Jesus Tested in the Wilderness
Luke 4:1-13
Luke.4.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- πληρης: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- πνευματος: NOUN,gen,sg,n
- αγιου: ADJ,gen,sg,n
- υπεστρεψεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- απο: PREP
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- Ιορδανου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ηγετο: VERB,impf,mid,ind,3,sg
- εν: PREP
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- πνευματι: NOUN,dat,sg,n
- εν: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- ερημω: NOUN,dat,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 4:1 (verbal): Matthew records the same temptation scene with nearly identical wording—'Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness'—showing a close verbal parallel to Luke's account.
- Mark 1:12-13 (verbal): Mark states that the Spirit immediately drove Jesus into the wilderness and describes his temptation there, echoing Luke's language about the Spirit leading Jesus into the desert.
- Luke 3:21-22 (structural): The immediate Lukan context: Jesus' baptism where the Holy Spirit descends and God's voice is heard. Luke 4:1 follows directly, linking Jesus being 'full of the Holy Spirit' with his baptismal anointing.
- Isaiah 61:1 (allusion): Isaiah's declaration that 'the Spirit of the Lord is upon me' provides the prophetic backdrop for a Spirit-anointed messianic mission; Luke later quotes Isaiah 61 in 4:18, making Isaiah 61 a thematic/allusive precursor to Luke 4:1.
- Acts 10:38 (thematic): Peter describes Jesus as 'anointed with the Holy Spirit and power,' which echoes the theme of Jesus being filled with the Spirit and acting under Spirit-led authority in Luke 4:1.
Alternative generated candidates
- Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
- And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.
Luke.4.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ημερας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
- τεσσερακοντα: NUM,acc,pl
- πειραζομενος: VERB,pres,mp,part,nom,m,sg
- υπο: PREP
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- διαβολου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εφαγεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ουδεν: PRON,acc,sg,n
- εν: PREP
- ταις: ART,dat,pl,f
- ημεραις: NOUN,dat,pl,f
- εκειναις: DEM,dat,pl,f
- και: CONJ
- συντελεσθεισων: VERB,aor,pass,part,gen,pl,f
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- επεινασεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Matthew 4:1-2 (verbal): Direct synoptic parallel describing Jesus led into the wilderness, tempted forty days by the devil and fasting until he was hungry; closely mirrors Luke's wording and sequence.
- Mark 1:12-13 (verbal): Shorter parallel emphasizing Jesus' forty days in the wilderness and temptation by Satan; affirms the same tradition about duration and testing.
- Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (thematic): Israel tested in the wilderness for forty years and sustained by God's word/manna; thematically connects wilderness testing and dependence on God with Jesus' forty-day trial.
- Exodus 34:28 (allusion): Moses fasted forty days and nights on Sinai; an antecedent for the motif of a forty-day fast associated with pivotal revelation or preparation.
- 1 Kings 19:8 (thematic): Elijah's forty-day journey to Horeb sustained by supernatural provision; parallels the motif of forty-day seclusion and dependence on God during a time of trial.
Alternative generated candidates
- where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were ended he was hungry.
- For forty days he was tempted by the devil; and during those days he ate nothing, and when they were ended he was hungry.
Luke.4.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- δε: CONJ
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- διαβολος·Ει: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ει: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,sg
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- θεου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- ειπε: VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- λιθω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- τουτω: DEM,dat,sg,m
- ινα: CONJ
- γενηται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,sg
- αρτος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 4:3 (verbal): Direct, almost word-for-word parallel of the first temptation—Satan challenges Jesus 'If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'
- Deuteronomy 8:3 (quotation): Jesus answers this temptation by quoting Deut 8:3 ('Man shall not live by bread alone'), so Deuteronomy provides the scriptural counter to the tempter's demand.
- Psalm 91:11-12 (allusion): Later in the temptation narrative the devil cites Psalm 91 to urge Jesus to 'prove' God's protection; both passages involve testing divine sonship and God’s safeguarding promise that the tempter seeks to exploit.
