Luke 4:12

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' "

Luke 4:12 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 4:12

And Jesus answering said unto him, it is said
In ( Deuteronomy 6:16 )

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God:
in the text in Deuteronomy the words are, "ye shall not tempt the Lord your God." The second person plural, is here changed into the second person singular, to accommodate the words to Satan; whom Christ singly addresses, and makes answer to, and who was under this same general law as other rational creatures: and Jehovah may be called the Lord his God, as he is his creator and governor; by whom he is upheld in his being, and to whom he is subject, whether he will or not; though not his covenant God: and even if our Lord Jesus Christ is intended by the Lord God, as some think; he is God over all; over all principalities and powers, good and bad, by whom all are created, and in whom all consist; and whose power and authority over Satan and his angels, have abundantly appeared, in dispossessing devils out of men, sending them where he pleased, and in spoiling the powers of darkness, and in destroying him that had the power of death, the devil; and great insolence and wickedness it must be in a creature, to tempt the Lord his God, in any way, or form whatever; (See Gill on Matthew 4:7)

Luke 4:12 In-Context

10 For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,'
11 "and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' "
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.

Footnotes 1

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.