Luke 4:2 · Bible study
Luke 4:2 Commentary: The Testing of the Son of God
Greek · 5 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the theological meaning of Jesus' forty-day fast and temptation, its connection to Old Testament patterns, and its significance for believers.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The verse introduces Jesus' forty-day fast and continuous temptation by the devil, establishing his full humanity and his identity as the faithful Son who relives Israel's wilderness testing.
- Key words: peirazomenos (being tempted, present participle, continuous action); epeinasen (he was hungry, aorist, punctiliar event marking the end of the fast).
- Main debate: Whether the forty-day fast is intended as a pattern for believers (Gill says no; other traditions see a general principle of spiritual preparation) and whether the temptations were primarily internal or involved visible manifestations of the devil.
- Theological theme: Jesus as the new Adam and true Israel, succeeding where both failed, and demonstrating that dependence on God triumphs over the tempter's appeals to physical need and self-sufficiency.
- Best use: Teaching on Christ's humanity, the nature of temptation, the role of Scripture in spiritual warfare, and the preparation for ministry through testing.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.
WEB World English Bible 2000
for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry.
KJV King James Version 1769
Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
during forty days, being tempted of the devil. And he did eat nothing in those days: and when they were completed, he hungered.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
forty days being tempted by the Devil, and he did not eat anything in those days, and they having been ended, he afterward hungered,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
forty days, tempted of the devil; and in those days he did not eat anything, and when they were finished he hungered.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For the space of forty days, and was tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Por cuarenta días, y era tentado del diablo. Y no comió cosa en aquellos días: los cuales pasados, tuvo hambre.
E por quarenta dias foi tentado pelo diabo; e não comeu coisa alguma naqueles dias; e terminados eles, teve fome.
où il fut tenté par le diable pendant quarante jours. Il ne mangea rien durant ces jours-là, et, après qu’ ils furent écoulés, il eut faim.
und ward vierzig Tage lang vom Teufel versucht. Und er aß nichts in diesen Tagen; und da sie ein Ende hatten, hungerte ihn darnach.
En werd veertig dagen verzocht van den duivel; en at gans niet in die dagen, en als dezelve geeindigd waren, zo hongerde Hem ten laatste.
E durante quei giorni non mangiò nulla; e dopo che quelli furon trascorsi, ebbe fame.
I był przez czterdzieści dni kuszony od dyjabła, a nie jadł nic przez one dni; ale gdy się te skończyły, potem łaknął.
Там сорок дней Он был искушаем от диавола и ничего не ел в эти дни, а по прошествии их напоследок взалкал.
那些 日子 沒有 吃甚麼； 日子滿了，他就餓了。
For forty days, being tested by the Evil One. And he had no food in those days; and when they came to an end, he was in need of food.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Luke 4:2
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse marks the start of a sustained period of testing that reaches its climax in the three temptations that follow. The present participle peirazomenos (“being tempted”) indicates continuous action: the temptation was not limited to a few moments at the end of forty days but stretched across the entire fast. Cambridge Bible notes this grammar precisely, stressing “the temptation was continuous throughout the forty days.”
