New Testament Greek Online
Lesson 4
Winfred P. Lehmann and Jonathan Slocum
After St. Luke describes the baptism of Jesus by John, followed by an account of Jesus's genealogy beginning with Adam, he reports in chapter 4:1-13 how Jesus was "led by the spirit into the wilderness," there to be tempted by the devil. The temptation is one of the central episodes in the life of Jesus. After overcoming the devil, Jesus goes to Galilee in the "power of the Spirit." It is also reported in two of the other gospels, briefly by St. Mark 1:12-13 and fully also by St. Matthew 4:1-11. While the basic accounts are similar, Mark refers to the tempter as Satan, the term Jesus uses in St. Matthew's account when he addresses the devil, but not by St. Luke. On the other hand, the order of the temptations differs. The first is the same, but in the account by St. Matthew the second has the devil taking Jesus to "a pinnacle of the temple" in the holy city, identified specifically by St. Luke as Jerusalem in his report of the third temptation. It is also interesting to compare other items such as the Old Testament passages that Jesus cites.
Reading and Textual Analysis
Luke 4:1-13, and Romans 8:31b (memory verse)
The story of the temptation has been central in treatments of the life of Jesus. It provides the basis for John Milton's Paradise Regained, which follows St. Luke in the order of temptations. The first lines of the poem may illustrate the importance that Milton and many others have given the episode:
I who e're while the Happy Garden sung,
By one man's disobedience lost, now sing
Recover'd Paradise to all mankind,
By one man's firm obedience fully tri'd
Through all temptation, and the Tempter foil'd
In all his wiles, defeated and repuls't,
And Eden rais'd in the waste Wilderness.
4:1 - Ἰησοῦς δὲ πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου ὑπέστρεψεν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, καὶ ἤγετο ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα πειραζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου.
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- Ἰησοῦς -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <Ἰησοῦς> Jesus -- Jesus
- δὲ -- particle; <δέ> and, on the other hand -- and
- πλήρης -- adjective; nominative singular masculine of <πλήρης> full of -- full of
- πνεύματος -- noun, neuter; genitive singular of <πνεῦμα> spirit -- Ghost
- ἁγίου -- adjective; genitive singular neuter of <ἅγιος> holy -- of the Holy
- ὑπέστρεψεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <ὑποστρέφω> turn away -- turned away
- ἀπὸ -- preposition; <ἀπό> from -- from
- τοῦ -- article; genitive singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- the
- Ἰορδάνου -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <Ἰόρδανος> Jordan -- Jordan
- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- ἤγετο -- verb; 3rd person singular imperfect passive of <ἄγω> lead -- was led
- ἐν -- preposition; <ἐν> in -- in
- τῷ -- article; dative singular neuter of <ὁ> the -- the
- πνεύματι -- noun, neuter; dative singular of <πνεῦμα> spirit -- spirit
- ἐν -- preposition; <ἐν> in -- in
- τῇ -- article; dative singular feminine of <ὁ> the -- the
- ἐρήμῳ -- noun, feminine; dative singular of <ἔρημος> desert -- desert
- ἡμέρας -- noun, feminine; accusative plural of <ἡμέρα> day -- days
- τεσσεράκοντα -- number; <τεσσεράκοντα> forty -- forty
- πειραζόμενος -- verb; nominative singular masculine middle of <πειράζω> tempt -- tempted
- ὑπὸ -- preposition; <ὑπό> under, by -- by
- τοῦ -- article; genitive singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- the
- διαβόλου -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <διάβολος> devil -- devil
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- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- οὐκ -- particle; <οὐκ> not -- not
- ἔφαγεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <ἔδω> eat -- he ate
- οὐδὲν -- pronoun; accusative singular neuter of <οὐδείς, οὐδεμία, οὐδέν> no one, nothing -- nothing
- ταῖς -- article; dative plural feminine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- ἡμέραις -- noun, feminine; dative plural of <ἡμέρα> day -- days