- Genesis 3:1-6 (thematic): The tempter's tactic—questioning divine command/identity and urging disobedience—echoes the serpent's strategy in Eden, a paradigmatic temptation motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
- The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
Luke.4.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- απεκριθη: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- προς: PREP
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Ιησους·Γεγραπται: NOUN,nom,sg,m+VERB,perf,pass,ind,3,sg
- οτι: CONJ
- Ουκ: PART,neg
- επ᾽αρτω: PREP+NOUN,dat,sg,m
- μονω: ADJ,dat,sg,m
- ζησεται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ανθρωπος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 8:3 (quotation): The Old Testament source Jesus cites—'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.'
- Matthew 4:4 (verbal): Parallel temptation account in the Synoptics; Jesus gives the same scriptural reply to the tempter (verbatim in Greek/Greek-derived tradition).
- John 6:27 (thematic): Jesus contrasts seeking perishable food with seeking the food that endures to eternal life—echoing the theme of spiritual sustenance over mere bread.
- Isaiah 55:2 (thematic): Invites people not to toil for what does not satisfy but to 'listen' and receive true nourishment from God—a prophetic background to the priority of divine word/food over physical bread.
Alternative generated candidates
- Jesus answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'"
- And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'"
Luke.4.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Και: CONJ
- αναγαγων: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,sg,m
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- εδειξεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- πασας: ADJ,acc,pl,f
- τας: ART,acc,pl,f
- βασιλειας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- οικουμενης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- εν: PREP
- στιγμη: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- χρονου·: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 4:8 (verbal): Direct parallel in Matthew: the devil takes Jesus to a high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world — essentially the same narrative image.
- Matthew 4:9 (verbal): Immediate verbal parallel where the tempter offers to give Jesus 'all these things' if He will worship him; complements the showing of the kingdoms in 4:8/Luke 4:5.
- Luke 4:6 (structural): The immediate continuation of Luke's temptation scene: the devil speaks after showing the kingdoms, offering Jesus their power — same episode within Luke's structure.
- Psalm 2:8 (allusion): God's promise to give the nations as an inheritance ('Ask of me... and I will give you the nations') forms a scriptural backdrop for the motif of possession/authority over the kingdoms.
- Daniel 7:13-14 (thematic): Vision of the 'Son of Man' receiving universal dominion and authority over peoples and nations — thematically related to the idea of rule over all the kingdoms of the world.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,
- Then the devil led him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luke.4.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- διαβολος·Σοι: NOUN,nom,sg,m+PRON,dat,sg,2
- δωσω: VERB,fut,act,ind,1,sg
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- εξουσιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- ταυτην: PRON,acc,sg,f
- απασαν: ADJ,acc,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- δοξαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- οτι: CONJ
- εμοι: PRON,dat,sg,1
- παραδεδοται: VERB,perf,mid/pass,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- ω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- αν: PART
- θελω: VERB,pres,act,ind,1,sg
- διδωμι: VERB,pres,act,subj,1,sg
- αυτην·: PRON,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 4:8-9 (verbal): The Synoptic parallel of the same temptation: Satan offers Jesus 'all the kingdoms of the world and their glory' and promises to give them to him—closely matching Luke's wording and scene.
- John 12:31 (thematic): Speaks of the 'prince of this world' and the present cosmic role of the evil one—echoes Luke's claim that authority over the world is in Satan's hands.
- 1 John 5:19 (thematic): Affirms that 'the whole world lies in the power of the evil one,' paralleling Luke's statement that the world's power/glory has been delivered to Satan.
- Revelation 13:2 (allusion): Describes the dragon giving its power and authority to the beast—a later NT depiction of demonic bestowal of political/earthly power that parallels Satan's claim to grant kingdoms.
Alternative generated candidates
- and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.
- And the devil said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I may give it to whom I will."
Luke.4.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- συ: PRON,nom,sg,2
- ουν: CONJ
- εαν: CONJ
- προσκυνησης: VERB,aor,act,subj,2,sg
- ενωπιον: PREP
- εμου: PRON,gen,sg,1
- εσται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,sg
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
- πασα: ADJ,nom,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 4:9 (verbal): Direct Synoptic parallel: the tempter offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world if he will worship him (same temptation scene, comparable wording).