The number forty ties Jesus decisively to the history of Israel. Moses fasted forty days on Sinai (Exodus 34:28), Elijah traveled forty days to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8), and Israel spent forty years in the wilderness being tested (Deut 9:9). Matthew Henry sees Jesus as the new Adam, succeeding where the first Adam fell. The complete lack of food confirms the fast as total, not partial. Gill’s Exposition notes that this abstinence “was never designed as an example to his followers, and to be imitated by them” but rather shows both Jesus’ divine power in sustaining his human body and his full solidarity with human hunger and vulnerability.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jesus was genuinely tempted for forty days, ate nothing during that time, and afterward experienced physical hunger, demonstrating both his full humanity and his willing entry into the conditions of testing that define the life of faith.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the forty days | The forty days connect Jesus to the wilderness experiences of Moses, Elijah, and Israel (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Deuteronomy 9:9). | Some see an exact typological parallel to Israel's forty years (Jesus recapitulates the nation's testing); others treat the number as a general symbol of preparation and trial without point-by-point correspondence. |
| Nature of the temptation | The temptation was real, continuous, and directed by a personal evil agent (the devil). | Some commentators (Cambridge Bible) argue the devil did not appear in visible form; others (Gill) allow for both invisible internal suggestions and a visible external encounter, leaving the mode as speculation. |
| Significance of the fast | The total fast (no food or drink) demonstrates Jesus' full humanity and his dependence on divine power for physical sustenance. | Gill explicitly says this fast was not intended as a literal example for believers; other traditions see it as a model for seasons of spiritual preparation, though they recognize the supernatural element. |
| Role of the Spirit | Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness; the temptation was not a random accident but part of God's plan. | Some emphasize the Spirit's leading as a test of obedience; others focus on the Spirit's empowering presence that enables Jesus to endure and overcome. |
| Christ's sinlessness and peccability | Jesus was tempted in every way like us, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). | The Cambridge Bible labels questions of posse non peccare vs non posse peccare as 'rash intrusions into the unrevealed,' while some theological traditions (e.g., certain Reformed and Catholic frameworks) have developed more precise categories regarding Christ's inability to sin. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jewish tradition associated the wilderness with both danger and revelation. The Cambridge Bible points out that “the Jews placed in the wilderness one of the mouths of Gehenna, and there evil spirits were supposed to have most power.” Yet the Spirit does not abandon Jesus to this place; he is led there (Luke 4:1). The wilderness becomes the arena where the Son of God faces the Accuser on the ground of his own people’s failure.
The number forty carries layered meaning. Moses spent forty days and nights on Sinai without food (Exodus 24:18, 34:28). Elijah walked forty days to the mountain of God (1 Kings 19:8). Israel’s forty years in the desert served as a generation-long test. Jesus recapitulates each of these in compressed form. Where Israel grumbled, he trusts. Where Moses delivered the law, Jesus embodies it. Where Elijah despaired, he remains faithful.
The identity of the tempter is specified: tou diabolou, the Devil, the Slanderer, the Accuser. In the Hebrew Bible the title Satan was broader, applied to any opponent (Cambridge notes this). The Greek term sharpens the focus onto the personal, adversarial power who stands against God’s purposes. The phrase “he ate nothing” is absolute: not bread, not water, nothing, a total fast that goes beyond the ordinary Lenten discipline. Only when the days are completed does Jesus feel hunger. That hunger is not a sign of weak faith; it is the mark of genuine humanity, the point where the tempter will strike first. The faithful Son does not bypass the body’s limits; he enters them fully.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries and lexical data note no significant textual variants for Luke 4:2. The phrase “for forty days, being tempted by the devil” appears consistently across the major manuscript families. The only variation noted in the supplied material is that some early versions (Vulgate, Syriac, Persic) connect “forty days” to the preceding verse, making it the duration of Jesus' wandering before the temptation, but the Greek text and the majority of witnesses support the reading used in modern translations, where the forty days are the period of temptation itself.
Reception History
From the early church onward, this verse has been read as a foundational statement of Christ's full humanity and his identification with the people of God in testing. Augustine, cited in the Cambridge Bible, summarizes the pastoral application: “Christ conquered the tempter, that the Christian may not be conquered by the tempter.” During the medieval period, the forty-day fast informed the development of Lent as a season of preparation. Protestant commentators, represented by Geneva, Gill, Matthew Henry, and Lange, consistently highlight the verse’s role in establishing both Christ’s ability to sympathize with human weakness and his sinless triumph. The Lenten season across many traditions continues to draw on the forty-day pattern for spiritual discipline, though Gill and others caution against literal imitation. Modern readers often focus on the psychological reality of temptation, building on the early and Reformation conviction that the narrative describes a genuinely interior struggle made visible through Scripture.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Led into the wilderness, Jesus goes not from ambition but from obedience, full of the Spirit. The temptation is not a detour from his mission but part of it.
