Mark 1:13

Mar 1:13. Μετὰ τῶν θηρίων, with the wild beasts) An important fact; comp. Gen 1:26. This was a state more trying than the mere solitude of the desert. [Here the Saviour was removed apart from angels and men; and yet, however, not liable to the attacks of wild beasts. He even now, in the very height of His humiliation (self-emptying), exercised over the beasts the dominion which Adam had so soon suffered himself to lose; how much more so, when exalted! Psa 8:8.—V. g.] Mark not only exhibits in a more compendious compass the history described by Matthew, but also, as it were in the manner of a supplement, some particulars of considerable value, which had not been previously recorded by Matthew, but which were calculated to afford profitable instruction to believers, who by this time had become proficients in the truth.[8]

[8] Michaelis, in the Enleitung, etc., T. ii., p. 1154, etc., has tried to prove, by induction of particulars, that those things which Mark has either omitted or supplied, most especially accord with the tradition of the ancients, which represented Mark’s aim in writing to have been with a view to the conversion and edification of the Romans.—E. B.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 1:13 . πειραζόμενος , being tempted, presumably the whole time; doubtless the real truth. Two powers at work all through, the Spirit of God and the spirit of evil. ἦν μετὰ τ . θηρ .: not merely pictorial or intended to hint danger; meant rather to indicate the uninhabited nature of the place; no supplies obtainable there, hunger therefore a part of the experience. οἱ ἄγγελοι : angels as opposed, not to devils (Schanz), but to human beings, of whom there were none. διηκόνουν , ministered; in what way not said, but implying exhaustion. These few touches of Mk. suggest a vivid picture of a spiritual crisis: intense preoccupation, instinctive retreat into congenial grim solitudes, temptation, struggle, fierce and protracted, issuing in weakness, calling for preternatural aid.

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

Verse 13. With the wild beasts] This is a curious circumstance, which is mentioned by none of the other evangelists; and seems to intimate that he was in the most remote, unfrequented, and savage part of the desert; which, together with the diabolic influence, tended to render the whole scene the more horrid. Perhaps this very circumstance is mentioned, as emblematical of that savage and brutal cruelty with which he was persecuted to death by the Jews and Gentiles, instigated thereto by the malice of Satan.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(13) And he was there in the wilderness.—See Notes on Mat_4:2-11. St. Mark compresses the history by omitting the several forms of the Temptation. Peculiar to him are (1) the use of “Satan” instead of “the devil;” (2) the statement that Jesus was “with the wild beasts.” In our Lord’s time these might include the panther, the bear, the wolf, the hyena, possibly the lion. The implied thought is partly that their presence added to the terrors of the Temptation, partly that in His being protected from them there was the fulfilment of the promise in the very Psalm which furnished the Tempter with his chief weapon, that the true child of God should trample under foot “the lion and the adder,” the “young lion and the dragon” (Psa_91:13).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13. tempted of Satan] In Mat_4:1 and Luk_4:2, He is said to have been tempted by the Devil, i. e. the “Slanderer,” who slanders God to man (Gen_3:1-5) and man to God (Job_1:9-11; Rev_12:10). St Mark, who never uses this word, says He was tempted by Satan, i e. “the Enemy” of God and man alike. He seems to have been permitted to tempt our Lord during the whole of the forty days, but at the end of that period to have assailed Him with increased intensity through every avenue that could allure, as afterwards in Gethsemane through every channel that could terrify and appal (Luk_4:13).

the wild beasts] St Mark relates the Temptation very briefly, but he alone adds the graphic touch to the picture that the Saviour was “with the wild beasts,” unhurt by them, as Adam was in Paradise. Comp. Daniel in the den of lions.

the angels] St Matthew records the ministry of Angels at the close as to a Heavenly Prince (Mat_4:11). St Mark records a ministry of the same celestial Visitants apparently throughout the trial.

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.

And he was there in the wilderness forty days,.... The Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions add, "and forty nights": for so long was he there,

tempted of Satan: the several temptations of Satan, and how they were overcome by Christ, are particularly related by the Evangelist Matthew, Mat 4:3, which are here omitted; and what is not mentioned there, is here recorded:

and was with the wild beasts: which shows, that he was now in an uncultivated and uninhabited part of the desert by men, and where only the most fierce and most savage of creatures dwelt; and yet was as secure and unhurt by them, being the Lord of them, as Adam in Eden's garden, or Daniel in the lions' den. This circumstance is only related by the Evangelist Mark, and is what adds to the uncomfortable situation Christ was in, when tempted by Satan; and his being not hurt by them, may declare, partly his innocence, as man, being as pure and holy as the first man was in his state of integrity, when all creatures were brought before him, to give them names; and partly the power of God, who shut up the mouths of these creatures, that they did him no hurt; and also may signify, the awe they stood in of him, who, as God, is Lord of all. These creatures were more gentle to Christ, and used him better than the wicked Jews, among whom he dwelt, who are compared to lions, dogs, and "bulls" of Bashan, Psa 22:12.

