Section 1:12–13

Jesus refused Satan’s temptations

In this section Satan tried to persuade Jesus to sin, but Jesus refused to do what Satan wanted. It is good to translate this section before you decide on a section heading.

Here are some other options for this section heading:

The temptation of Jesus
-or-
Satan tempts Jesus

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:1–13.

Paragraph 1:12–13

1:12

At once: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as At once is literally “And immediately.” It indicates that this event is the next thing that happened to Jesus. It also indicates that this event is an important new event in the story. See the note in 1:10a on the phrase “As soon as….”

The phrase At once here does not imply that the Holy Spirit hurried to send Jesus out into the wilderness. It also does not imply that the Holy Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness at the exact time that God finished speaking in 1:11.

the Spirit: The phrase the Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. It is recommended that you use the same term here as you used in 1:10c and 1:8b. See the notes there.

drove Jesus: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as drove can be used in many ways. It is often used of expelling demons, but in other verses it means to send out or lead out of a place.

Here are some other ways that English versions translate it in this context:

drove him out (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
compelled (New Living Translation)
-or-
made him/Jesus go (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version)
-or-
sent/sent out (New Century Version, New International Version)

It is good to use an expression that implies some compulsion or forcefulness but not too much. Do not imply that the Holy Spirit treated Jesus cruelly or that Jesus resisted the Holy Spirit and had to be forced to go.

into the wilderness: The word wilderness refers to a wild, desolate area where few people lived. This word was also used in 1:3a. You should translate it the same way here.

Jesus and John were already in the wilderness. So this verse must mean that the Holy Spirit sent him to a different place in the wilderness.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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