- Sustained through forty days, The continuous temptation and total fast show that dependence on God can carry a person beyond normal human limits. God does not abandon us in testing.
- Hungry but victorious, The hunger that opens the door for the devil also becomes the occasion for Jesus to quote Scripture and trust the Father. Weakness and faithfulness can coexist.
Five-point outline
- The Spirit-led journey into the desert, testing is not punishment but vocation.
- The forty-day pattern, Jesus stands in the line of Moses, Elijah, and Israel, but does what they could not fully do.
- The continuous temptation, the enemy works steadily, not only in the dramatic moments.
- The absolute fast, Jesus empties himself even of ordinary sustenance, trusting the Father for life itself.
- The hunger that reveals, the human need becomes the stage for divine victory.
Illustration hooks
- A marathon runner who prepares for months in isolation, facing physical limits and the temptation to quit, but crossing the finish line.
- Someone recovering from addiction who goes through a detox period, the craving feels unbearable, but each day without the substance builds new strength.
- Waiting for medical test results: the days feel like weeks, and every negative thought multiplies. The waiting itself becomes a test of trust.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If Jesus was God, could he really be tempted? Did his divinity make the test unfair?
- Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into a place where he would face the devil? Does God lead us into temptation?
- How can Jesus' forty-day fast help me when I am tempted for much shorter periods?
Leading a Discussion
This verse opens one of the most concentrated scenes in the Gospels: the Son of God, full of the Spirit, willingly entering a place of hunger, isolation, and direct confrontation with the evil one. For a small group, this passage offers a chance to explore how testing fits into God's purposes and how Jesus’ experience speaks to our own struggles.
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about the setting, the wilderness, the Spirit, the devil, that shapes how you read this verse?
- Jesus was tempted for forty days, not just at the end. How does the idea of continuous, low-grade testing match or challenge your understanding of temptation?
- How does the number forty connect Jesus to the stories of Moses, Elijah, and Israel? What do those connections suggest about what Jesus is doing here?
- Jesus ate nothing at all. What does this total fast reveal about his dependence on the Father? What does it reveal about his humanity?
- The verse ends with “he was hungry.” Why do you think the Gospel writer includes that detail? What would be lost if it were left out?
- How does knowing that Jesus faced temptation continuously and while physically weak affect the way you think about your own periods of testing?
- What does this passage teach us about the kind of Savior we have, one who enters the wilderness before he preaches the Sermon on the Plain?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 3:15 | I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.” |
| Exodus 24:18 | Moses entered into the middle of the cloud, and went up on the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. |
| Exodus 34:28 | He was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. |
| Deuteronomy 9:9 | When I had gone up onto the mountain to receive the stone tablets, even the tablets of the covenant which Yahweh made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. |
| Deuteronomy 9:18 | I fell down before Yahweh, as at the first, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you sinned, in doing that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger. |
| Deuteronomy 9:25 | So I fell down before Yahweh the forty days and forty nights that I fell down, because Yahweh had said he would destroy you. |
| I Samuel 17:16 | The Philistine came near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. |
| I Kings 19:8 | He arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, God’s Mountain. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
4 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
And was there fourtie dayes tempted of the deuil, and in those dayes he did eate nothing: but when they were ended, he afterward was hungry.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes the forty days of temptation could be understood as a period before Satan's visible attacks, but he affirms that Jesus was tempted throughout by internal suggestions. He stresses that Jesus ate and drank nothing during this time, clarifying that this absolute fast was never intended as an example for believers to imitate.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the temptation was neither a physical journey nor a mere parable, but a direct, invisible operation of the evil spirit on Jesus' inner consciousness. Jesus remained in the wilderness while being transported in spirit to the temple and mountain, experiencing a real inward conflict that preserved both historicity and His sinlessness.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees Christ's temptation as the direct fulfillment of the promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. Where Adam fell by one temptation, Christ conquers the tempter through all his attacks, making an immediate recovery of what was lost and turning the tide of the battle.