- Luke 4:6 (structural): Immediate context in Luke’s pericope: the devil declares he has been given all authority and glory of the kingdoms, which he offers to Jesus — the sentence in 4:7 completes the offer.
- Luke 4:8 (quotation): Jesus’ immediate response to the temptation: he cites scripture ('You shall worship the Lord your God…') directly countering the devil’s demand to worship him.
- Deuteronomy 6:13 (cf. Deut 10:20) (allusion): OT command that only Yahweh is to be feared and served; the passage Jesus cites in reply and the theological foil to the tempter’s offer to demand worship.
Alternative generated candidates
- If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours."
- If, then, you will worship me, all shall be yours."
Luke.4.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- αποκριθεις: VERB,aor,pass,ptc,nom,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω·Γεγραπται·Κυριον: PRON,dat,sg,m
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- θεον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
- προσκυνησεις: VERB,fut,act,ind,2,sg
- και: CONJ
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- μονω: ADJ,dat,sg,m
- λατρευσεις: VERB,fut,act,ind,2,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 6:13 (quotation): Direct OT source for Jesus' words; the command to fear/worship the LORD and serve him appears in Deut 6:13 (as quoted in the LXX), which Jesus cites verbatim.
- Matthew 4:10 (verbal): Nearly identical response by Jesus during the temptation narrative: he again cites the command to worship and serve only the Lord when replying to Satan.
- Deuteronomy 10:20 (verbal): A parallel Deuteronomic formulation—'fear the LORD and serve him'—echoes the same call to exclusive worship and service found in Luke 4:8.
- Exodus 20:3 (thematic): The first commandment ('You shall have no other gods before me') provides the broader legal/theological background for Jesus' prohibition of worshiping any but God.
- Joshua 24:15 (thematic): Joshua's challenge to 'choose whom you will serve' and his own commitment to serve the LORD reflects the same theme of exclusive allegiance and service to Yahweh invoked by Jesus.
Alternative generated candidates
- Jesus answered, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'"
- And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'"
Luke.4.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Ηγαγεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- δε: CONJ
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- εις: PREP
- Ιερουσαλημ: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- εστησεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- επι: PREP
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- πτερυγιον: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- ιερου: NOUN,gen,sg,n
- και: CONJ
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω·Ει: PRON,dat,3,sg,m
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ει: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,sg
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- θεου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- βαλε: VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
- σεαυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- εντευθεν: ADV
- κατω·: ADV
Parallels
- Matthew 4:5-6 (verbal): Parallel Synoptic account: the tempter leads Jesus to the temple pinnacle and challenges him to throw himself down, using similar wording and the same tactic of citing scripture.
- Psalm 91:11-12 (quotation): The verses the tempter cites—‘He will command his angels… they will lift you up’—come from this Psalm, which the tempter misapplies to entice Jesus to test God.
- Deuteronomy 6:16 (quotation): Jesus later rebukes the temptation with the command ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,’ a direct citation of Deuteronomy 6:16.
- Matthew 4:1-11 (structural): The broader temptation narrative in Matthew corresponds to Luke’s pericope (same three temptations in a different order), providing a full Synoptic parallel to Luke 4:9.
- Luke 4:3 (verbal): Earlier in Luke’s temptation scene the tempter similarly challenges Jesus with the formula ‘If you are the Son of God,’ showing a repeated testing motif and verbal parallel within the same pericope.
Alternative generated candidates
- He led him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here;
- And he brought him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here;
Luke.4.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- γεγραπται: VERB,perf,pass,ind,3,sg
- γαρ: PART
- οτι: CONJ
- Τοις: ART,dat,pl,m
- αγγελοις: NOUN,dat,pl,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- εντελειται: VERB,pres,mid/pass,ind,3,sg
- περι: PREP
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- διαφυλαξαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- σε: PRON,acc,sg,2
Parallels
- Psalm 91:11 (quotation): Luke 4:10 is a direct citation of this LXX verse — 'He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you' — used by Satan to tempt Jesus.
- Matthew 4:6 (quotation): In Matthew's temptation narrative Satan quotes the same Psalm (and nearly identical wording) to Jesus, paralleling Luke's use of Scripture in the temptation scene.
