Matthew 4:8


Matthew 4:8 is the eighth verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just rejected Satan's second temptation. In this verse the devil transports Jesus to a new location for the third temptation.

Content

The original Koine Greek, according to The [New Testament in the Original Greek|Westcott and Hort], reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible, the text reads:
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see

Analysis

The Gospel of Luke does not mention a mountain. simply refers to a "high place." There is a mountain near Jericho that is popularly claimed to be the site of this temptation, but France notes there is no scriptural or historical evidence to support this. There is possibly a link between this verse and Moses viewing the Holy Land in and, but Nolland does not think such a link is sensical.
There is, of course, no mountain from where "all the kingdoms of the world" can be seen. One explanation for this is that the word taketh does not necessarily refer to a physical transportation, it could mean that Satan merely took Jesus in a vision. John Calvin supported this view, and the Geneva Bible made this interpretation explicit. Clarke lists several other explanation that have been given for this statement:
  • The world only refers to the "known world" of that time and people, or is a general expression referring to the local region, which could be seen from a mountain.
  • The word kingdom does not refer to geographical entities, but is rather a metaphor for earthly power.
  • The showing did not itself take place on the mountain, rather the actual "showing" consisted of a rapid fly over of the entire world.
  • Once atop the mountain the devil did not literally show Jesus the kingdoms but rather pulled out a map upon which all the kingdoms were displayed.
  • Fortna also notes that the verse could be implying a Flat Earth, which would allow for all countries to be seen at once from a tall enough mountain.
Clark notes that the mountain setting evokes pagan mythology, which often had to gods atop mountains of extreme height. The most famous example being Mount Olympus of the Greeks. The deuterocanonical Book of Baruch also mentions a mountain from where all the kingdoms of the Earth can be seen.
Nolland contrasts the"kingdoms of the world" to the "Kingdom of Heaven" that is mentioned throughout the Gospel, one being the kingdom of Satan and the other the kingdom of God.
This verse is often considered to be a reference to, where God instructs Moses to climb Mount Nebo and shows him Jericho and Canaan and promises them to the Israelites. This verse shows that Jesus' domain is greater, as he is presented with the entire world. France notes that it also implies that the devil then had control of the entire globe prior to the coming of Jesus, something made explicit in and.

Commentary from the Church Fathers

Origen: "We are not to suppose that when he showed Him the kingdoms of the world, he presented before Him the kingdom of Persia, for instance, or India; but he showed his own kingdom, how he reigns in the world, that is, how some are governed by fornication, some by avarice."
Saint Remigius: "By their glory, is meant, their gold and silver, precious stones and temporal goods."
Rabanus Maurus: "The Devil shows all this to the Lord, not as though he had power to extend his vision or show Him anything unknown. But setting forth in speech as excellent and pleasant, that vain worldly pomp wherein himself delighted, he thought by suggestion of it, to create in Christ a love of it."
Glossa Ordinaria: "He saw not, as we see, with the eye of lust, but as a physician looks on disease without receiving any hurt."