for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easily missed is that Jesus wasn't just not eating for forty days; He was sustained by God's power, with hunger only setting in after the period of temptation concluded. This highlights that His endurance wasn't just a human feat of willpower, but a divinely-enabled victory that prepared Him for the intense spiritual warfare to come.
for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, has just returned from His baptism in the Jordan and is immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness. For forty days He abstains from food and is in the wilderness, during which time He is continuously tempted by the devil. It's only after this period of intense spiritual struggle and fasting that Jesus experiences physical hunger, setting the stage for the specific temptations recorded by Matthew and Luke.
Why forty days? This isn't just a random number. It signifies a profound period of divine preparation and intense spiritual engagement.
The number forty in Scripture often points to a significant season of testing, revelation, or transition.
Jesus fasted for forty days. But it wasn't until His hunger pangs hit that the devil saw his prime moment to strike.
This passage highlights the strategic nature of spiritual warfare and the vulnerability that can arise from extreme physical deprivation.
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Understand the original words
peirazō · Greek Verb
The act of being tested, solicited to do evil, or put to the proof. It implies a trial of faith intended to reveal character or induce failure.
diabolos · Greek Noun
Meaning 'adversary' or 'accuser,' this is the primary name for the chief fallen angel, the enemy of God and humanity who actively opposes the redemptive work of Christ.
The number 'forty' in Scripture often signifies a period of intense spiritual testing, divine preparation, or divine judgment. Jesus' forty-day fast and temptation in the wilderness echoes these earlier biblical patterns, highlighting His unique role as the obedient Son of God who overcomes what Israel and others failed to conquer.
c. 1400 BC
Moses on Mount Sinai
Moses spent forty days and nights on Mount Sinai in the presence of God, receiving the Law. This event established a significant precedent for the number forty being associated with divine revelation and intense spiritual experience.
c. 874 BC
Elijah's Fast in the Wilderness
After fleeing from Jezebel, Elijah journeyed forty days and nights to Mount Horeb, sustained by food provided by an angel. This demonstrated God's power to sustain His prophet during extreme spiritual trials.
c. 1450-1400 BC
Israel's Forty Years in the Wilderness
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years as a consequence of their disobedience and lack of faith. This period served as a harsh lesson in dependence on God and the consequences of rebellion.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Jesus Led into the Wilderness
After His baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. This was a deliberate divine appointment for Jesus to confront and overcome temptation.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' Forty-Day Fast
During His time in the wilderness, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights, abstaining from food. This intense period of spiritual discipline prepared Him for His public ministry and His confrontation with Satan.
This passage mirrors the forty-day period of fasting and divine encounter, highlighting its significance in receiving God's law and entering a profound spiritual state.
1 Kings 19:8Similar to Jesus, Elijah also fasted for forty days and nights in the wilderness, demonstrating a profound spiritual endurance and preparation before receiving a divine revelation.
Deuteronomy 8:3This verse, which Jesus quotes in his temptation, underscores the principle that human life depends on God's word, not just physical sustenance, a foundational truth tested in the wilderness.
Hebrews 4:15This New Testament passage speaks directly to Jesus' experience, emphasizing that he was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin, validating the reality and significance of his wilderness trials.
Numbers 14:34The forty-year wilderness wandering of the Israelites serves as a backdrop for understanding the symbolic weight of the number forty, often associated with testing, purification, and divine dealing with His people.
bengelLuke 4:2: "Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered."
Luke 4:2 . Ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα , forty days ) This is commonly construed with πειραζόμενος , being tempted . But it was not until the time when Jesus hungered, after the forty days were completed, that the Tempter came to Him; Matthew 4:3 . It ought therefore to be construed with ἤγετο , was led into the wilderness , and was in the wilderness forty days . A s…
barnesLuke 4:2: "Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered."
Being forty days tempted - That is, through forty days he was "tried" in various ways by the devil. The temptations, however, which are recorded by Matthew and Luke did not take place until the forty days were finished. See Matthew 4:2-3 . He did eat nothing - He was sustained by the power of God during this season of extraordinary fasting.
What's easily missed is that Jesus wasn't just not eating for forty days; He was sustained by God's power, with hunger only setting in after the period of temptation concluded. This highlights that His endurance wasn't just a human feat of willpower, but a divinely-enabled victory that prepared Him for the intense spiritual warfare to come.
Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, has just returned from His baptism in the Jordan and is immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness. For forty days He abstains from food and is in the wilderness, during which time He is continuously tempted by the devil. It's only after this period of intense spiritual struggle and fasting that Jesus experiences physical hunger, setting the stage for the specific temptations recorded by Matthew and Luke.
Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, has just returned from His baptism in the Jordan and is immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness. For forty days He abstains from food and is in the wilderness, during which time He is continuously tempted by the devil. It's only after this period of intense spiritual struggle and fasting that Jesus experiences physical hunger, setting the stage for the specific temptations recorded by Matthew and Luke.
"for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry." — What's easily missed is that Jesus wasn't just not eating for forty days; He was sustained by God's power, with hunger only setting in after the period of temptation concluded. This highlights th…
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Last reviewed October 2026