1616 | Matthew 4:7
God,” he said,“ throw your self down. For it is writ ten:
“‘ 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.’ a” k
4:6 k Ps 91:11, 12 4:7 l Dt 6:16
4:10 m 1Ch 21:1 n Dt 6:13
4:11 o Mt 26:53; Lk 22:43; Heb 1:14
8 Again, the dev il took him to a very
high moun tain and showed him all the king doms of the world and their splen dor.
9“ All this I will give you,” he said,“ if you
will bow down and wor ship me.”
10 Jesus said to him,“ Away from me, Satan! m For it is writ ten:‘ Wor ship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ c” n
11 Then the dev il left him, and an gels
came and at tend ed him. o
7 Jesus an swered him,“ It is also written |
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:‘ Do not put the Lord your God to the |
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test.’ b” l a |
6 Psalm 91:11,12 |
b 7 Deut. 6:16 |
c 10 Deut. 6:13 |
the devil quotes Ps 91:11 – 12 out of context. The psalm refers to God’ s protection if one falls; it does not refer to jumping. 4:7 Continuing the general context of his previous quotation, Jesus quotes Dt 6:16, which in context warns against Israel’ s dissatisfaction with God’ s provision in the wilderness.
4:10 Still following the context, Jesus cites Dt 6:13, which prohibited idolatry( Dt 6:14), recognizing the one true God( Dt 6:4 – 5,12). 4:11 angels... attended him. Trusting the Father rather than creating bread( vv. 3 – 4) or presuming on angels( vv. 6 – 7), Jesus here receives angelic help after his fast( cf. 26:53).
MATTHEW 4:17
Kingdom
In Biblical languages, the term translated into English as“ kingdom” usually meant“ reign,”“ rule,” or“ authority.” Jewish people recognized that God reigned as king over the world he created( Ps 22:28; 145:12 – 13; Da 4:3,34). Some believed that they affirmed this whenever they recited the Shema, acknowledging that there was just one true God( Dt 6:4).
But while Jewish people acknowledged God’ s present rule, most looked for God’ s unchallenged reign in the age to come( Da 2:44 – 45; 7:14,27). Many prayed regularly for God’ s future kingdom— for him to reign unopposed, to fulfill his purposes of justice and peace for the world. One familiar prayer that came to be prayed daily was the Kaddish, which in its ancient form began:“ Exalted and hallowed be his great name... May he cause his kingdom to reign.”
By Jesus’ day, many were familiar with Daniel’ s prophecy about four kingdoms and believed the fourth and final kingdom to be the current Roman Empire( Da 2:37 – 43). Daniel prophesied that in the time of that fourth kingdom, God would establish an eternal kingdom, overthrowing the other ones( Da 2:44). This kingdom belonged to a“ Son of man,” a human one, whose rule was associated with the deliverance of God’ s people and contrasted with the preceding empires that were compared with beasts( Da 7:12 – 14,17 – 18,21 – 22). Daniel spoke of these truths as“ mysteries”( Da 2:28 – 29; cf. 2:47). Thus it is not surprising that the Gospels speak of the“ secret” or“ secrets” of the kingdom( Mt 13:11; Mk 4:11; Lk 8:10).
Jesus’ first followers in the New Testament, who believed that the coming Messianic king had already come once and that the first fruits of the future resurrection had occurred, often treated the future kingdom as also present. We recognize that just as the king has both come and will come again, his kingdom has already invaded this world but remains to be consummated. Where the other Gospels use“ kingdom of God,” Matthew uses“ kingdom of heaven” with just four or five exceptions. This Jewish expression appears elsewhere and reflects the Jewish use of“ heaven” at times as a respectful and roundabout way of saying“ God.” ◆