Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 4:9
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
9. All these things will I give thee ] Satan, the “prince of this world,” (Joh 7:31) claims the disposal of earthly thrones. This is more clearly brought out by St Luke (ch. Luk 4:6), “All this power will I give thee and the glory of them, for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it.” The arrogance, selfishness, and cruelty of contemporary rulers would give force to such an assumption. A Tiberius or a Herod Antipas might indeed be thought to have worshipped Satan.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
All these things … – All these kingdoms. All these dominions Satan claimed a right to bestow on whom he pleased, and with considerable justice. They were excessively wicked; and with no small degree of propriety, therefore, he asserted his claim to give them away. This temptation had much plausibility. Satan regarded Jesus as the king of the Jews. As the Messiah he supposed he had come to take possession of all that country. He was poor, and unarmed, and without followers or armies. Satan proposed to put him in possession of it at once, without any difficulty, if he would acknowledge him as the proper lord and disposer of that country; if he would trust to him rather than to God.
Worship me – See the notes at Mat 2:2. The word here seems to mean, to acknowledge Satan as having a right to give these kingdoms to him; to acknowledge his dependence on him rather than God; that is, really to render religious homage. We may be surprised at his boldness. But he had been twice foiled. He supposed it was an object dear to the heart of the Messiah to obtain these kingdoms. He claimed a right over them; and he seemed not to be asking too much, if he gave them to Jesus, that Jesus should be willing to acknowledge the gift and express gratitude for it. So plausible are Satans temptations, even when they are blasphemous; and so artfully does he present his allurements to the mind.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Mat 4:9
Will I give.
-Abraham, when the king of Sodom offered him some part of his spoils, refused to take so much as a shoe-latchet of him, that the king of Sodom might not say another day that he had made Abraham rich; that men might not say that Abraham had been made rich, not by Gods blessing, but by the kings means, and that he might thank the king of Sodom for what he had. So a godly man will not gain, or desire to gain, so much as a shoe-string or a shoe-thread by profaning the Sabbath with the Sidonian merchant, by fraud or deceit, by oppression or extortion, by biting usury, the devils brokery, by rifling and plundering, or by any other unlawful or indirect means, that the devil may not one day say that he hath made him rich, as he said sometime to our Saviour. (Gataber.)
He never keeps his promises. (Wiseman.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 9. If thou wilt fall dozen and worship me] As if he had said, “The whole of this land is now under my government; do me homage for it, and I will deliver it into thy hand.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
9. And saith unto him, All thesethings will I give thee“and the glory of them,” addsLuke (Lu 4:6). But Matthewhaving already said that this was “showed Him,” did notneed to repeat it here. Luke (Lu4:6) adds these other very important clauses, here omitted”forthat is,” or “has been,” “delivered unto me, andto whomsoever I will I give it.” Was this wholly false? Thatwere not like Satan’s unusual policy, which is to insinuate his liesunder cover of some truth. What truth, then, is there here? Weanswer, Is not Satan thrice called by our Lord Himself, “theprince of this world” (Joh 12:31;Joh 14:30; Joh 16:11)?Does not the apostle call him “the god of this world” (2Co4:4)? And still further, is it not said that Christ came todestroy by His death “him that hath the power of death,that is, the devil” (Heb2:14)? No doubt these passages only express men’s voluntarysubjection to the rule of the wicked one while they live, and hispower to surround death to them, when it comes, with all the terrorsof the wages of sin. But as this is a real and terrible sway, so allScripture represents men as righteously sold under it. In this sensehe speaks what is not devoid of truth, when he says, “All thisis delivered unto me.” But how does he deliver this “towhomsoever he will?” As employing whomsoever he pleases of hiswilling subjects in keeping men under his power. In this case hisoffer to our Lord was that of a deputed supremacy commensuratewith his own, though as his gift and for his ends.
if thou wilt fall down andworship meThis was the sole but monstrous condition. NoScripture, it will be observed, is quoted now, because none could befound to support so blasphemous a claim. In fact, he has ceased nowto present his temptations under the mask of piety, and he stands outunblushingly as the rival of God Himself in his claims on the homageof men. Despairing of success as an angel of light, he throws off alldisguise, and with a splendid bribe solicits divine honor. This againshows that we are now at the last of the temptations, and thatMatthew’s order is the true one.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And saith unto him, all these things will I give thee…. This is more fully and strongly expressed by the Evangelist Luke. Lu 4:6.
