Matthew 4

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek peirasthēnai can mean 'to test' or 'to tempt.' We render it 'tested' because the initiative comes from God's Spirit — this is a divine proving, not merely a satanic enticement. The passive anēchthē ('was led up') indicates Jesus did not go on his own initiative but was directed by the Spirit, connecting this directly to the Spirit's descent at his baptism (3:16).
2. The Greek diabolos ('slanderer, accuser') corresponds to the Hebrew satan. Matthew uses diabolos rather than satanas here, though both terms appear in the New Testament.

Translator Notes

1. The 'forty days and forty nights' echoes Moses on Sinai (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah's journey to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8). The number forty is a standard biblical period of testing and preparation — Israel wandered forty years, the flood lasted forty days. The Greek epeinasen is simply 'he was hungry,' a masterful understatement after forty days without food.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Exodus 34:28. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on 1 Kings 19:8. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek ei ('if') with the indicative does not express doubt but assumes the condition is true: 'Since you are the Son of God' or 'Given that you are.' The temptation is not about proving identity but about misusing it. The tempter attacks at the point of legitimate physical need — hunger after forty days of fasting.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, which recounts how God fed Israel with manna to teach them dependence on his word. The Greek anthrōpos ('person, human being') is gender-neutral; 'person' captures this better than the KJV's 'man.' The phrase gegraptai ('it is written,' perfect tense) indicates permanent, authoritative force — what was written remains in effect.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Deuteronomy 8:3. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek pterygion ('little wing') refers to the highest point or parapet of the temple complex. Josephus describes the southeastern corner of the temple platform as having a dizzying drop into the Kidron Valley. 'The holy city' (tēn hagian polin) is Jerusalem, identified by its theological title rather than its name.

Translator Notes

1. The devil now quotes Scripture — Psalm 91:11-12 — but omits the phrase 'to guard you in all your ways,' subtly distorting the promise from general providential care to a demand for spectacular intervention. The temptation is to force God's hand through presumptuous action rather than trusting his timing.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalm 91:11-12. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16, which references Israel's testing of God at Massah (Exodus 17:1-7). The verb ekpeiraseis ('put to the test') is an intensified form of peirazō — it means to test in a demanding, presumptuous way. The word palin ('again') indicates Jesus is not countering Scripture with Scripture but completing its meaning — both passages stand together.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Deuteronomy 6:16. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Exodus 17:1-7. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek doxan ('glory, splendor') here refers to the visible magnificence of earthly power — wealth, armies, architecture. The offer of 'all the kingdoms' is the most audacious temptation: political power without the cross. No literal mountain provides a vantage point to see all earthly kingdoms; the scene is visionary or symbolic.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek proskynesēs ('worship, bow down before') implies full prostration — the posture of total submission reserved for deity. The temptation strips away all pretense: the devil offers a shortcut to universal dominion that bypasses suffering and the cross, but the price is idolatry. The conditional ean ('if') with the subjunctive presents this as a genuine offer.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13. The word Satana is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew satan ('adversary') — Jesus uses the name directly for the first time, dropping the circumlocution 'tempter' and 'devil.' The verb latreuō ('serve, render religious service') denotes devoted worship-service, not mere obedience. The command hypage ('go away') is sharp and authoritative.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Deuteronomy 6:13 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek diēkonoun ('ministered, served, attended') is the imperfect tense, indicating ongoing service — the angels continued to care for him. This verb is the root of 'deacon' (diakonos). The angelic ministry recalls Elijah being fed by an angel after his own wilderness ordeal (1 Kings 19:5-8). The irony is deliberate: the provision Jesus refused to seize by miracle is now given to him by the Father.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes 1 Kings 19:5-8. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek paredothē ('was handed over, delivered up') is the same verb later used for Jesus's own betrayal and arrest (10:4, 17:22, 26:2). Matthew's use of this word for John foreshadows Jesus's fate — the forerunner's path prefigures the Messiah's. 'Withdrew' (anechōrēsen) suggests a deliberate strategic move, not flight.

Translator Notes

1. Capernaum (Kfar Nachum, 'village of Nahum') on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee becomes Jesus's base of operations. The Greek parathalassian ('by the sea') identifies the town's lakeside location. Matthew specifies the tribal territories of Zebulun and Naphtali to set up the Isaiah quotation that follows.

