4:9
“All this I will give You,” he said: The Berean Standard Bible places the words he said in the middle of what the devil said. This is good English style. However, in some languages it may be more natural to put these words at the beginning of 4:9. For example:
And he said to him, “All these I will give you…” (English Standard Version)
All this I will give You: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates All this refers to “all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor” (4:8b).
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
All those/these ⌊countries/things⌋ I will give to you
-or-
I will give to you all that you can see
if You will fall down: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fall down refers to showing great respect by getting close to the ground. This can be done by bowing or kneeling. This word does not mean to accidentally fall down.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
bow down (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
kneel down (Good News Translation)
This same word occurs in 2:11c.
and worship me: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as worship is literally “prostrate before.” It usually involved kneeling and putting one’s face to the ground. This was done before God and also kings to show great honor and submission.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
and/to honor me
-or-
and submit to me
-or-
and show me respect
See the note on worship in 2:2c for more information on this same word.
General Comment on 4:9
In some languages, it may be more natural to have the “if” clause first. For example:
The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.” (New Century Version)
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