SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:8
Otra vez le pas el diablo a un monte muy alto, y le muestra todos los reinos del mundo, y su gloria,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 4:8
Verse 8. An exceeding high mountain, and showeth him] If the words, all the kingdoms of the world, be taken in a literal sense, then this must have been a visionary representation, as the highest mountain on the face of the globe could not suffice to make evident even one hemisphere of the earth, and the other must of necessity be in darkness. But if we take the world to mean only the land of Judea, and some of the surrounding nations, as it appears sometimes to signify, (see on Luke ii. 1,) then the mountain described by the Abbe Mariti (Travels through Cyprus, &c.) could have afforded the prospect in question. Speaking of it, he says, "Here we enjoyed the most beautiful prospect imaginable. This part of the mountain overlooks the mountains of Arabia, the country of Gilead, the country of the Amorites, the plains of Moab, the plains of Jericho, the river Jordan, and the whole extent of the Dead Sea. It was here that the devil said to the Son of God, All these kingdoms will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Probably St. Matthew, in the Hebrew original, wrote rah haarets, which signifies the world, the earth, and often the land of Judea only. What renders this more probable is, that at this time Judea was divided into several kingdoms, or governments under the three sons of Herod the Great, viz. Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip; which are not only called ethnarchs and tetrarchs in the Gospels, but also basileiv, kings, and are said basileuein, to reign, as Rosenmuller has properly remarked. See chap. ii. 22; xiv. 9.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 8. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain , etc.] That is, he took him off from the pinnacle of the temple, and carried him through the air, to one of the mountains which were round about Jerusalem; or to some very high mountain at a greater distance; but what mountain is not certain; nor can it be known; nor is it of any moment; it has been said to be Mount Lebanon: here he sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and glory of them . By all the kingdoms of the world are meant, not only the Roman empire, as Dr.
Lightfoot thinks, though that was, to he sure, the greatest in the world at that time; but all the kingdoms in the whole world, which subsisted in any form, whether within, or independent of the Roman empire; or whether greater or lesser: and by the glory of them, is meant, the riches, pomp, power, and grandeur of them. Now the view which Satan gave Christ of all this, was not by a representation of them in a picture, or in a map, or in any geographical tables, as some have thought; since to do this there was no need to take him up into a mountain, and that an exceeding high one; for this might have been done in a valley, as well as in a mountain: and yet it could not be a true and real sight of these things he gave him; for there is no mountain in the world, from whence can be beheld anyone kingdom, much less all the kingdoms of the world; and still less the riches, glory, pomp, and power of them: but this was a fictitious, delusive representation, which Satan was permitted to make; to cover which, and that it might be thought to be real, he took Christ into an high mountain; where he proposed an object externally to his sight, and internally to his imagination, which represented, in appearance, the whole world, and all its glory.
Xiphilinus reports of Severus, that he dreamed, he was had by a certain person, to a place where he could look all around him, and from thence he beheld pasan men thn ghn, pasan de thn yalassan all the earth, and also all the sea; which was all in imagination. Satan thought to have imposed on Christ this way, but failed in his attempt. Luke says, this was done in a moment of time , in the twinkling of an eye; as these two phrases are joined together, ( 1 Corinthians 15:52) or in a point of time. The word stigmh , used by ( Luke 4:5) sometimes signifies a mathematical point, which Zeno says is the end of the line, and the least mark; to which the allusion may be here, and designs the smallest part of time that can be conceived of. Antoninus the emperor uses the word, as here, for a point of time; and says f204 , that the time of human life, and the whole present time, is but stigmh a point. Would you know what a moment, or point of time is, according to the calculation of the Jewish doctors, take the account as follows; though in it they differ: a moment, say they f205 , is the fifty six thousandth, elsewhere f206 , the fifty eight thousandth, and in another place f207 , the fifty three thousandth and eight hundredth and forty eighth, or, according to another account f208 , eighty eighth part of an hour. If this could be thought to be a true and exact account of a moment, or point of time, it was a very short space of time indeed, in which the devil showed to Christ the kingdoms of this world, and their glory; but this is not more surprising than his vanity, pride, and impudence, in the following verse.