Translator Notes

1. This is Matthew's second fulfillment formula (cf. 1:22). The move to Capernaum is presented not as a retreat from danger but as a prophetic fulfillment — geography itself serves God's redemptive plan.

Translator Notes

1. Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:1-2 (8:23-9:1 in the Hebrew numbering). 'Galilee of the nations' (Galilaia tōn ethnōn) reflects the mixed Jewish-Gentile population of the northern region. The phrase hints at the universal scope of Jesus's mission — he begins not in Jerusalem but in a border region where Jew and Gentile mingle. 'The way of the sea' (hodon thalassēs) refers to the ancient trade route Via Maris.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Isaiah 9:1-2 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek kathēmenois can mean 'sitting' or 'dwelling, living' — the sense is of a settled condition, not a momentary posture. 'Shadow of death' (skia thanatou) echoes the Hebrew tsalmaveth of Psalm 23:4 and Isaiah 9:2. The verb aneteilen ('has risen, dawned') is used of sunrise — the light that breaks upon Galilee is described in the language of a new dawn.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 9:1-2. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalm 23:4. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Jesus's opening proclamation is identical to John the Baptist's in 3:2, establishing continuity between the forerunner and the Messiah. The Greek metanoeite ('repent') means a fundamental change of mind and direction — not merely feeling sorry but reorienting one's entire life. The perfect tense ēngiken ('has come near, has drawn close') indicates that the kingdom has already begun to arrive, not merely that it will come someday.
2. Matthew's 'kingdom of heaven' (basileia tōn ouranōn) is equivalent to Mark's and Luke's 'kingdom of God.' Matthew uses 'heaven' as a reverential circumlocution for God's name, following Jewish convention.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek amphiblēstron refers to a circular casting net thrown from shore or from a shallow-water position, distinct from the dragnet (sagēnē) of 13:47. The parenthetical 'who is called Peter' (ton legomenon Petron) introduces the name by which readers will know him. The Sea of Galilee is technically a freshwater lake (approximately 13 miles long by 8 miles wide), but the Greek thalassa ('sea') follows the Hebrew convention of calling any large body of water yam.

Translator Notes

1. The call deute opisō mou ('come after me') uses the language of rabbinic discipleship — following a teacher physically implied intellectual and moral formation. 'Fishers of people' (halieis anthrōpōn) is a metaphor drawn from their actual trade. The Greek anthrōpōn is gender-inclusive ('people'), not restricted to males.

Translator Notes

1. The adverb eutheōs ('immediately, at once') emphasizes the radical, unhesitating nature of their response. The Greek diktya ('nets') represents their entire livelihood. Matthew narrates the call with dramatic compression — there is no negotiation, no request for time, no farewell.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek katartizontas ('mending, preparing, putting in order') suggests the brothers were repairing nets after a fishing expedition. The detail that they are with their father Zebedee heightens the cost of their response — they leave not only their trade but their family. The Greek ploion is a fishing boat, not a large vessel.

Translator Notes

1. The cost escalates from the first calling: Simon and Andrew left nets (equipment), but James and John leave both the boat (a more substantial capital asset) and their father (family obligation). Matthew highlights what discipleship requires — not merely adding Jesus to one's life but reordering all other loyalties.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. This summary verse presents Jesus's ministry in a threefold pattern: teaching (didaskōn), proclaiming (kēryssōn), and healing (therapeuōn). This triad recurs in 9:35, forming an inclusio around the Sermon on the Mount and the miracle collection. The 'good news of the kingdom' (to euangelion tēs basileias) is Matthew's phrase for the content of Jesus's preaching — the announcement that God's reign is arriving. The Greek malakian refers to weakness or infirmity as distinct from nosos (disease).

Translator Notes

1. The Greek selēniazomenous (literally 'moon-struck') refers to those suffering from what was associated with lunar cycles — likely epilepsy. The KJV's 'lunatick' comes from the same etymology but is no longer a medical term. The list moves from general ('various diseases and pains') to specific conditions, demonstrating the comprehensive scope of Jesus's healing power. Syria (the Roman province encompassing the region north of Galilee) indicates that Jesus's reputation extended beyond Jewish territory.

Translator Notes

1. The five regions listed encompass a wide geographic sweep — from Galilee in the north, through the Decapolis (a league of ten Greco-Roman cities east of the Jordan), to Jerusalem and Judea in the south, and the Transjordan region. This crowd becomes the audience for the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7. The inclusion of the Decapolis (heavily Gentile) again hints at the universal scope of Jesus's ministry.