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it–all shall be thine. In which words he sets up himself to be the God of this world, and the sovereign disposer of it: he pretends it was delivered to him by the true God, who had left it to his arbitrary disposal; and that he could invest Christ with the power and government of it, and put him in possession of all its glory, and make good and support his title to it, and interest in it. Never was such monstrous arrogance expressed as this; when this poor, proud, wretched creature, has not the disposal, at his pleasure, of anyone single thing; no not the least in the whole universe. He could not touch, neither Job’s person, nor any of his substance, without divine permission; nor enter into an herd of swine without Christ’s leave; and yet had the front to make an offer of the whole world, as if he had a despotic power over it; and that upon this horrid and blasphemous condition,
if thou wilt fall down and worship me. This was the highest degree of effrontery and impudence. The devil is not content to be worshipped by men, but seeks for adoration from the Son of God: this opens at once his proud, ambitious, and aspiring views, to be as God himself; for with nothing less can he be satisfied.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
All these things will I give thee ( ). The devil claims the rule of the world, not merely of Palestine or of the Roman Empire. “The kingdoms of the cosmos” (4:8) were under his sway. This word for world brings out the orderly arrangement of the universe while presents the inhabited earth. Jesus does not deny the grip of the devil on the world of men, but the condition ( and aorist subjunctive, second class undetermined with likelihood of determination), was spurned by Jesus. As Matthew has it Jesus is plainly to “fall down and worship me” ( ), while Luke (Lu 4:7) puts it, “worship before me” ( ), a less offensive demand, but one that really involved worship of the devil. The ambition of Jesus is thus appealed to at the price of recognition of the devil’s primacy in the world. It was compromise that involved surrender of the Son of God to the world ruler of this darkness. “The temptation was threefold: to gain a temporal, not a spiritual, dominion; to gain it at once; and to gain it by an act of homage to the ruler of this world, which would make the self-constituted Messiah the vice-regent of the devil and not of God” (McNeile).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “And saith unto him,” (kai eipen auto) “And (then) asserted to him (to Jesus),” a false assertion, in harmony with his lying nature, Joh 8:44. Satan promises what he can not deliver and knows he can not deliver because of his deceiving, lying, covetous nature; Many serve the devil for so much less than he promised the Lord.
2) “All these things will I give thee,” (tauta soi panta doso) “I will give to you all these things,” kingdoms and their glory, as if they belonged to him. Satan owns nothing worthwhile to give to any person. His promises are untrustworthy, deceptive, lying in nature, with motives of ulterior nature, to harm and destroy all who will believe his word or obey his voice. For “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein,” Psa 24:1.
3) “If thou wilt fall down and worship me.” lean peso proskuneses moi) “if falling prone before me you will just worship me,” do homage to me, acknowledge me as your master. To whom one “yields himself servant to obey, his servant he is whom he obeys,” Rom 6:16. Our Lord would not, therefore, resisted with the Word, doing any act of worship, homage, or obedience to the Devil.
