Why did Satan quote Scripture?

Satan quoted Scripture during the temptation of Jesus to try to manipulate the Word of God for his own deceitful purposes. His tactic was to twist the meaning of Scripture to provoke Jesus to act presumptuously and disobey the Father’s will.

During the second temptation recorded in Matthew 4, Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and said:

“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over You,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone.’”
(Matthew 4:6)

Satan was quoting from Psalm 91:11–12. This psalm is a true promise of God’s protection, but Satan misused it by removing the condition. The full verse says:

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”
(Psalm 91:11)

The phrase “in all your ways” refers to the righteous paths ordained by God, not reckless acts of testing His promises. Satan omitted that part and misapplied the promise to justify putting God to the test.

Jesus responded with Scripture in proper context:

“It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
(Matthew 4:7)

This comes from Deuteronomy 6:16 and refers to Israel’s sin of demanding signs from God in the wilderness. Jesus refused to treat the Father like a servant who must prove Himself.

Satan’s use of Scripture was deceptive, not reverent. He aimed to lead Jesus to sin by manipulating what God had said, just as he did with Eve in the garden:

“Has God indeed said…?”
(Genesis 3:1)

This tactic shows that knowing Scripture alone is not enough. It must be rightly divided, understood in context, and obeyed in the fear of the Lord.

Jesus, the Word made flesh, defeated Satan not with mystical power, but by standing firmly on rightly applied Scripture. His victory is a model for every believer in resisting temptation.

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