Translation commentary on Luke 4:12

Exegesis:

eirētai ‘it is said,’ introducing an Old Testament quotation like gegraptai in vv. 4, 8, 10; cf. also to eirēmenon in 2.24. There is no reason to differentiate between gegraptai and eirētai in this passage as is shown by the fact that all Old Testament quotations in this section are from the same book, i.e. Deuteronomy and serve the same purpose.

ouk ekpeiraseis kurion ton theon sou ‘you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’

ekpeirazō (also 10.25) ‘to put to the test,’ ‘to tempt,’ ‘to challenge’ by doing something which one knows to be not the will of God.

Translation:

It is said instead of “it is written” (vv. 4, 8, 10). If closely synonymous phrases are available (e.g. ‘the Book says—Scripture says,’ or ‘the Book says—the Book has it’), they should be used, of course; if not, one should neglect the variation. It is not advisable to use renderings that indicate an intentional difference between the two phrases, such as ‘God says—Scripture has it,’ or, ‘there is a word of God—there is written,’ suggesting that, whereas the devil appeals to the written word, Jesus appeals to the authority behind it.

To tempt … God. Translators often have tried their utmost to find a term that can cover the situation of v. 2a as well as the one in this verse. This is unnecessary, as even the Greek uses different (though cognate) verbs, and unadvisable, since the situations differ. Some renderings used here are, ‘to push/urge-into-action God’ (Kele), ‘to push God to do what you want’ (Huanuco Quechua), ‘to ask power of God without need’ (Kekchi), ‘to presume (i.e. go too far) in the presence of God’ (Tzeltal, an idiomatic expression used of someone exceeding his rights).

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 4:12

4:12a

But: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But is a conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Some English versions, such as the English Standard Version, translate it that way. Other versions, such as the New International Version and NET Bible, do not translate this conjunction here. Connect 4:12a to 4:11b in a way that is natural in your language.

Jesus answered: As in 4:4a and 4:8a, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as answered here means “replied” or “responded.” Jesus was not answering a question. He was responding to an attempt by the devil to tempt him to sin.

Jesus was refusing to do what Satan had wanted. You may need to make this clear in your translation. For example:

Jesus ⌊refused. He⌋ said…

It also says: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as It also says, which is literally “it is said,” refers to the Scriptures. It has the same meaning as “It is written” in 4:4a and 4:8a. Some English versions have made this explicit, using an active verb. For example:

Scripture says (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
The Scriptures also say (Contemporary English Version)

4:12b

Do not put the Lord your God to the test: Other ways to translate the Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Do not put the Lord your God to the test are:

Do not test the Lord your God (New Century Version)
-or-
Never tempt the Lord your God (God’s Word)

Here in 4:12b, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16. God had forbidden people to test him. In this context, Jesus meant that jumping down from the temple would be testing God. It would have been a sin. He would have tested God to prove that God would save him.

General Comment on 4:12a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate the quotation from the Scriptures as indirect speech. For example:

The Scriptures say that no one should test the Lord our(excl) God.

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