In Matthew 4:1-11 (// Lk 4:1-13), we read that the devil tempts Jesus in the desert.
The Messiah replies to the devil’s temptations quoting these three references: Deuteronomy 6:13,16; 8:3; and Matthew 4:4,7,10.
Fear the Lord Your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
– Deuteronomy 6:13Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.
– Deuteronomy 6:16He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
– Deuteronomy 8:3
But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
– Matthew 4:4Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’
– Matthew 4:7“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’
– Matthew 4:10
The question here is why satan chooses from all the Scriptures in the Bible, to quote from Psalm 91: “He will command his angels concerning you and on their hands, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Ps 91:11-12).
What we find very ironic is that satan, the ruler of demons, cites a psalm that is well-known as a prayer AGAINST evil powers (or demonic forces), making the whole thing highly comical.
Even the ancient Jewish knew the Psalm and what it represented.
In the original Hebrew, Psalm 91 reminds the reader not to fear violent enemies or any other disaster: “You shall not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence (דֶבֶר; dever) that stalks in the darkness, or of the destruction (יָשׁוּד; yashud) that wastes at noon” (Ps 91:5-6).
Hundreds of years after this Hebrew psalm was written, but also hundreds of years before Jesus, the Jews who translated it into Greek saw a reference to the demonic:
“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the thing (πράγματος; pragmatos) that walks in darkness… and the demon (δαιμοvίοv; daimonion) at noon.” (Ps 90:5-6 LXX).
To avoid the impression that the Septuagint translator was trying to mess with the Hebrew, the Greek actually reflects a valid way of reading the original language: depending on which vowel points are appended to the Hebrew letters (these vowel points, or “nikkud,” were not included in the ancient Hebrew text that the Greek translators used), the words could read “pestilence” (דֶבֶר; dever) and “destruction” (שׁוּד; shud) or “thing” (דָבָר; davar) and “demon” (שֵׁד; shed) – the Greek translator decided on the latter meanings, “thing” and “demon.”
Then, hundreds of years after the Septuagint, Aramaic translators of the Hebrew Bible (around the 4th century CE/AD) followed Greek-speaking Jews and discovered references to demons throughout Psalm 91:
“You will not be afraid of the terror of the demon (מזיק; maziq) that goes about in the night… nor of the company of demons (שׁידין; shedin) that destroy at noon…. No evil shall befall you, and no plague or demons (מזיקיא; maziqaya) shall come near your tent, for he will command his angels concerning you.” (Psalms Targum 91:5-6, 10-11).
Therefore, the devil’s choice to quote Psalm 91 during Jesus’ temptation is the worst imaginable choice, because even first-century Jews understood that Psalm 91 was a prayer that protected against demons;
Funny enough, of all the biblical choices, satan chose a verse that was intended to drive him away!
Some say that satan quoting this passage was intentional, to demonstrate that such an incantation had no impact on him, but rather to cast doubt on the Son of God Jesus Christ and enhance his satanic illusion of authority and power.
Let me emphasize again the word: illusion! – of authority and power.
But just because satan chose a verse that was intended to drive him away, we cannot shake the feeling that this comedy of diabolical blunders would have made Matthew’s original readers laugh out loud, because it clearly demonstrates that the devil is a bit of a dunce!
Let us know, what you think about this?
