Ark of the Covenant - Bible History Online
Bible History
Picture Study Bible with Maps and Background Information

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"

< Matthew 4:3
Matthew 4:5 >

      4. But he answered and said, It is written-- (De 8:3).
      Man shall not live by bread alone--more emphatically, as in the Greek, "Not by bread alone shall man live."
      but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God--Of all passages in Old Testament Scripture, none could have been pitched upon more apposite, perhaps not one so apposite, to our Lord's purpose. "The Lord . . . led thee (said Moses to Israel, at the close of their journeyings) these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no. And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only," &c., "Now, if Israel spent, not forty days, but forty years in a waste, howling wilderness, where there were no means of human subsistence, not starving, but divinely provided for, on purpose to prove to every age that human support depends not upon bread, but upon God's unfailing word of promise and pledge of all needful providential care, am I, distrusting this word of God, and despairing of relief, to take the law into My own hand? True, the Son of God is able enough to turn stones into bread: but what the Son of God is able to do is not the present question, but what is man's duty under want of the necessaries of life. And as Israel's condition in the wilderness did not justify their unbelieving murmurings and frequent desperation, so neither would Mine warrant the exercise of the power of the Son of God in snatching despairingly at unwarranted relief. As man, therefore, I will await divine supply, nothing doubting that at the fitting time it will arrive." The second temptation in this Gospel is in Luke's the third. That Matthew's order is the right one will appear, we think, quite clearly in the sequel.

JFB.


Questions Related to this Verse

Where in Scripture does it mention The temptation of Jesus christ?

Where In Scripture Does It Talk About Temptation?

Where in Scripture does it mention The temptation of Jesus?

Dynamically load content in Bootstrap Modal with AJAX

Select a Chapter

Matthew 4 Images and Notes

Brief Summary: Jesus fasts for 40 days and is tempted by the devil, Jesus begins His public ministry, Jesus calls His first disciples, Jesus heals the sick.

Outline
1 The temptation of Jesus
13 Jesus dwells in Capernaum
17 Jesus begins to preach
18 Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, James and John
23 Jesus heals the sick

Drawing of the Temptation of Jesus Christ by Dore
Drawing of the Temptation of Jesus Christ by Dore

Important Topics for Bible Study
 

Quick Reference Map
The Beginning of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of Galilee and northern Israel (Click to Enlarge)

Painting of Jesus Calling James and John
Painted Illustration of Jesus Calling James and John

Ancient Customs

Geography
Capernaum
Galilee

 

Matthew Resources

The New Testament