Matthew 4:7 KJV
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Matthew 4:7 NKJV
Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'”
Matthew 4:7 MKJV
Jesus said to him, It is written again, “You shall not tempt [the] Lord your God.”
Matthew 4:7 KJV 2000
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, You shall not test the Lord your God.
Interlinear KJV
Jesus /Iesous/ said /phemi/ unto him, /autos/ It is written /grapho/ again, /palin/ Thou shalt /ekpeirazo/ not /ou/ tempt /ekpeirazo/ the Lord /kurios/ thy /sou/ God. /theos/
Commentary
We see from the beginning of Matthew 4 that while Jesus was fasting in the wilderness, Satan tempted Him. After the first temptation, the devil took Him to the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem. Over there, he wanted to tempt Jesus to misapply the promise of divine protection, so he told Jesus to throw himself down, for it is written in Psalm 91:11,12 that God would send His angels to grab Him and He would not fall to the ground and get hurt. But Jesus, discerning the deception, countered with another Scripture, saying, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Deuteronomy 6:16). This reply was a rebuke to Satan, and it also teaches us a lesson on how Scripture must be interpreted and applied rightly.
“It is written again”— this teaches us that no single verse should be isolated or magnified out of proportion, but must be understood in light of the whole counsel of God. Scripture is best interpreted by Scripture. The balance of divine truth lies in comparing passages, not pitting one against another.
“Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” is a warning against presumptuous faith—a reckless reliance on God to intervene miraculously when natural means or plain duty are disregarded. It forbids putting God to the test by willfully placing ourselves in avoidable danger, expecting Him to rescue us without His command or necessity. To do so is not an act of faith, but of folly and pride. Preserving ourselves by the ordinary means God has provided is not a lack of trust, but obedience. To forfeit those means and expect miraculous deliverance is to tempt God.
Jesus had already received undeniable proof of His identity through the voice from heaven at His baptism, declaring, “This is my beloved Son” (Mark 1:11). For Him to now demand another display of divine power would have been an expression of doubt, or worse, vanity—seeking to exalt Himself in a spectacular display. That would have been an abuse of the promise and a violation of God’s precept.
The phrase “tempt the Lord” means to put Him to the proof unnecessarily—to demand a fresh sign when He has already spoken clearly. This was the sin of Israel in the wilderness when they questioned God’s presence despite repeated demonstrations of His power and goodness (Numbers 14:22; Psalm 78:18). Such trials of God arise not from faith, but from unbelief or pride.
By quoting Deuteronomy 6:16, Jesus demonstrated that while God’s promises are sure, they are not to be twisted into a license for rashness or self-will. Faith should guide us toward obedience, not lead us into reckless pride. It’s essential to follow God’s commands as we rely on His promises or support. When we act without His guidance, we step outside the protection of His promises.
In resisting Satan’s misuse of Scripture, Jesus reminds us that even when truth is quoted deceitfully, we are not to abandon Scripture, but to wield it rightly. Heretics and seducers may abuse the Bible, but that is no reason to forsake it. Rather, as Christ did, we must learn to compare Scripture with Scripture to grasp its true meaning.
Christ’s firm yet measured reply silenced the enemy, who found no answer and was compelled to change tactics. Let this teach us: though Satan may quote Scripture, he does so to mislead; but the faithful must answer with rightly divided truth. Let us not tempt the Lord our God by demanding more than He has given or by spurning the means of grace He has provided. Let us walk by faith, but never presume.