“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
Parallel translations
- WEB Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
- KJV Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
- NKJV Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
- NASB Then Jesus *said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ”
- NLT “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus dismisses Satan, quoting Deuteronomy that God alone is to be worshiped and served. It is the decisive victory of obedience over the tempter.
Overview
With a final word of Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:13), Jesus commands Satan to depart and affirms that worship and service belong to the Lord alone. Where Israel repeatedly fell into idolatry, Jesus stands firm, perfectly keeping the command. This triumph in the wilderness marks Him as the faithful Son and Savior who resists sin on our behalf.
Cross-references & the web
Quotation
- Deut 6:13Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
Cross-references · 14
- Deut 6:13–14Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
- Deut 10:20You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name.
- Josh 24:14Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
- Luke 4:8But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
- 1 Sam 7:3Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
- Jas 4:7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- Matt 16:23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
- 1 Pet 5:9Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
- Zech 3:1–2Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
- Job 2:1On another day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him.
- Job 1:12“Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
- 1 Chr 21:1Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
- Job 1:6One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.
- Ps 109:6Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 4:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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