Luke 4:10

4:10-11 Having been repulsed twice by Scripture, the devil now quoted Scripture to Jesus, citing a passage that assures God’s people of his protection.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Luk 4:10-11 give Satan’s quotation much as in Mt., with τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε added from the Psalm.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. For it is written]

“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.

An evil soul producing holy witness

Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,

A deadly apple rotten at the heart.”

Shakespeare.

“In religion

What damned error but some sober brow

Will bless it and approve it with a text,

Hiding the grossness with fair ornament?”

Id.

to keep thee] The quotation is from Psa_91:11, but the tempter omits “in all thy ways,” which would have defeated his object, since the “ways” referred to are only the ways of him “who dwelleth under the defence of the Most High.” But, as the next verse prophesies, Christ ‘trod upon the lion and adder’ of Satanic temptation.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For it is written,.... In Psa 91:11 "He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." It is an observation made long ago by Jerom, on Psa 91:11 that Satan, in citing this text, has left out the middle clause,

to keep thee in all thy ways, which he knew was against him, and has only taken that which made for him; and on Mat 4:6 he observes, that this prophecy is not concerning Christ, but any holy man; therefore the devil wrongly interpreted Scripture; and that had he certainly known, that this is written concerning the Saviour, he ought to have cited what follows, "thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet": and in these observations, he has been followed by many interpreters; but Surenhusius (i) is not satisfied with them, especially with what respects the manner of citation, leaving out some words, and not mentioning others that follow; since such a way of citing perfectly agrees with the method of the Jewish doctors; who reckon one word of a passage being cited all that follows, if it makes to the purpose, all one as if it was cited, and to be so accounted; and since, if such a method is blame worthy, Christ, the evangelists, and apostles, must be blamed also, seeing they frequently use the same, which can never be allowed of: besides, supposing the clause omitted was added, he asks of what advantage it would be? since the two verses being connected together as they are, the sense with respect to God's providence and preservation, is clear enough and complete: and I must confess, though I have pursued the above observation, in the note on See Gill on Mat 4:6 yet by comparing the evangelists together, it is not a clear case to me, what Satan did leave out, or whether any thing at all; but it seems rather, that the words are put, as the evangelists themselves thought fit to transcribe them, in which they are not exactly alike; more is left out by one, than by another; Matthew leaves out the whole clause, "to keep thee in all thy ways"; but Luke only omits these words, "in all thy ways": but I am still of opinion, that the passage is applicable to Christ, as to any holy good man, yet it appears that Satan failed not, neither in the manner of citing it, nor in the application of it to Christ; but by wresting it to a wicked purpose, to countenance an action unwarrantable and criminal, being a tempting God; when the text only regards the preservation of good men in the way of duty, trusting in the Lord; and which is confirmed by the answer of Christ, who takes no notice of any faulty citation of the passage, or misapplication of it, as to his person; only suggests, by opposing another Scripture to him, that what he had produced, was to a wrong and wicked purpose; and to take it in his sense, would be to tempt God; see Gill on Mat 4:6.

(i) Biblos Katallages, p. 210, 211.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

Ver. 10. {See Trapp on "Mat 4:6"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

We have the devil here again citing Scripture, (Psalm xc. ver. 11.) (Read what is given on this subject in note on ver. 6, chap. iv. of St. Matthew’s gospel) which shews how very dangerous a thing it is to put the Scripture, in the first instance, indiscriminately into every, even the most illiterate person’s hands, without any previous disposition of the mind and heart, by study and prayer. How much more satisfactory must it be to be guided by the Church of God, which Christ has promised to secure against all error, and which he commands all to obey! How much more rational to begin with distributing elementary catechisms, approved by the Catholic Church as conformable to the word of God, and then only opening to them the sacred mystic book, when their minds and hearts are better prepared to avail themselves of the inestimable treasure, and of justly appreciating and exploring the golden lore. If humility be a virtue that renders us most pleasing God, it is a virtue particularly necessary for the proper understanding of Holy Writ. This will teach us to submit (whenever the Scripture is either silent or obscure in points of faith) our own private and unassisted judgment to the judgment and comments of the Church. This was the sentiment of a great philosopher of this nation, who, when charged with scepticism and a love of novelty by his contemporaries, replied: "However fanciful I may be esteemed in matters of philosophy, in religious concerns I like to go the beaten road. Where the Scripture is silent, the Church is my text. Where that speaks, it is but the comment; and I never refer any thing to the arbitration of my own judgment, but in the silence of them both."

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

10. It is written—The word of God, the venerable Old Testament, has been quoted by many illustrious characters; by Jesus, just now; by Gabriel, Luk_1:18; by God, 1Sa_2:30; and now in solemn mimicry by Satan. So that neither God, Christ, nor angels allow that slight regard for the Holy Book in which modern rationalism indulges. Satan alone handles it with an insidious spirit.

Charge over thee—In the 91st Psalm a description is given of God’s care of the ideal holy man; true in its degree of all saints, but absolutely true only in the absolutely holy One, the Messiah.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Psalm xci, 11.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

angels (See Scofield "Heb 1:4").

to keep After Satan’s failure to tempt the Lord away from the Word, he seeks to tempt Him by it. He however misquotes by the omission of "in all thy ways" Psa 91:11. The Lord’s "ways" were those marked out for Him in perfect dependence upon His Father’s will; cf. Heb 10:7; Heb 10:9.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. γέγραπται γάρ.

“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.

An evil soul producing holy witness

Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,

A deadly apple rotten at the heart.”

SHAKESPEARE.

“In religion

What damned error but some sober brow

Will bless it and approve it with a text,

Hiding the grossness with fair ornament?”

Id.

τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε. To guard thee (as a sentinel; comp. Act 12:6; Act 12:19). The inf. with the genitive article is used after verbs of commanding, designing, &c. See Act 15:20, &c. The quotation is from Psa 91:11, but the tempter omits “in all thy ways,” which would have defeated his object, since the “ways” referred to are only the ways of him “who dwelleth under the defence of the Most High.” But, as the next verse prophesies, Christ ‘trod upon the lion and adder’ of Satanic temptation. To yield to the Temptation would have been to presume on His Sonship and challenge that equality with God which He “thought not a prize to grasp at.” “L’homme qui n’est plus homme, le Christ qui n’est plus Christ, le Fils qui n’est plus Fils, voilà les trois degrés de la tentation.” “Les tentations se rapportent, l’une à la personne de Jésus, l’autre à la nature de son œuvre, la troisième à l’usage du secours divin.” Godet.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10.] τοῦ διαφ. σε is wanting in Matt. The LXX following the Hebrew adds ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. The fact that after Τ. διαφυλάξαι σε Satan omits ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου is in favour of the view that presumptuous rushing into danger is part of the temptation. To fling oneself down from a height is not going “in one’s ways,” but out of them. The disobedient Prophet was slain by the lion, the obedient Daniel was preserved in the lions’ den. But we are not sure that the omission of the words has this significance.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To keep [διαφυλαξαι] . Only here in New Testament. Better as Rev., guard. See on 1Pe 1:4. The preposition implies close, careful guarding. The phrase, to guard thee, is wanting in Matthew.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.