And the angels ministered unto him; after the temptations were over, and Satan had left him, preparing for him, and bringing to him proper food, after so long a fast; and waiting upon him, and serving him as their great Lord and master; See Gill on Mat 4:11.

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

13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

Ver. 13. And was with the wild beasts] Unhurt by them, as Adam was in the state of integrity. These fell creatures saw in Christ the perfect image of God; and therefore reverenced him as their Lord, as they did Adam before his fall, see Job 5:21-22.

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.

The Greek does not express the forty nights, but we find it in St. Matthew iv. 2.

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).

13. Forty days tempted — This by no means affirms that the temptation lasted during the whole forty days, any more than the ministry of angels mentioned in the last clause. Satan… wild beasts… the angels — Three very different sorts of company. Diabolical and brutal natures were present to witness or subdue the divine; but, on the other hand the divine and angelic combined with the human were too mighty for them.

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

Forty days tempted of Satan. St. Mark gathers up the whole temptation into this one sentence; and the passage would seem to imply that the three temptations recorded by St. Matthew and St. Luke were not the only trials through which our Lord passed during those forty days, although they were no doubt the prominent and the most powerful assaults upon our Redeemer. And he was with the wild beasts (meta twn yhriwn). This shows the extreme solitude of the place. It shows also the innocence of our Lord, that there, in that wild and desolate district, amongst lions, and wolves, and leopards, and serpents, he neither feared them nor was injured by them. He dwelt amongst them as Adam lived with them in his state of innocence in Paradise. These wild beasts recognized and revered their Creater and their Lord. And the angels ministered unto him. This, as we learn from St. Matthew, (Mat_4:11) was after his temptation and victory. Some have thought that Jesus became known to the devil as the Son of God, by the reverence and adoration of the angels. Thus Jesus showed in his own person, when alone he had striven with Satan and, had overcome him, that heavenly comfort and the ministry of angels are provided by God for those who overcome temptation.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he was there forty days, tempted by Satan - Invisibly. After this followed the temptation by him in a visible shape, related by St. Matthew. And he was with the wild beasts - Though they had no power to hurt him. St. Mark not only gives us a compendium of St. Matthew's Gospel, but likewise several valuable particulars, which the other evangelists have omitted.

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

13. τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας. Vulg. adds et quadraginta noctibus from Mat 4:2. Mt. mentions the nights to show that the fasting was continuous; but Mk does not mention fasting. Mk and Lk. indicate that temptations continued throughout the forty days; cf. Exo 34:28 of Moses, and 1Ki 19:8 of Elijah. Mt. might lead us to suppose that they did not begin till acute hunger was felt.

πειραζόμενος. In N.T. the verb is often used of the attacks of the evil one, a use not found in LXX., in which God’s trying man, or man’s trying God, is the usual meaning. Often in N.T. “try” or “test” would be a better rendering than “tempt.” Here, as in Mar 1:5; Mar 1:39, we have a leading idea expressed by a participle.

ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶ. Mt. and Lk. say ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, a word more widely used in N.T. than Σατανᾶς, but not found in Mk. “Satan” (= “Adversary”) is found in all four Gospels, Acts, Pauline Epp. and Revelation. Cf. Job 1:6; Job 2:1; 1Ch 21:1; Zec 3:1. Here the Adversary of God and man begins his conflict with ὁ ἰσχυρότερος αὐτοῦ (Luk 11:22) about the method of overcoming the world. Mk thinks it unnecessary to state which was victor.

ἦν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων. Short as Mk’s narrative is, he here gives a particular which is not in Mt. or Lk. The wild beasts indicate the solitariness of the place, διὰ τὴν ἄγαν ἐρημίαν τοῦ τόπου (Euthym.), rather than a special terror. One who knew Himself to be the Messiah would not be afraid of being killed by wild animals. That the beasts are meant to suggest a Paradise for the Second Adam is an idea alien from the context. They intimate the absence of human beings (Isa 13:21), and hence the need of Angels. Still less need we suppose that here there is confusion between two similar Hebrew words, one of which means “wild beasts” and the other “fast,” so that “wild beasts” here becomes “hungered” in Mt. and Lk. Least of all that there is here any borrowing from Buddha’s fasting or the temptation of Zarathustra. “Such ideas can only occur to those who will not try first of all to find in the story its own explanation” (Clemen). See p. 92.