- ἐκείναις -- demonstrative pronoun; dative plural feminine of <ἐκεῖνος> that -- those
- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- συντελεσθεισῶν -- verb; genitive plural feminine of aorist passive participle of <συντελέω> complete -- (when ... were) completed
- αὐτῶν -- pronoun; genitive plural feminine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- these
- ἐπείνασεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <πεινάω> to be hungry -- he was hungry
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- εἶπεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <λέγω> say -- said
- δὲ -- particle; <δέ> and, on the other hand -- and
- αὐτῷ -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- to him
- ὁ -- article; nominative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- the
- διάβολος -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <διάβολος> devil -- devil
- εἰ -- conjunction; <εἰ> if -- if
- υἱὸς -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <υἱός> son -- son
- εἶ -- verb; 2nd person singular present of <εἰμί> I am -- you are
- τοῦ -- article; genitive singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- θεοῦ -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <θεός> god -- of God
- εἰπὲ -- verb; 2nd person singular imperative aorist of <λέγω> say -- tell
- τῷ -- article; dative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- λίθῷ -- noun, masculine; dative singular of <λίθος> stone -- stone
- τούτῳ -- demonstrative pronoun; dative singular masculine of <οὗτος> this -- this
- ἵνα -- conjunction; <ἵνα> so that -- that
- γένηται -- deponent verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive of <γίγνομαι> happen, become -- it become
- ἄρτος -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <ἄρτος> bread -- bread
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- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- ἀπεκρίθη -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist passive of <ἀποκρίνω> separate, answer -- answered
- πρὸς -- preposition; <πρός> to -- ...
- αὐτὸν -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- him
- ὁ -- article; nominative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- Ἰησοῦς -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <Ἰησοῦς> Jesus -- Jesus
- γέγραπται -- verb; 3rd person singular perfect passive of <γράφω> write -- it is written
- ὅτι -- conjunction; <ὅτι> because, that -- ...
- οὐκ -- particle; <οὐκ> not -- not
- ἐπ' -- preposition; <ἐπί> on, about -- by
- ἄρτῳ -- noun, masculine; dative singular of <ἄρτος> bread -- bread
- μόνῳ -- adjective; dative singular masculine of <μόνος> alone -- alone
- ζήσεται -- verb; 3rd person singular future middle of <ζάω> live -- will ... live
- ὁ -- article; nominative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- ἄνθρωπος -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <ἄνθρωπος> human being -- man
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- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- ἀναγαγῶν -- verb; nominative singular masculine of aorist participle of <ἀνάγω> lead up -- leading ... up
- αὐτὸν -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- him
- ἔδειξεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <δείκνυμι> show -- he showed
- αὐτῷ -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- him
- πάσας -- adjective; accusative plural feminine of <πᾶς> all, every -- all
- τὰς -- article; accusative plural feminine of <ὁ> the -- the
- βασιλείας -- noun, feminine; accusative plural of <βασιλεία> kingdom -- kingdoms
- τῆς -- article; genitive singular feminine of <ὁ> the -- of the
- οἰκουμένης -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <οἰκουμένη> the inhabited world, the Roman world -- world
- ἐν -- preposition; <ἐν> in -- in
- στιγμῇ -- noun, feminine; dative singular of <στιγμή> spot, point -- a point
- χρόνου -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <χρόνος> time -- of time
4:6 - καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ διάβολος, σοὶ δώσω τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην ἅπασαν καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἐμοὶ παραδέδοται καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν θέλω δίδωμι αὐτὴν.