- Psalm 34:7 (thematic): This psalm describes the angel of the LORD encamping around and delivering those who fear God, echoing the theme of divine angelic protection found in Luke 4:10.
- Hebrews 1:14 (thematic): Speaks of angels as 'ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation,' reflecting the idea that angels are appointed to watch over and aid God's people.
- Acts 12:7 (structural): Narrative example of an angel intervening to free Peter (angels lifting and delivering a believer), which illustrates the concrete protective/action role ascribed to angels in Psalm 91 and invoked in Luke 4:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,'
- for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,'
Luke.4.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- οτι: CONJ
- Επι: PREP
- χειρων: NOUN,gen,pl,f
- αρουσιν: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,pl
- σε: PRON,acc,sg,2
- μηποτε: PART
- προσκοψης: VERB,aor,act,subj,2,sg
- προς: PREP
- λιθον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- ποδα: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
Parallels
- Psalm 91:11-12 (quotation): Direct source of the citation Satan uses; promises angelic protection and the lifting up of the feet to prevent stumbling.
- Matthew 4:6 (verbal): Parallel account of the temptation where Satan quotes the same Psalm passage to Jesus with nearly identical wording.
- Luke 4:10 (structural): Immediate context: the preceding clause contains the opening of the same Psalm citation and together with v.11 forms the full quotation.
- Hebrews 1:14 (thematic): Speaks of angels as 'ministering spirits' sent to serve God's people—the same theological idea of angelic protection invoked in the temptation citation.
Alternative generated candidates
- and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
- and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
Luke.4.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- αποκριθεις: VERB,aor,pass,ptc,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- οτι: CONJ
- Ειρηται·Ουκ: VERB,perf,pass,ind,3,sg
- εκπειρασεις: VERB,fut,act,ind,2,sg
- κυριον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- θεον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 6:16 (quotation): The direct Old Testament source Jesus cites: 'You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.' (explicit command against testing God.)
- Matthew 4:7 (quotation): Parallel in the Synoptic temptation narrative where Jesus gives the identical reply to the tempter, citing Deuteronomy.
- Psalm 95:7-11 (allusion): Warnings about Israel's testing of God at Massah and the exhortation 'do not harden your hearts... in the day of testing' provide the theological background for the prohibition Jesus quotes.
- Exodus 17:7 (thematic): Narrates the Massah/Maribah incident ('Is the LORD among us or not?')—the historical episode of Israel testing God underlying Deuteronomy's prohibition.
- Hebrews 3:8-9 (allusion): New Testament reflection on Psalm 95/Israel's testing, warning believers not to harden their hearts—echoes the same concern about testing God found in Luke 4:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
- And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Luke.4.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- συντελεσας: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,m,sg
- παντα: ADJ,nom,pl,n
- πειρασμον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- διαβολος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- απεστη: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- απ᾽αυτου: PREP+PRON,gen,sg,3,m
- αχρι: PREP
- καιρου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 4:11 (verbal): Almost identical conclusion to the temptation narrative—after the tempter departs, Jesus is left and angels attend him; closely parallels Luke’s summary statement that the devil departed from him.
- Mark 1:13 (structural): Summarizes Jesus’ wilderness testing and its aftermath (temptation by Satan, forty days, angels ministering), providing a parallel account to Luke’s temptation scene and its resolution.
- Hebrews 2:18 (thematic): Reflects the theological significance of Jesus’ temptations: because he suffered being tempted, he can help those who are tempted—ties the fact of the devil’s temptations to Christ’s saving role.
- James 4:7 (thematic): Commands believers to resist the devil so that he will flee—thematically connects Luke’s report of the devil departing with the New Testament motif that opposition/resistance leads to the tempter’s withdrawal.
- 1 Peter 5:8-9 (thematic): Warns of the devil prowling like a roaring lion and urges resistance in faith; thematically related to the reality of Satanic assault on Jesus and the believer and to the imperative to stand firm until the adversary ceases his attack.
Alternative generated candidates
- When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
- When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
For forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were ended he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
Then the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant of time. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.
If you therefore will worship me, it shall all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
He brought him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here;
for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you;’
‘on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.