ordeal in the wilderness and when they are getting ready to enter the Promised Land, where they will no longer be dependent on God’s provisions of manna, but will eat of their own crops and drink from their own cisterns. In their prosperity, God says “Do not forget the Lord your God.” The test of being children of God comes in many ways, including hunger, provisions with limits (i.e. manna), and prosperity. In my mind, Matthew's way of telling this story treats it less of an actual event and more like a parallel sacred story, a re-telling of the wilderness journey and the testing that was happening there. We often think that in Matthew's gospel Jesus is like the new Moses - going up on the mountain and teaching from there - but at this point Jesus is more like the new Israel. 

2. My lexicons say that the word ὑπάγω (Go) is originally associated with the act of harnessing horses, so it signifies a way of giving direction. Maybe it was a 1^st century version of “Heel!” that one says to a trained dog. Or "Scat!" to a stray. At any rate, it seems to signify here that Jesus is calling the test to an end by decisively choosing to worship God over receiving all the glories of all the kingdoms in the world.

¹¹ Τότε ἀφίησιν αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελοι προσῆλθον καὶ διηκόνουν αὐτῷ.

Then the devil leaves him, and behold angels came and were ministering to him.

ἀφίησιν: PAI 3s, ἀφίημι, 1) to send away 1a) to bid going away or depart

ἰδοὺ: AMImp of εἶδον, a form of ὁράω, 1) to see with the eyes 

προσῆλθον: AAI 3p, προσέρχομαι, 1) to come to, approach 

διηκόνουν: IAI 3p, διακονέω, 1)) to be a servant, attendant, domestic, to serve, wait upon  1a) to minister to one, render ministering offices to 

1. The word ἀφίημι is incredibly versatile, including meaning ‘forgive’ or ‘divorce.’

2. Matthew says “Behold, angels came …” I wonder if that’s Matthew’s way of showing how one ought to interpret the promises of Psalm 91. The angels bring strength and healing nurture. They don't conspire in testing God's goodness.