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- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- εἶπεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <λέγω> say -- said
- αὐτῷ -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- to him
- ὁ -- article; nominative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- the
- διάβολος -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <διάβολος> devil -- devil
- σοὶ -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <σύ> you -- you
- δώσω -- verb; 1st person singular future of <δίδωμι> give -- I will give
- τὴν -- article; accusative singular feminine of <ὁ> the -- the
- ἐξουσίαν -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <ἐξουσία> power -- power
- ταύτην -- demonstrative pronoun; accusative singular feminine of <οὗτος> this -- this
- ἅπασαν -- adjective; accusative singular feminine of <ἅπας> all -- all
- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- τὴν -- article; accusative singular feminine of <ὁ> the -- the
- δόξαν -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <δόξα> glory -- glory
- αὐτῶν -- pronoun; genitive plural feminine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- of them
- ὅτι -- conjunction; <ὅτι> because, that -- because
- ἐμοὶ -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <ἐγώ> I -- to me
- παραδέδοται -- verb; 3rd person singular present passive of <παραδίδωμι> give to -- it was given to
- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- ᾧ -- relative pronoun; dative singular masculine of <ὅς> who, which -- to whom
- ἐὰν -- conjunction; <ἐάν> if -- if
- θέλω -- verb; 1st person singular present of <θέλω> mean, purport -- I wish
- δίδωμι -- verb; 1st person singular present of <δίδωμι> give -- I give
- αὐτὴν -- pronoun; accusative singular feminine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- it
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- σὺ -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <σύ> you -- you
- οὖν -- particle; <οὖν> indeed -- actually
- ἐὰν -- conjunction; <ἐάν> if -- if
- προσκυνήσῃς -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive of <προσκυνέω> worship -- bow down
- ἐνώπιον -- preposition; <ἐνώπιον> before -- before
- ἐμοῦ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <ἐγώ> I -- me
- ἔσται -- verb; 3rd person singular future of <εἰμί> I am -- will be
- σοῦ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <σύ> you -- yours
- πᾶσα -- adjective; nominative singular feminine of <πᾶς> all, every -- all
4:8 - Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, γέγραπται προσκυνήσεις κύριον τὸν θεὸν σοῦ καὶ αὐτῷ μονῷ λατρεύσεις.
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- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- ἀποκριθεὶς -- verb; nominative singular masculine of aorist passive participle of <ἀποκρίνω> separate, answer -- answering
- ὁ -- article; nominative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- Ἰησοῦς -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <Ἰησοῦς> Jesus -- Jesus
- εἶπεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <λέγω> say -- said
- αὐτῷ -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- to him
- γέγραπται -- verb; 3rd person singular perfect passive of <γράφω> write -- it is written
- προσκυνήσεις -- verb; 2nd person singular future of <προσκυνέω> worship -- you shall worship
- κύριον -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <κύριος> lord -- Lord
- τὸν -- article; accusative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- the
- θεὸν -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <θεός> god -- God
- σοῦ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <σύ> you -- your
- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- αὐτῷ -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- him
- μονῷ -- adjective; dative singular masculine of <μόνος> alone -- alone
- λατρεύσεις -- verb; 2nd person singular future of <λατρεύω> serve -- shall you serve
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- ἤγαγεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <ἄγω> lead -- he led
- δὲ -- particle; <δέ> and, on the other hand -- and
- αὐτὸν -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- him
- εἰς -- preposition; <εἰς> towards -- to
- Ἱερουσαλὴμ -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <Ἱερουσαλήμ> Jerusalem -- Jerusalem
- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- ἔστησεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <ἵστημι> put, place, stand -- placed
- ἐπὶ -- preposition; <ἐπί> on, about -- on
- τὸ -- article; accusative singular neuter of <ὁ> the -- the
- πτερύγιον -- noun, neuter; accusative singular of <πτερύγιον> pinnacle -- pinnacle
- τοῦ -- article; genitive singular neuter of <ὁ> the -- of the
- ἱεροῦ -- noun, neuter; genitive singular of <ἱερόν> temple -- temple
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- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- εἶπεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <λέγω> say -- he said
- αὐτῷ -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- to him
- εἰ -- conjunction; <εἰ> if -- if
- υἱὸς -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <υἱός> son -- (the) son
- εἶ -- verb; 2nd person singular present of <εἰμί> I am -- you are
- τοῦ -- article; genitive singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- θεοῦ -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <θεός> god -- of God
- βάλε -- verb; 2nd person singular aorist imperative of <βάλλω> throw -- throw
- σεαυτὸν -- reflexive pronoun; 2nd person singular accusative of <σἑαυτοῦ> yourself -- yourself
- ἐντεῦθεν -- adverb; <ἐντεῦθεν> from there -- from here
- κάτω -- adverb; <κάτω> down, downward -- down
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- γέγραπται -- verb; 3rd person singular perfect passive of <γράφω> write -- it is written
- γὰρ -- conjunction; <γάρ> for -- for
- ὅτι -- conjunction; <ὅτι> because, that -- that
- τοῖς -- article; dative plural masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- ἀγγέλοις -- noun, masculine; dative plural of <ἄγγελος> angel -- angels
- αὐτοῦ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- his
- ἐντελεῖται -- verb; 3rd person singular present middle of <ἐντέλλω> command -- he has commanded
- περὶ -- preposition; <περί> around -- around
- σοῦ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <σύ> you -- you
- τοῦ -- article; genitive singular neuter of <ὁ> the -- ...