Of the three temptations this is the most devious, to which the ambitious and self-seeking succumb, to which men compromise for power, popularity, position or prestige. Jesus came to the prejudices of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and elders of the majority of the Jewish people, Joh 1:11-12; Joh 8:24.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(9) All these things will I give thee.St. Lukes addition, For that is (has been) delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it, is full of significance. The offer made by the Tempter rested on the apparent evidence of the worlds history. The rulers of the world, its Herods and its Csars, seemed to have attained their eminence by trampling the laws of God under foot, and accepting Evil as the Lord and Master of the world. In part, the claim is allowed by our Lords language and that of his Apostles. Satan is the prince of this world (Joh. 12:31; Joh. 14:30). His hosts are the world-rulers () of darkness (Eph. 6:12). In this case the temptation is no longer addressed to the sense of Sonship, but to the love of power. To be a King like other kings, mighty to deliver His people from their oppressors, and achieve the glory which the prophets had predicted for the Christ;this was possible for Him if only He would go beyond the self-imposed limits of accepting whatsoever His Father ordered for Him.
Wilt fall down and worship me.The latter word properly expresses, as apparently throughout the New Testament, the homage offered to a king rather than the adoration due to God.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And he said to him, “All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ’
Then the Devil assured Him that if only He would submit to him and his ways, he could show Him how all this could be His by using His powers and winning His way into high favour, on which He would then be able to extinguish all opposition. All that was necessary was that He pay him homage, and do things his way. How far we stress ‘worship’ is questionable. It is doubtful if the Devil thought that Jesus would literally worship him, at least not yet. But there might have been in mind the idea of offering incense to Roma and the emperor. And included in it would be an acknowledgement of the Devil’s superiority. But in the end any activity in this way would have been worship. For it would have been to give to the Devil the honour that was due to God.
It is often questioned whether the Devil has such authority over the kingdoms of the world. And in one sense the answer is probably no. But the Devil knew, and Jesus knew, that the Devil could sway the world to his will. He had been doing it for centuries. He knew precisely how Jesus could be given the powers he was describing, for he knew how to manipulate the world (compare Joh 12:31; 2Co 4:4; 1Jn 5:19). If we think that this was not a very subtle temptation we should consider how easily man always falls for it. Manipulation in order to get our own way is at the very heart of man’s thinking (even of believers), and especially of politicians.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 4:9-10. All these things will I give thee “If thou be the Son of God, take care to be esteemed as such; if the kingdom of the Jews be destined for thee, add to it other kingdoms: seize the present occasion, which is the most desirable; comply with the present terms which are the most easy: fall down, and pay me homage.” He requires Jesus to pay him that honour which the satrapes or inferior kings were accustomed to pay to the king of the Persians, who was therefore called “the king of kings.” The word , get thee hence, plainly expresses the authority of Jesus over Satan, as well as his detestation of so vile a suggestion. See the note on Luk 4:6.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Ver. 9. And he saith unto him, All these things will I give thee ] A great catch sure: even just nothing; for he showed our Saviour only shows and shadows, apparitions and resemblances of things. The word also used in the former verse for “glory” signifieth an opinion or imagination ( .) So St Luke styles all Agrippa’s pomp, but a fantasy, Act 25:23 , . David tells us, that man walketh in a vain shadow, Psa 39:6 . Now a shadow is something in appearance, nothing in substance. So the apostle calleth all these things that the devil proffers our Saviour, , an accidental mathematical figure, without solidity or substance; and further tells us that this figure passeth away, is ever in transitu,1Co 7:311Co 7:31 , , like the streams of a river, that passing by the sides of a city, no man can stop: or if we could retain the things of this life, yet, not the world only passeth away, saith the apostle, but the lusts thereof, 1Jn 2:17 . So that a man cannot make his heart delight in the same thing still. Vota post usam fastidio sunt. We loathe after a while what we lusted after (as Amnon did Tamar), and quickly find a satiety, yea, a dissatisfaction in the creature. For he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, not though he could heap up his hoards to the stars, and engross a monopoly of all the wealth in the world, , Ecc 5:10 . Non plus satiatur cor auro, quam corpus aura. You may as soon fill a bag with wisdom, a chest with virtue, or a circle with a triangle, as the heart of man with anything here below. All that earth can afford is fumus aut funus, saith one; nugae et , saith another; vanity and vexation, saith Solomon the wise: to whose impartial verdict (grounded upon such good experience) we shall do well to subscribe, without believing the devil’s cracks, or trying any further conclusions. The Centurists interpret “all these things will I give thee,” thus: I will make thee pope. And indeed many popes were advanced to that see immediately by the devil, as histories relate; who had they but observed what is usually done at their enthronization, would never have been so hasty. For before the pope is set in his chair, and puts on his triple crown, a piece of tow or wad of straw is set on fire before him, and one appointed to say, Sic transit gloria mundi the glory of this world is but a blaze. This is only matter of form and ceremony; as is also that, that one day in the year the pope’s alms giver rides before him, casting abroad to the poor certain pieces of brass and lead, saying, Silver and gold I have none, but such as I have I give you; whereas that scarlet whore holds a golden cup in her hand, and her merchants that trade with her are the nobles of the earth, Rev 18:9-17 , and are made rich by her, Rev 18:15 . (Pareus in Apoc.) The Cardinal of Toledo hath a hundred thousand pounds a year coming in; the archbishops of Germany are free princes, many of them, and have revenues accordingly. Petrarch reporteth that in the treasury of Pope John XXII were found after his death 250 tons of gold. And of Boniface VIII the story is told, that when he was taken by Philip the Fair, King of France, and his palace rifled, there was more treasure found than all the kings of the earth were able to show again. Otto, one of the Pope’s mice catchers ( muscipulatores ), as the story calleth them, sent hither by Gregory IX, after three years raking together of money by most detestable arts, at last departing hence, he left not so much money in the whole kingdom as he either carried with him or sent before him. Judge by this what they did throughout all Christendom. The pope, saith one, could never want money so long as he could hold a pen in his hand. It was truly and trimly said by Pope Innocent IV, Vere hortus deliciarum Papis fuit tum Anglia, et puteus inexhaustns. Thus it was then; but how now? Bellarmine complains that since the pope was cried down for antichrist, his kingdom hath not only not increased, but every day more and more decreased. Non mode non crevit eius imperiam, sed semper magis ac magis decrevit. And Cotton the Jesuit confesseth that the authority of the pope of Rome is incomparably less than it was; and that now the Christian Church is but a diminutive. Hereupon also the cardinals (who were wont to meet more often) meet but once a week, because the businesses of the court of Rome grow fewer. And albeit the pope’s good and his blood, his honours and manners, rose together; yet abates he as little of his former pomp and pride as the devil doth since his fall ( Os Papae et oculus Diaboli, in eodem sunt praedicamento. Sphinx.), in taking upon him here to dispose of all the kingdoms of the earth as his, and requiring our Saviour (the true Lord of all) to fall down and worship him. The cardinals he still createth with these words, Estote fratres nostri et principes mundi, shall be our brothers and leaders of the world. And as another Diocletian (who was the first that affected that honour), he holdeth forth his feet to be kissed, having the sign of the cross shining with pearls and precious stones upon his shoe, Ut plenis faucibus crucem Christi derideat, So with a full gullet he mocks the cross of Christ, saith mine author. Stratagema nunc est Pontificium, ditare multos, ut pii esse desinant. In a word, with his pomp and primacy, gain and glory, rule and riches, fat bishoprics and cardinalships, as he sought to insnare Luther and gain him to his side, so he gets and binds not a few fast to that rotten religion. Pauper Lutherus multos fecit divites, Poor Luther made many rich men, said Erasmus; it being then the ready way to preferment to write and rail against Luther, as Eccius, Coccius, and others found it. But Christ will one day whip such money merchants and their customers out of his house, as he did those in the Gospel, Joh 2:15 ; chase them out of his presence, as Nehemiah did Sanballat’s son-in-law; curse them with a curse that “run greedily after the error of Balaam for reward,” Jdg 1:11 . Let the Romish Balak offer as large as the devil doth here, every one that hath anything of Christ in him will answer with that noble Italian convert (Galeaceus Caracciolus, Marquess of Vico in Naples), who being tempted by a Jesuit to revolt for money, cried out, “Let their money perish with them, who esteem all the gold in the world worth one day’s society with Jesus Christ, and his Holy Spirit. And cursed be that religion for ever,” &c. At Augsburg there is a known price of ten florins a year to all who will turn Papists. (Crashaw’s Life of Sandys.)