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-11 - Concerning Christ's temptation, observe, that directly after he wa declared to be the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world, he wa tempted; great privileges, and special tokens of Divine favour, wil not secure any from being tempted. But if the Holy Spirit witness to our being adopted as children of God, that will answer all the suggestions of the evil spirit. Christ was directed to the combat. I we presume upon our own strength, and tempt the devil to tempt us, we provoke God to leave us to ourselves. Others are tempted, when draw aside of their own lust, and enticed, Jas 1:14; but our Lord Jesus ha no corrupt nature, therefore he was tempted only by the devil. In the temptation of Christ it appears that our enemy is subtle, spiteful, an very daring; but he can be resisted. It is a comfort to us that Chris suffered, being tempted; for thus it appears that our temptations, is not yielded to, are not sins, they are afflictions only. Satan aimed in all his temptations, to bring Christ to sin against God. 1. He tempte him to despair of his Father's goodness, and to distrust his Father' care concerning him. It is one of the wiles of Satan to take advantag of our outward condition; and those who are brought into straits have need to double their guard. Christ answered all the temptations of Satan with "It is written;" to set us an example, he appealed to what was written in the Scriptures. This method we must take, when at an time we are tempted to sin. Let us learn not to take any wrong course for our supply, when our wants are ever so pressing: in some way of other the Lord will provide. 2. Satan tempted Christ to presume upo his Father's power and protection, in a point of safety. Nor are an extremes more dangerous than despair and presumption, especially in the affairs of our souls. Satan has no objection to holy places as the scene of his assaults. Let us not, in any place, be off our watch. The holy city is the place, where he does, with the greatest advantage tempt men to pride and presumption. All high places are slipper places; advancements in the world makes a man a mark for Satan to shoo his fiery darts at. Is Satan so well versed in Scripture as to be able to quote it readily? He is so. It is possible for a man to have his head full of Scripture notions, and his mouth full of Scriptur expressions, while his heart is full of bitter enmity to God and to all goodness. Satan misquoted the words. If we go out of our way, out of the way of our duty, we forfeit the promise, and put ourselves out of God's protection. This passage, De 8:3, made against the tempter therefore he left out part. This promise is firm and stands good. But shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? No. 3. Satan tempte Christ to idolatry with the offer of the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. The glory of the world is the most charming temptatio to the unthinking and unwary; by that men are most easily imposed upon Christ was tempted to worship Satan. He rejected the proposal with abhorrence. "Get thee hence, Satan!" Some temptations are openl wicked; and they are not merely to be opposed, but rejected at once. It is good to be quick and firm in resisting temptation. If we resist the devil he will flee from us. But the soul that deliberates is almos overcome. We find but few who can decidedly reject such baits as Sata offers; yet what is a man profited if he gain the whole world, and los his own soul? Christ was succoured after the temptation, for his encouragement to go on in his undertaking, and for our encouragement to trust in him; for as he knew, by experience, what it was to suffer being tempted, so he knew what it was to be succoured, being tempted therefore we may expect, not only that he will feel for his tempte people, but that he will come to them with seasonable relief.
Greek Textus Receptus
παλιν 3825 ADV παραλαμβανει 3880 5719 V-PAI-3S αυτον 846 P-ASM ο 3588 T-NSM διαβολος 1228 A-NSM εις 1519 PREP ορος 3735 N-ASN υψηλον 5308 A-ASN λιαν 3029 ADV και 2532 CONJ δεικνυσιν 1166 5719 V-PAI-3S αυτω 846 P-DSM πασας 3956 A-APF τας 3588 T-APF βασιλειας 932 N-APF του 3588 T-GSM κοσμου 2889 N-GSM και 2532 CONJ την 3588 T-ASF δοξαν 1391 N-ASF αυτων 846 P-GPF
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:8 {And showeth him} (kai deiknusin autwi). this wonderful panorama had to be partially mental and imaginative, since the devil caused to pass in review "all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them." But this fact does not prove that all phases of the temptations were subjective without any objective presence of the devil. Both could be true. Here again we have the vivid historical present (deiknusin). The devil now has Christ upon a very high mountain whether the traditional Quarantania or not. It was from Nebo's summit that Moses caught the vision of the land of Canaan (#De 34:1-3). Luke (#Lu 4:5) says that the whole panorama was "in a moment of time" and clearly psychological and instantaneous.
