Matthew 4:6

“If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The devil addresses Jesus from the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem, the second of three temptations in the wilderness.

The words — εἰ (ei), "if," is the hinge of the verse: the devil does not assert Jesus' identity but poses it as a condition to be verified by action.

The thread — The quote is a selective citation of Psalm 91:11 (LXX), which in context describes God's protection for those who dwell in His secret place, not a guarantee triggered by a leap. The broader angel-protection theme recurs in Hebrews 1:14 and Psalm 34:7.

Why it lands — The verse exposes a pattern: taking a true statement and stripping it of its context to manufacture an obligation on God. A reader is asked to notice that faith which demands proof by spectacle is not faith but a test.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Cross-references

Psalms 91:11 For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Hebrews 1:14 Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Psalms 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.
2 Corinthians 11:14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
Psalms 34:20 He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken.
Matthew 4:4 But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Job 5:23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
Job 1:10 Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
Luke 4:9 Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here.