If thou wilt fall down and worship me ] Luke saith, “Worship before me.” So that to worship before an idol is to worship the idol, whatever the Romanist pretend and plead to the contrary. And not only so, but to fall down, as the devil would have had our Saviour here (though it be not come to worshipping), is a grievous sin. St John had not yet worshipped the angel, but only fallen down, as desirous to worship, and is taken up by the angel for that idolatrous gesture, Rev 19:10 . Woe then to those Rimmonites that plead for an upright soul in a prostrate body; and allege for their warrant that of Apocryphal Baruch, Apc Bar 6:5-6 “Wherefore when ye see the multitude of people worshipping them behind and before, say ye in your hearts, O Lord, it is thou that oughtest only to be worshipped.” Serve we God with our bodies also; and say with David and Christ, “Lord, a body hast thou given me; Lo, I come to do thy will therewith,”Psa 40:8Psa 40:8 . But what a desperate and detestable boldness was it in the devil to move speech of such a sin as this to our Saviour Christ. It was extreme sauciness in Satan to adjure our Saviour (whom he there calls the Son of the most high God) not to torment him; it was horrible impudence; but nothing comparable to this in the text, to worship the devil in person: than which what can be imagined more odious? We see then to what execrable sins the best may be tempted. A man is to expect (saith Capel on Temptation), if he lived out his days, to be urged to all sins, to the breach of every branch of the ten commandments; and to be put to it in respect of every article of our creed. Have you not been tempted, saith another, in this or that kind? it is because God in mercy would not lead you into temptation. (Bain’s Letters.) Yea, this is, in some sort, more to be acknowledged than victory, when ye were tempted. For not to be tempted is more immediately from God, and less in man’s power, than to prevail against temptation. For nothing doth overcome us without our will: but without our will doth God lead us into trial; for he knoweth we would taste little of these if we might be our own carvers. “Simon, Simon,” saith our Saviour, “Satan hath desired to have you to minnow you,” that is to trouble and hurt you, Luk 22:31 , , saith Theophylact, as a challenger desireth to have one of the other side to combat with; as Goliah called for a man to match him. Now either God denies him, or delivers us, so that evil one toucheth us not,1Jn 5:181Jn 5:18 , viz. Tactu qualitavito, with a mortal touch, as Cajetan glosseth that text. “I have prayed for thee,” saith our Saviour, “that thy faith fail not.” He prayed for all, but especially for Peter, because more violently tempted, as because more shamefully foiled; therefore, “Go tell my disciples and Peter, that I am risen; and that thereby he is justified,” Mar 16:7 ; Rom 4:25 . I have prayed; so that the remedy was ready made before the disease, the salve before the sore, or else it might have come too late; as those that are stung by a scorpion, if they be not presently anointed with oil of scorpions, die for it: and as those that have drunk poison, if they take not an antidote immediately, ere it get to the vitals, perish infallibly. God in Christ hath all plaisters and pardons ready made and sealed, else we might die in our sins while the pardon is providing.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 4:9 . . This is the condition, homage to Satan as the superior. A nave suggestion, but pointing to a subtle form of temptation, to which all ambitious, self-seeking men succumb, that of gaining power by compromise with evil. The danger is greatest when the end is good . “The end sanctifies the means.” Nowhere is homage to Satan more common than in connection with sacred causes, the interests of truth, righteousness, and God. Nothing tests purity of motive so thoroughly as temptations of this class. Christ was proof against them. The prince of the world found nothing of this sort in Him (Joh 14:30 ). In practice this homage, if Jesus had been willing to render it, would have taken the form of conciliating the Pharisees and Sadducees, and pandering to the prejudices of the people. He took His own path, and became a Christ, neither after the type imagined by the Baptist, nor according to the liking of the Jews and their leaders. So He gained universal empire, but at a great cost.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
All these. Compare Luk 4:6 and see App-116.