διηκόνουν. Cf. Mar 1:31, Mar 15:41. The imperf. seems to imply that the Angelic ministrations, like the Satanic assaults, continued throughout Mt. places both at the end. Bede’s antithesis is hardly right: inter bestias commoratur ut homo, sed ministerio utitur angelico ut Deus. It was as man that He needed the support of Angels (Luk 22:43). There is a striking parallel in the Testaments (Naph. viii. 4): “And the devil shall fly from you, [And the wild beasts shall fear you,] And the Lord shall love you, [And the Angels shall cleave to you].” But the words in brackets are not found in all texts. Christian interpolations are freq. in the Testaments.

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.

13.] Temptation of Jesus. Mat 4:1-11.Luk 4:1-13Luk 4:1-13.

12,

13.] ἐκβάλλω = ἀνάγω Matt., = ἄγω Luke. It is a more forcible word than either of these to express the mighty and cogent impulse of the Spirit.

σατανᾶ = διαβ. Matt., Luke: see note, Mat 4:1.

It seems to have been permitted to the evil one to tempt our Lord during the whole of the 40 days, and of this we have here, as in Luke, an implied assertion. The additional intensity of temptation at the end of that period, is expressed in Matt. by the tempter coming to Him—becoming visible and audible. Perhaps the being with the beasts may point to one form of temptation, viz. that of terror, which was practised on Him:—but of the inward trials who may speak?

οἱ ἄγγ., as τῶν θηρ. generic.

There is nothing here to contradict the fast spoken of in Matt. and Luke, as De W. maintains. Our Evangelist perhaps implies it in the last words of ver. 13. It is remarkable that those Commentators who are fondest of maintaining that Mark constructed his narrative out of those of Matt. and Luke (De W., Meyer) are also most keen in pointing out what they call irreconcileable differences between him and them. No apportionment of these details to the various successive parts of the temptation is given by our Evangelist. They are simply stated to have happened, compendiously.

14,

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

13. Καὶ ἦν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας—And he was in the wilderness forty days. This period is given by both Mk. and Lk. as that of the temptation, though Mt. and Lk. both give us the three special temptations following the forty days. Mt. makes these the only temptations. πειραζόμενος—tempted. Used here of an actual solicitation to evil.

The proper meaning of πειράζειν is to try, in the sense both of attempt and test. It is through the latter meaning that it comes to be applied to the test of character, whether by trial, or by solicitation to evil.

Σατανᾶ—Satan.1 The name is Hebrew, but the personage does not figure much in O.T. narrative or discourse (1Ch 21:1, Zec 3:1, Zec 3:2, Job 1:6-9, Job 1:2:1sqq.). In the N.T., he is represented, in accordance with current Jewish ideas, as the ruler of a kingdom of evil, having subjects and emissaries in the shape of demons, corresponding to the angels who act as God’s messengers. His special function is to tempt men to evil. μετὰ τῶν θηρίων—with the wild beasts. The desert of Judæa is in parts wild and untamed, and abounds in beasts of the same description, such as the leopard, the bear, the wild boar, and the jackal. This descriptive touch, in which, just as with a word, the wildness and solitariness of the scene are brought before us, and equally, the omission of details of the temptation, are characteristics of Mk. The omission accords with the plan of his Gospel, but, also, with a certain objective quality belonging to it. See Introduction. διηκόνουν—were ministering.2 This ministry, like the temptations, is represented in Mt. as taking place after the forty days. In our account, it is evidently an offset to the presence of the wild beasts. The visible things figuring in the scene were these beasts, but there were invisible presences as well, and these were ministering to him. Mk. does not tell us what the ministrations were. (Nor Mt.)

The historicity of the account of the temptation is attacked with some plausibility. There are certain things about it on which a just historical criticism throws some doubt. There is a concreteness about the appearance of Satan, and of the angels, an air of visibility even, an impression of actual transportation through the air, and the introduction of a typical number (forty),1 which can, however, easily be eliminated without touching the essential history. The account which has been preserved is evidently the pictorial and concrete story of what really took place within the soul of Jesus. But the temptations themselves, just because they represent the actual temptations of his later life, are a portrait, and not an imaginative picture. Holtzmann, in his Note on the passage, gives an admirable statement of the way in which the story corresponds to the real temptations of Jesus’ life. But his argument that some one made up this story from those falls to the ground. It implies that some one understood that life better than any contemporary did understand it.

BEGINNING OF JESUS’ MINISTRY

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

With the wild beasts

Peculiar to Mark. The region just alluded to abounds in boars, jackals, wolves, foxes, leopards, hyenas, etc.

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