- διαφυλάξαι -- verb; infinitive future middle of <διαφυλάσσω> guard carefully -- to guard
- σε -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <σύ> you -- you
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- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- ὅτι -- conjunction; <ὅτι> because, that -- that
- ἐπὶ -- preposition; <ἐπί> on, about -- on
- χειρῶν -- noun, feminine; genitive plural of <χείρ> hand -- (their) arms
- ἀροῦσίν -- verb; 3rd person plural present middle of <αἴρω> take up, bear -- take ... up
- σε -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <σύ> you -- you
- μήποτε -- conjunction; <μήποτε> lest -- so that ...not
- προσκόψῃς -- verb; 2nd person singular future subjunctive of <προσκόπτω> strike...against -- you shall ...strike
- πρὸς -- preposition; <πρός> to -- against
- λίθον -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <λίθος> stone -- (a) stone
- τὸν -- article; accusative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- πόδα -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <ποῦς> foot -- foot
- σοῦ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <σύ> you -- your
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- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- ἀποκριθεὶς -- verb; nominative singular masculine of aorist participle of <ἀποκρίνω> separate, answer -- answering
- εἶπεν -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <λέγω> say -- said
- αὐτῷ -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- to him
- ὁ -- article; nominative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- Ἰησοῦς -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <Ἰησοῦς> Jesus -- Jesus
- ὅτι -- conjunction; <ὅτι> because, that -- ...
- εἶρηται -- verb; 3rd person singular present middle of <εἰρέω> say -- it is said
- οὐκ -- particle; <οὐκ> not -- not
- ἐκπειράσεις -- verb; 2nd person singular future middle of <ἐκπειράομαι> tempt -- you shall ... tempt
- κύριον -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <κύριος> lord -- (the) Lord
- τὸν -- article; accusative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- ...
- θεὸν -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <θεός> god -- God
- σοῦ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <σύ> you -- your
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- καὶ -- conjunction; <καί> and -- and
- συντελέσας -- verb; nominative singular masculine of aorist participle of <συντελέω> complete -- having completed
- πάντα -- adjective; accusative singular masculine of <πᾶς> all, every -- (the) entire
- πειρασμὸν -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <πειρασμός> temptation -- temptation
- ὁ -- article; nominative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- the
- διάβολος -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <διάβολος> devil -- devil
- ἀπέστη -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist of <ἀπίστημι> leave, depart -- departed
- ἀπ' -- preposition; <ἀπό> from -- from
- αὐτοῦ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <αὐτός> oneself, he -- him
- ἄχρι -- preposition; <ἄχρι> until -- for
- καιροῦ -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <καιρός> time -- (a) time
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- εἰ -- conjunction; <εἰ> if -- if
- ὁ -- article; nominative singular masculine of <ὁ> the -- the
- θεὸς -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <θεός> god -- God
- ὑπὲρ -- preposition; <ὑπὲρ> over, for -- (is) for
- ἡμῶν -- pronoun; genitive plural masculine of <ἐγώ> I -- us
- τίς -- interrogative pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <τίς> who, what -- who