if. See App-118. Not the same as in Mat 4:3 and Mat 4:6.
wilt fall down. Not in Luke.
worship = do homage. App-137.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mat 4:9. , I will give) But the Son is the heir of all things, and whatever authority Satan possessed on account of mans defection from God, that, Christ, stronger than he,[141] took from him, not by compact, but by conquest. What the devil could not persuade Christ to do in his temptation, that he will effect by his vassal the Beast, see Rev 13:2. And what he offered to Christ, he will give to that adversary of His, viz., the kingdoms of the world.-, …, if, etc.) Vast pride, to offer all the kingdoms of the earth as a gift, in return for one act of adoration acknowledging that gift.[142] Without doubt, he appeared in an august form.
[141] Luk 11:21-22.-(I. B.)
[142] What the angel did not permit John to do, that the tempter demands of Jesus, the Lord of all (Rev 22:8-9).-Vers. Germ.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
All: Mat 26:15, Joh 13:3
I give: 1Sa 2:7, 1Sa 2:8, Psa 72:11, Psa 113:7, Psa 113:8, Pro 8:15, Jer 27:5, Jer 27:6, Dan 2:37, Dan 2:38, Dan 4:32, Dan 5:18, Dan 5:19, Dan 5:26-28, Joh 12:31, Joh 14:30, Joh 16:11, Rev 19:16
if: 1Co 10:20, 1Co 10:21, 2Co 4:4, 1Ti 3:6, Rev 19:10, Rev 22:8, Rev 22:9
Reciprocal: Gen 3:1 – hath Exo 20:5 – bow down Num 22:17 – I will promote Num 22:37 – General Psa 95:6 – worship Dan 3:6 – falleth Mat 2:11 – worshipped Mat 8:2 – worshipped Mat 16:26 – gain Mar 6:23 – Whatsoever Rev 4:10 – worship
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4:9
In the corresponding passage in Luk 4:6 the devil makes a stronger claim than is recorded here. He says that he possesses the “glory” of all these realms of the world and Jesus does not deny it; the following passages will also bear out his claim. (Joh 14:30; Joh 16:11; Eph 2:2.) In this verse the devil promises to give up his control of the glory existing in the kingdoms of the world and turn it over to Jesus. The only condition he requires is that Jesus fall down and worship him. See the note in comments on chapter 2:2 for the meaning of worship. Regardless of what phase of that word the devil had in mind, to have complied with the proposition would have been sin and that would have for ever disqualified Him from being a perfect sacrifice.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 4:9. Satan in his true character.
All these things, i.e., all that renders them attractive to the love of power, pleasure, wealth, honor (J. A. Alexander).
Will I give thee. The world is to a certain extent under the power of Satan, not absolutely nor permanently, indeed, but actually. His greatest weapons are his half-truths, his perversions of the truth. Recognizing in this Person One who would reconquer a kingdom for Himself, he offers to surrender his own part of this kingdom in its temporal extent. But Christs sway over the world was not of a kind that could be given by Satan, however wide and deep-seated the power of the latter might be. Yet to Jesus, who as man must conquer the world through suffering and death, this was a real temptation.
If thou wilt fall down and worship me. The next verse shows that religious worship is meant; devil worship in this case. Satan, fallen through ambition, would ask no less for his dominion. His price is always exorbitant. The proposal was bold, but in the contest between them it must come to this. Satan at last offers all he could, but throwing away all disguise, asks from One tempted in all points like as we are, what he asks from us.