“And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
King James Version (KJV)
4:6 In their hands - That is, with great care. #Psalm 91:11,12|.
Mt 4:6 If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down. Again the doubt is implied and the taunt uttered. Jesus had expressed his trust in the word of God. The devil now asks him to go from the extreme of distrust to that of rashly tempting God. It was, perhaps, the demand so often repeated and always refused, "to show a sign from heaven" (Mt 16:1 Mr 8:11 Lu 11:16), to make a display of his power to secure popular applause. Perhaps the evil spirit whispered to him to perform one stupendous miracle in Jerusalem, in the presence of all people, and to secure such fame that he would reach the throne without treading the thorny way of the cross. To have done so would have robbed the world of its Savior. "It behooved him to die, and to rise again". He shall give his angels charge concerning thee. The enemy, like a false adviser, quotes from Ps 91:11 to justify his request, but he garbled the Scripture, leaving out "to keep thee in all thy ways", which follows the first clause. The promise is limited to those who walk in the way appointed to them.