And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Parallel translations
- WEB The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
- BSB The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
- NKJV Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
- NASB And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
- NLT During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
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
The tempter challenges Jesus to turn stones into bread, casting doubt on his sonship. Satan attacks at the point of physical need.
Overview
The devil tempts Jesus to use his power to satisfy his hunger independently of the Father, questioning "If you are the Son of God." The pressure is to distrust God's provision and act outside his will. This first temptation parallels Israel's grumbling for bread in the wilderness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- 1 Th 3:5For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.
- Gen 3:1–5Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
- Num 11:4–6And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
- Luke 22:31–32And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
- Rev 2:10Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
- Ps 78:17–20And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
- Rev 12:9–11And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
- Gen 25:29–34And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
- Job 1:9–12Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
- Matt 3:17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
- Job 2:4–7And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
- Exod 16:3And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
- Heb 12:16Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
- Matt 14:33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
- Acts 9:20And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
- Luke 4:3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
- Luke 4:9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 4:3 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.