- καθ' -- preposition; <κατά> completely, down, under -- (be) against
- ἡμῶν -- pronoun; genitive plural masculine of <ἐγώ> I -- us
Lesson Text
4:1 - Ἰησοῦς δὲ πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου ὑπέστρεψεν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, καὶ ἤγετο ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα πειραζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου. 4:2 - Καὶ οὐκ ἔφαγεν οὐδὲν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, καὶ συντελεσθεισῶν αὐτῶν ἐπείνασεν. 4:3 - εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ διάβολος, εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰπὲ τῷ λίθῷ τούτῳ ἵνα γένηται ἄρτος. 4:4 - καὶ ἀπεκρίθη πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, γέγραπται ὅτι οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος. 4:5 - καὶ ἀναγαγῶν αὐτὸν ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ πάσας τὰς βασιλείας τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐν στιγμῇ χρόνου. 4:6 - καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ διάβολος, σοὶ δώσω τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην ἅπασαν καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἐμοὶ παραδέδοται καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν θέλω δίδωμι αὐτὴν. 4:7 - σὺ οὖν ἐὰν προσκυνήσῃς ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ, ἔσται σοῦ πᾶσα. 4:8 - Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, γέγραπται προσκυνήσεις κύριον τὸν θεὸν σοῦ καὶ αὐτῷ μονῷ λατρεύσεις. 4:9 - Ἤγαγεν δὲ αὐτὸν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἔστησεν ἐπὶ τὸ πτερύγιον τοῦ ἱεροῦ. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, βάλε σεαυτὸν ἐντεῦθεν κάτω. 4:10 - γέγραπται
γὰρ ὅτι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ
τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε, 4:11 - καὶ
ὅτι ἐπὶ χειρῶν ἀροῦσίν σε,
μήποτε προσκόψῃς πρὸς λίθον τὸν πόδα σοῦ. 4:12 - καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι εἶρηται, οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις κύριον τὸν θεὸν σοῦ. 4:13 - Καὶ συντελέσας πάντα πειρασμὸν ὁ διάβολος ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἄχρι καιροῦ. Romans 8:31b (memory verse) -
Εἰ ὁ θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τίς καθ' ἡμῶν;
Translation
From the King James version:
4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 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. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 For it is written,He shall give his angels charge over thee,
to keep thee:
11 Andin their hands they shall bear thee up,
lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Romans 8:31b (memory verse) --
If God is for us, who can be against us?
Grammar
16 Nouns ending in -ηρ.
The basic relationship terms, among other nouns, end in -ηρ, and have no -ε- in the genitive and dative singular, and the dative plural. The following are examples.
| father | daughter | man | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. sg. | ὁ πατήρ | ἡ θυγάτηρ | ὁ ἀνήρ | |||
| Gen. sg. | τοῦ πατρός | τῆς θυγατρός | τοῦ ἀνδρός | |||
| Dat. sg. | τῷ πατρί | τῇ θυγατρί | τῷ ανδρί | |||
| Acc. sg. | τὸν πατέρα | τῆν θυγατέρα | τὸν ἄνδρα | |||
| Nom. pl. | οἱ πατέρες | αἱ θυγατέρες | οἱ ἄνδρες | |||
| Gen. pl. | τῶν πατέρων | τῶν θυγατέρων | τῶν ἀνδρῶν | |||
| Dat. pl. | τοῖς πατράσι | ταῖς θυγατράσι | τοῖς ἀνδράσι | |||
| Acc. pl. | τοὺς πατέρας | τὰς θυγατέρας | τοὺς ἄνδρας |
17 Irregular nouns.
Some of the more frequent nouns are irregular in inflection; three of them are given here.
