Matthew 4:3

3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Matthew 4:3 in Other Translations

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

3 which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."

3 Then the tempter approached Him and said, "If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

Matthew 4:3 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 4:3

And when the tempter came to him.
&c.] By "the tempter", is meant the devil, see ( 1 Thessalonians 3:5 ) so called, because it is his principal work and business, in which he employs himself, to solicit men to sin; and tempt them either to deny, or call in question the being of God, arraign his perfections, murmur at his providences, and disbelieve his promises. When he is here said to come to Christ at the end of forty days and nights, we are not to suppose, that he now first began to tempt him; for the other Evangelists expressly say, that he was tempted of him forty days, ( Mark 1:13 ) ( Luke 4:2 ) but he now appeared openly, and in a visible shape: all the forty days and nights before, he had been tempting him secretly and inwardly; suggesting things suitable to, and taking the advantage of the solitary and desolate condition he was in. But finding these suggestions and temptations unsuccessful, and observing him to be an hungered, he puts on a visible form, and with an articulate, audible voice, he said,

if thou be the Son of God;
either doubting of his divine sonship, calling it in question, and putting him upon doing so too; wherefore it is no wonder that the children of God should be assaulted with the like temptation: or else arguing from it, "if", or "seeing thou art the Son of God"; for he must know that he was, by the voice which came from heaven, and declared it: and certain it is, that the devils both knew, and were obliged to confess that Jesus was the Son of God, ( Luke 4:41 ) by which is meant, not a good, or righteous man, or one dear to God, and in an office; but a divine person, one possessed of almighty power; and therefore, as a proof and demonstration of it, be urges him to

command that these stones be made bread,
pointing to some which lay hard by; (eipe) , "say" but the word, and it will be done. He did not doubt but he was able to do it, by a word speaking; but he would have had him to have done it at his motion, which would have been enough for his purpose; who wanted to have him obedient to him: and he might hope the rather to succeed in this temptation, because Christ was now an hungry; and because he had carried his point with our first parents, by tempting them to eat of the forbidden fruit.

Matthew 4:3 In-Context

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Thessalonians 3:5
• 2. S Matthew 3:17; Matthew 14:33; Matthew 16:16; Matthew 27:54; Mark 3:11; Luke 1:35; Luke 22:70; John 1:34,49; John 5:25; John 11:27; John 20:31; Acts 9:20; Romans 1:4; 1Jn 5:10-13,20; Revelation 2:18