Matthew 4:3

Bible in Basic English (1941)

And the Evil One came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, give the word for these stones to become bread.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Καὶ προσελθὼν αὐτῷ ὁ πειράζων, εἶπεν, Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰπὲ ἵνα οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται.

Transliteration

And proselthōn autō the peirazōn, eipen, If Huios ei of the Theou, eipe hina the lithoi houtoi artoi genōntai.

Grammar Details

• *proselthōn*: aorist active participle, nominative, masculine, singular - having approached
• *autō*: dative, masculine, singular - to him
• *peirazōn*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, singular - the one tempting/testing
• *eipen*: aorist active, 3rd singular - said
• *Huios*: nominative, masculine, singular - Son
• *ei*: present indicative, 2nd singular - you are
• *Theou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of God
• *eipe*: aorist active imperative, 2nd singular - speak/command
• *hina*: conjunction - that/so that
• *lithoi*: nominative, masculine, plural - stones
• *houtoi*: demonstrative pronoun, nominative, masculine, plural - these
• *artoi*: nominative, masculine, plural - loaves of bread
• *genōntai*: aorist middle subjunctive, 3rd plural - might become

Word Meanings

• *proselthōn*: having approached/having come to
• *peirazōn*: the tempter/the tester/the one putting to proof
• *Huios*: Son/descendant
• *eipe*: speak/say/command
• *lithoi*: stones/rocks
• *artoi*: loaves of bread/bread
• *genōntai*: might become/may be made/transform into

Referenced Verses

• 1 Thess 3:5 : 5 For this reason, when I was no longer able to keep quiet, I sent to get news of your faith, fearing that you might be tested by the Evil One and that our work might come to nothing.
• Gen 3:1-5 : 1 Now the snake was wiser than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God truly said that you may not take of the fruit of any tree in the garden? 2 And the woman said, We may take of the fruit of the trees in the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, If you take of it or put your hands on it, death will come to you. 4 And the snake said, Death will not certainly come to you: 5 For God sees that on the day when you take of its fruit, your eyes will be open, and you will be as gods, having knowledge of good and evil.
• Luke 22:31-32 : 31 Simon, Simon, Satan has made a request to have you, so that he may put you to the test as grain is tested: 32 But I have made prayer for you, that your faith may not go from you: and when you are turned again, make your brothers strong.
• Num 11:4-6 : 4 And the mixed band of people who went with them were overcome by desire: and the children of Israel, weeping again, said, Who will give us flesh for our food? 5 Sweet is the memory of the fish we had in Egypt for nothing, and the fruit and green plants of every sort, sharp and pleasing to the taste: 6 But now our soul is wasted away; there is nothing at all: we have nothing but this manna before our eyes.
• Job 1:9-9 : 9 And the Satan said in answer to the Lord, Is it for nothing that Job is a god-fearing man? 10 Have you yourself not put a wall round him and his house and all he has on every side, blessing the work of his hands, and increasing his cattle in the land? 11 But now, put out your hand against all he has, and he will be cursing you to your face. 12 And the Lord said to the Satan, See, I give all he has into your hands, only do not put a finger on the man himself. And the Satan went out from before the Lord.
• Job 2:4-7 : 4 And the Satan said in answer to the Lord, Skin for skin, all a man has he will give for his life. 5 But now, if you only put your hand on his bone and his flesh, he will certainly be cursing you to your face. 6 And the Lord said to the Satan, See, he is in your hands, only do not take his life. 7 And the Satan went out from before the Lord, and sent on Job an evil disease covering his skin from his feet to the top of his head.
• Ps 78:17-20 : 17 And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land; 18 Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire. 19 They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land? 20 See, the rock was cut open by his power, so that the water came rushing out, and overflowing streams; is he able to give us bread? is he able to get meat for his people?
• Matt 3:17 : 17 And a voice came out of heaven, saying, This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
• Matt 14:33 : 33 And those who were in the boat gave him worship, saying, Truly you are the Son of God.
• Luke 4:3 : 3 And the Evil One said to him, If you are the Son of God, give orders to this stone to become bread.
• Luke 4:9 : 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and put him on the highest point of the Temple and said to him, If you are the Son of God, let yourself go down from here; for it is said in the Writings,
• Acts 9:20 : 20 And straight away, in the Synagogues, he was preaching Jesus as the Son of God.
• Gen 25:29-34 : 29 And one day Jacob was cooking some soup when Esau came in from the fields in great need of food; 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Give me a full meal of that red soup, for I am overcome with need for food: for this reason he was named Edom. 31 And Jacob said, First of all give me your birthright. 32 And Esau said, Truly, I am at the point of death: what profit is the birthright to me? 33 And Jacob said, First of all give me your oath; and he gave him his oath, handing over his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave him bread and soup; and he took food and drink and went away, caring little for his birthright.
• Exod 16:3 : 3 And the children of Israel said to them, It would have been better for the Lord to have put us to death in the land of Egypt, where we were seated by the flesh-pots and had bread enough for our needs; for you have taken us out to this waste of sand, to put all this people to death through need of food.
• Rev 2:10 : 10 Have no fear of the things which you will have to undergo: see, the Evil One will send some of you into prison, so that you may be put to the test; and you will have great trouble for ten days. Be true till death, and I will give you the crown of life.
• Rev 12:9-9 : 9 And the great dragon was forced down, the old snake, who is named the Evil One and Satan, by whom all the earth is turned from the right way; he was forced down to the earth, and his angels were forced down with him. 10 And a great voice in heaven came to my ears, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: because he who says evil against our brothers before our God day and night is forced down. 11 And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness; and loving not their lives they freely gave themselves up to death.
• Heb 12:16 : 16 And that there may not be any evil liver, or any man without respect for God, like Esau, who let his birthright go for a plate of food.