| woman | ship | fire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. sg. | ἡ γυνή | ἡ ναῦς | τὸ πῦρ | |||
| Gen. sg. | τῆς γυναικός | τῆς νεώς | τοῦ πυρός | |||
| Dat. sg. | τῇ γυναικί | τῇ νηί | τῷ πυρί | |||
| Acc. sg. | τῆν γυναῖκα | τῆν ναῦν | τὸ πῦρ | |||
| Nom. pl. | αἱ γυναῖκες | αἱ νῆες | τὰ πυρά | |||
| Gen. pl. | τῶν γυναικῶν | τῶν νεῶν | τῶν πυρῶν | |||
| Dat. pl. | ταῖς γυναιξί(ν) | ταῖς ναυσί(ν) | τοῖς πυροῖς | |||
| Acc. pl. | τὰς γυναῖκας | τὰς ναῦς | τὰ πυρά |
18 Demonstrative pronouns.
There are three demonstrative pronouns. ὅδε, ἥδε, τόδε points to the present or future, and corresponds to 'this,' 'this one here.' οὕτος, αὔτη, τοῦτο points to the former, and corresponds to 'that.' ἐκεῖνος, ἐκείνη, ἐκεῖνο points to things remote or absent, and corresponds to 'that there.' ὅδε is based on the definite article. The forms of ἐκεῖνος are like those of αὐτός. The forms of οὗτος are given here.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. sg. | οὗτος | αὕτη | τοῦτο | |||
| Gen. sg. | τούτου | ταύτης | τούτου | |||
| Dat. sg. | τούτῳ | ταύτῃ | τούτῳ | |||
| Acc. sg. | τοῦτον | ταύτην | τοῦτο | |||
| Nom. pl. | οὗτοι | αὗται | ταῦτα | |||
| Gen. pl. | τούτων | τούτων | τούτων | |||
| Dat. pl. | τούτοις | ταύταις | τούτοις | |||
| Acc. pl. | τούτους | ταύτας | ταῦτα |
19 The uses of infinitives.
The syntax of New Testament Greek is relatively simple. Most sentences and clauses are completed by a finite verb governing an object, often accompanied by adverbial elements. When infinitives are used they generally complement the meaning of the principal verb as in John 3, with its repeated uses of δύναται followed by ποιεῖν '(no one) can do' and other infinitives. They often are used to indicate purpose, as in Luke 2:1 and following in the passages including ἀπογράφεσθαι '(that all the world) be registered', and similarly in Matthew 2:2 ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ 'we have come to worship him'. In this use they may be introduced by an article, as in verse 10 of this passage: τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε 'to protect you'.
Infinitives may also be treated like nouns, where English makes use of participles, as in Luke 2:4 διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν..., literally 'through the (fact of) him be(ing)' > 'because he is'. The infinitive in verse 6 is similar though treated as a genitive after a noun: ἡμέραι τοῦ τεκεῖν αὐτήν, literally 'days of her giv(ing) birth'. But as these few examples illustrate, infinitives are relatively infrequent in New Testament Greek and readily interpreted.
20 The Present system of the Middle and the Passive.
The Greek verb has a full set of Middle and Passive forms corresponding to those of the Active. In the Present System, the forms of the two Voices are the same.
When used as Middle, the forms indicate an action or situation reflecting on the subject; thus the first singular indicative πιστεύομαι means 'I believe'. When used as Passive, the meaning corresponds to that of passives in English, so that the Passive πιστεύομαι means 'I am (being) believed.' The forms must be interpreted from the context.
The forms of the Present System (first, second, and third person, singular and plural) are as follows:
| Indicative | Imperfect | Subjunctive | Optative | Imperative | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1s | πιστεύομαι | ἐπιστευόμην | πιστεύωμαι | πιστευοίμην | ||||||
| 2s | πιστεύῃ | ἐπιστεύου | πιστεύῃ | πιστεύοιο | πιστεύου | |||||
| 3s | πιστεύεται | ἐπιστεύετο | πιστεύηται | πιστευοίτο | πιστευέσθω | |||||
| 1p | πιστευόμεθα | ἐπιστευόμεθα | πιστευώμεθα | πιστευοίμεθα | ||||||
| 2p | πιστεύεσθε | ἐπιστεύεσθε | πιστεύησθε | πιστεύοισθε | πιστεύεσθε | |||||
| 3p | πιστεύονται | ἐπιστεύοντο | πιστεύωνται | πιστεύοιντο | πιστευέσθων |
Infinitive: πιστεύεσθαι
Participle: πιστευόμενος, πιστευομένη, πιστευόμενον
