Mateus 4

Mateus 4

Vincent adds this note on paralambano - "The preposition para (with, by the side of), implies take along with himself, or conduct. It is the same word which all three evangelists use of our Lord’s taking his chosen apostles to the Mount of Transfiguration (Mt. 17:1; Mk 9:2; Lk 9:28+). Here paralambano is in the present tense in what is known as the historic present which represents an action as going on, and not yet finished. The historic present tense is used to recount a past event as if they were unrolling before our eyes. Stated another way, the historic present allows Matthew to tell his story vividly as though it were happening in the audience’s presence (even though it has occurred in the past). The historic present is a more vivid way of relating an event—representing an action as presently going on and not yet finished. COMMENT Luke has he led Him to Jerusalem - Luke uses the verb ago for led which means to take along, to lead as when conducing someone somewhere (first use = Mt 10:18 of fate of disciples). This was Luke's second use of ago in Luke 4, the first time in his description that Jesus was "led around (ago) by the Spirit" (Lk 4:1+). Mark it down -- a man led by the Spirit is not likely to be led (better "misled") by the devil! And had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple (hieros) - The pinnacle or highest point of the temple is thought by most writers to probably be the top of what was known as Herod's royal portico at the southeast corner which is directly over a cliff overlooking the Kidron Valley some 450 ft below. Pinnacle (4419)(pterugion = diminutive of ptérux = wing) means literally a little wing and figuratively as in the only NT uses (Lk 4:9, Mt 4:5) refers to anything like a wing, and hence signifies the pointed extremity of anything (tip, edge, apex, summit). It is the outermost or farthest point either vertically or horizontally. Pterugion is anything shaped like a wing and thus which come to a point as does a fin on a fish (Lxx for fin = pterugion in Lev. 11:9, 10, 12); the corner or skirt of a garment (Nu 15:38; 1 Sa 24:5). Thayer on pterugion - some understand this of the top or apex of the sanctuary (tou/ naou/), others of the top of Solomon's porch, and others of the top of the Royal Portico; this last Josephus (Antiquities 15, 11, 5) says was of such great height. See note by Vincent below. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 15 writes "but the fourth front of the temple, which was southward, had indeed itself gates in its middle, as also it had the royal cloisters, with three walks, which reached in length from the east valley unto that on the west, for it was impossible it should reach any farther: 412 and this cloister deserves to be mentioned better than any other under the sun; for while the valley was very deep, and its bottom could not be seen, if you looked from above into the depth, this further vastly high elevation of the cloister stood upon that height, insomuch that if any one looked down from the top of the battlements, or down both those altitudes, he would be giddy, while his sight could not reach to such an immense depth. (Bolding added) See excellent schematic diagram of Temple Mount at the Time of Jesus - "the pinnacle of the temple is probably the southeast corner of the temple area [Ed: It would be the corner pointing toward you as you view the diagram], the top of which was some 300 feet (91 m) above the floor of the Kidron Valley." (ESV Note) See also Justin Taylor's article with pictures of the Temple in Jesus' day. Marvin Vincent's lengthy comment on pinnacle of the Temple - Pinnacle, from the Latin Pinnaculum, a diminutive of pinna or penna (a wing), is a literal translation of pterugion, which is also a diminutive (a little wing or winglet). Nothing in the word compels us to infer that Christ was placed on the top of a tower or spire, which is the popular meaning of pinnacle. The word may be used in the familiar English sense of the wing of a building. Herod’s temple had two wings, the northern and southern, of which the southern was the higher and grander; that being the direction in which the chief enlargement of the temple area made by Herod was practicable. That enlargement, according to Josephus, was effected by building up walls of solid masonry from the valley below. At the extremity of the southern side of the area, was erected the “royal portico,” a magnificent colonnade, consisting of a nave and two aisles, running across the entire space from the eastern to the western wall. Josephus further says, that “while the valley of itself was very deep, and its bottom could scarcely be seen when one looked down from above, the additional vastly high elevation of the portico was placed on that height, insomuch that, if any one looked down from the summit of the roof, combining the two altitudes in one stretch of vision, he would be giddy, while his sight could not reach to such an immense depth.” This, in comparison with the northern wing, was so emphatically the wing of the temple as to explain the use of the article here, as a well-known locality. The scene of the temptation may have been (for the whole matter is mainly one of conjecture) the roof of this portico, at the southeastern angle, where it joined Solomon’s Porch, and from which the view into the Kidron valley beneath was to the depth of four hundred and fifty feet. The word temple (hieron, lit., sacred place) signifies the whole compass of the sacred enclosure, with its porticos, courts, and other subordinate buildings; and should be carefully distinguished from the other word, naos, also rendered temple, which means the temple itself—the “Holy Place” and the “Holy of Holies.” When we read, for instance, of Christ teaching in the temple (hieron) we must refer it to one of the temple-porches. So it is from the ἱερόν, the court of the Gentiles, that Christ expels the money-changers and cattle-merchants. In Matt. 27:51, it is the veil of the naos which is rent; the veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies. In the account of Zacharias entering into the temple of the Lord to burn incense (Luke 1:9), the word is naos, the holy place in which the altar of incense stood. The people were “without,” in the fore-courts. In John 2:21, the temple of his body, ἱερόν would be obviously inappropriate. Matthew 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU'; and 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.' it is written: Mt 4:4 2Co 11:14 HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS: Ps 91:11,12 Lu 4:9-12 Heb 1:14 SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT: Job 1:10 5:23 Ps 34:7,20 Matthew 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passage: Luke 4:9-11+ And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,’ 11 and, ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’” Psalm 91:11-12 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, (SATAN OMITS THIS NEXT PHRASE IN BOLD) To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. SATAN TWISTS SCRIPTURE Satan twists Scripture (Ps 91:11–12) from trusting God to testing God! As discussed below, some writers feel Satan actually misquoted the Scripture, whereas others say he misapplied the Scripture. The net result with either interpretation is to seek to seduce the Son of God to sin against His Father. Wiersbe introduces this temptation - "The second temptation was even more subtle. This time Satan also used the Word of God. “So You intend to live by the Scriptures,” he implied. “Then let me quote You a verse of Scripture and see if You will obey it!” (Bible Exposition Commentary) And said to Him, "If You are the Son of God - IF introduces a First class conditional clause which assumes this is true of Jesus, so could be phrased "Since You are the Son of God." (See also note above on same introductory conditional clause)/ Throw Yourself down - The verb ballo (to throw or cast) is a command in the aorist imperative, a command that conveys a sense of urgency so the idea "Just do it!" "Just jump!" "Don't delay!" "Obey now!" What devilish hubris to command God the Son to obey and in so doing to disavow His obedience to the will of His Father! The devil was trying to get Jesus to accept the Crown w/o the Cross. With that subtle and clever twist, the tempter thought He had backed Jesus into a corner. If Jesus lived only by the Word of God, then He would be confronted by something from the Word of God. “You claim to be God’s Son and You claim to trust His Word,” Satan was saying. “If so, why don’t you demonstrate your sonship and prove the truth of God’s Word by putting Him to a test-a scriptural test? If you won’t use your own divine power to help yourself, let your Father use His divine power to help you. If you won’t act independently of the Father, let the Father act. Give your Father a chance to fulfill the Scripture I just quoted to you.” 🙏 THOUGHT- Satan was using his powers of persuasion on Christ, just as he does when he tries to trap us. We need to remember that he can persuade, but he cannot push. He creates the temptation; we create the transgression. (John