Matthew 4:11
Encyclopedia
Matthew 4:11 is the eleventh verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. Jesus
has just rebuffed Satan
's third temptation
and order him away. In this last verse of the temptation scene the devil departs and Jesus is serviced by angel
s.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 4:11
In the original Greek "devil left him" was in the historic present tense. This indicates that the devil had not left for good and would later return to further tempt Jesus. Luke 4:13 makes this explicit stating that the devil left only to await a more opportune time.
The angels are mentioned in the Gospel of Mark at Mark 1:13 but they are absent from Luke's narrative. As described in Matthew 4:2
Jesus had been fasting for forty days and nights prior to the temptation. The word minister or served is often interpreted as the angels feeding Jesus. France states that this seems to reference 1 Kings 19:5-8 where the prophet Elijah is fed by angels.France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985. Traditionally artists have depicted the scene as Jesus being presented with a feast. John Milton
in Paradise Regained
has a detailed description of the feast the angels present to Jesus. Clarke notes that ending the temptation narrative with a meal reflects the common literary device of using a feast scene to emphasize a happy ending. That the divine angels provide Jesus with the food is a clear sign that it is acceptable for him to break his fast. To Jones the divine relief is proof that Jesus was never wrong because he never lost his faith in God during the temptation scene. Hill notes that in the War Scroll found at Qumran
angels are described as forming an army to battle evil. This is somewhat at odds with the portrayal of angels in the gospels, but could in theory be linked to this verse with the angels actually aiding in driving off Satan rather than simply ministering to Jesus.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
has just rebuffed Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
's third temptation
Temptation
A temptation is an act that looks appealing to an individual. It is usually used to describe acts with negative connotations and as such, tends to lead a person to regret such actions, for various reasons: legal, social, psychological , health, economic, etc...
and order him away. In this last verse of the temptation scene the devil departs and Jesus is serviced by angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold,
- angels came and ministered unto him.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Then the devil left him, and
- behold, angels came and served him.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 4:11
In the original Greek "devil left him" was in the historic present tense. This indicates that the devil had not left for good and would later return to further tempt Jesus. Luke 4:13 makes this explicit stating that the devil left only to await a more opportune time.
The angels are mentioned in the Gospel of Mark at Mark 1:13 but they are absent from Luke's narrative. As described in Matthew 4:2
Matthew 4:2
Matthew 4:2 is the second verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is just preceding the section in Matthew dealing with the temptation of Christ by Satan...
Jesus had been fasting for forty days and nights prior to the temptation. The word minister or served is often interpreted as the angels feeding Jesus. France states that this seems to reference 1 Kings 19:5-8 where the prophet Elijah is fed by angels.France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985. Traditionally artists have depicted the scene as Jesus being presented with a feast. John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
in Paradise Regained
Paradise Regained
Paradise Regained is a poem by the English poet John Milton, published in 1671. It is connected by name to his earlier and more famous epic poem Paradise Lost, with which it shares similar theological themes...
has a detailed description of the feast the angels present to Jesus. Clarke notes that ending the temptation narrative with a meal reflects the common literary device of using a feast scene to emphasize a happy ending. That the divine angels provide Jesus with the food is a clear sign that it is acceptable for him to break his fast. To Jones the divine relief is proof that Jesus was never wrong because he never lost his faith in God during the temptation scene. Hill notes that in the War Scroll found at Qumran
Qumran
Qumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank. It is located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalia...
angels are described as forming an army to battle evil. This is somewhat at odds with the portrayal of angels in the gospels, but could in theory be linked to this verse with the angels actually aiding in driving off Satan rather than simply ministering to Jesus.