The Meaning of Luke 4:12 Explained

Luke 4:12

KJV: And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

YLT: And Jesus answering said to him -- 'It hath been said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'

Darby: And Jesus answering said to him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

ASV: And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God.

What is the context of Luke 4:12?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  Jesus  answering  said  unto him,  It is said,  Thou shalt  not  tempt  the Lord  thy  God. 

What does Luke 4:12 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 4:1-13 - The Threefold Temptation
As the waters of Jordan bisect the Holy Land, so does our Lord's baptism bisect His holy life. In that act He had identified Himself with the world's sin; and now, as the High Priest who was to deal with sin and sinners, He must be "in all points" tempted and tested "like as we are."
He took into the wilderness a perfect humanity of flesh and blood, made in all points like His brethren, though without sin. He elected to fight His great fight, not by the use of the divine attributes, but as Son of man. Where the first Adam fell, the second must stand.
First, He could not use His native power for His own gratification. Second, He would abide strictly within the limitations of the world He had entered, Hebrews 2:16-17. Third, He would win His kingdom by the Cross. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 4

1  The fasting and temptation of Jesus
14  He begins to preach
16  The people of Nazareth marvel at words, but seek to kill him
33  He cures one possessed of a demon,
38  Peter's mother-in-law,
40  and various other sick persons
41  The demons acknowledge Jesus, and are reproved for it
42  He preaches through the cities of Galilee

Greek Commentary for Luke 4:12

It is said [ειρηται]
Perfect passive indicative, stands said, a favourite way of quoting Scripture in the N.T. In Matthew 4:7 we have the usual “it is written” Here Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16. Each time he uses Deuteronomy against the devil. The lxx is quoted. It is the volitive future indicative with ουκ — ouk a common prohibition. Jesus points out to the devil that testing God is not trusting God (Plummer). [source]
It is said []
For Matthew's it is written, Matthew 4:7. Luke omits Matthew's again. See Matthew 4:7. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 4:12

1 Corinthians 10:9 Let us tempt Christ [ἐκπειράζωμεν τὸν Χριστόν]
The compound word is very significant, “to tempt out ” ( ἐκ ); tempt thoroughly; try to the utmost. It occurs in three other places: Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12; Luke 10:25; and, in every case, is used of tempting or testing Christ. Compare Psalm 77:18(Sept.). For Christ read Κύριον theLord. [source]
1 Corinthians 10:9 Neither let us tempt the Lord [μηδε εκπειραζωμεν τον Κυριον]
So the best MSS. instead of Christ. This compound occurs in lxx and in N.T. always about Christ (here and Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12; Luke 10:25). Let us cease sorely (εκ — ek̇) tempting the Lord by such conduct. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 4:12 mean?

And answering said to him - Jesus - It has been said Not you shall test [the] Lord the God of you
Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι Εἴρηται Οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου

ἀποκριθεὶς  answering 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀποκρίνομαι  
Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer.
εἶπεν  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
ὅτι  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
Εἴρηται  It  has  been  said 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to utter, speak, say.
ἐκπειράσεις  you  shall  test 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἐκπειράζω  
Sense: to prove, test, thoroughly.
Κύριον  [the]  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
Θεόν  God 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
σου  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.