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.
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.’”
- BSB “Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
- 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 6:13Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
Cross-references · 14
- Deut 6:13–14Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
- Deut 10:20Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
- Josh 24:14Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
- Luke 4:8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
- 1 Sam 7:3And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
- Jas 4:7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- Matt 16:23But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
- 1 Pet 5:9Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
- Zech 3:1–2And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
- Job 2:1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
- Job 1:12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
- 1 Chr 21:1And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
- Job 1:6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
- Ps 109:6Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.