Matthew 4:2

KJV

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

KJV (with Strong's)

And {G2532} when he had fasted {G3522} forty {G5062} days {G2250} and {G2532} forty {G5062} nights {G3571}, he was afterward {G5305} an hungred {G3983}.

Complete Jewish Bible

After Yeshua had fasted forty days and nights, he was hungry.

Berean Standard Bible

After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.

American Standard Version

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Matthew 4:2 marks a crucial transition in Jesus' earthly ministry, immediately following His baptism and divine affirmation, and preceding His public ministry. It succinctly describes the culmination of His forty-day and forty-night fast in the wilderness, highlighting His profound spiritual discipline and intense physical vulnerability as He became deeply hungry, setting the stage for the monumental temptations He was about to face.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse serves as the immediate precursor to Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, directly following His baptism in [Matthew 3](/matthew/3 "Matthew 3 - Jesus' Baptism"). In the preceding verses, Jesus is baptized by John, the heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father's voice affirms Him as His beloved Son ([Matthew 3:16-17](/matthew/3-16-17 "Matthew 3:16-17 - Divine Affirmation at Baptism")). Immediately after this profound divine affirmation and empowerment, the Spirit "led Jesus up into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" ([Matthew 4:1](/matthew/4-1 "Matthew 4:1 - Jesus Led into the Wilderness")). Thus, the forty-day fast described in [Matthew 4:2](/matthew/4-2 "Matthew 4:2 - Jesus' Fast") is not a random act but a Spirit-led period of intense preparation and spiritual discipline, designed to bring Jesus to a point of extreme physical weakness where He would face the most significant spiritual battle of His early ministry.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The wilderness (ἔρημος, _erēmos_) in biblical thought is often a place of testing, purification, and divine encounter. For ancient Israel, the wilderness was where God tested His people for forty years ([Deuteronomy 8:2](/deuteronomy/8-2 "Deuteronomy 8:2 - Israel's Wilderness Testing")), sustained them, and revealed His law. The "forty days and forty nights" motif is deeply significant in Jewish tradition, recalling Moses' forty days on Mount Sinai receiving the Law ([Exodus 34:28](/exodus/34-28 "Exodus 34:28 - Moses' Forty-Day Fast")) and Elijah's forty-day journey to Mount Horeb sustained by miraculous food ([1 Kings 19:8](/1_kings/19-8 "1 Kings 19:8 - Elijah's Forty-Day Journey")). Fasting itself was a recognized spiritual discipline in Judaism, practiced for repentance, mourning, seeking divine guidance, or intense prayer. Jesus' fast positions Him within this rich biblical tradition, yet also sets Him apart as the one who perfectly endures where others faltered, particularly in His identification with Israel's wilderness experience.
* **Key Themes:** This verse contributes significantly to several major themes in Matthew's Gospel and broader biblical theology. It underscores **Jesus' preparation for ministry**, demonstrating the necessity of spiritual discipline and deep communion with God before embarking on His public calling. It powerfully highlights **the full humanity of Jesus**, showing that despite His divine nature, He experienced genuine physical needs and vulnerabilities, becoming "an hungred" just like any human. This human experience is crucial for His role as a compassionate High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses ([Hebrews 4:15](/hebrews/4-15 "Hebrews 4:15 - Jesus, Our Sympathetic High Priest")). Furthermore, the fast emphasizes the theme of **spiritual discipline and dependence on God's strength**, as Jesus relies on divine sustenance rather than physical food. Finally, it sets the stage for the theme of **testing and temptation**, revealing that spiritual strength is often forged in moments of extreme vulnerability and dependence on God, preparing Jesus to confront Satan directly in the subsequent verses of [Matthew 4](/matthew/4 "Matthew 4 - The Temptation of Jesus").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **fasted (Greek, _nēsteúō'_):** This verb signifies abstaining from food, specifically in a religious context. It implies a deliberate spiritual discipline, not merely a lack of food due to circumstance. Jesus' fast was a purposeful act of devotion and preparation, aligning Himself with the Old Testament figures who fasted to draw near to God and receive divine revelation.
* **forty (Greek, _tessarákonta'_):** The number forty is profoundly symbolic in biblical narrative, often denoting a period of testing, purification, judgment, or significant preparation. It appears in contexts such as the forty days of the flood, Israel's forty years in the wilderness, Moses' forty days on Mount Sinai, and Elijah's forty-day journey. Here, it underscores the intensity and significance of Jesus' preparatory period, linking Him to these pivotal moments in salvation history.
* **an hungred (Greek, _peináō'_):** This word describes a state of intense physical hunger, to famish or crave food. Its use here powerfully emphasizes Jesus' genuine humanity. After such a prolonged period of fasting, His hunger was not a mild discomfort but a profound physical need, making Him vulnerable and setting the stage for the devil's temptations which would exploit this very weakness.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights":** This clause establishes the duration and nature of Jesus' spiritual discipline. The "forty days and forty nights" signifies a complete and intense period, echoing significant biblical precedents of divine testing and preparation. It indicates a deliberate, Spirit-led act of self-denial and focused communion with God, essential for the monumental task ahead.
* **"he was afterward an hungred":** This simple yet profound statement highlights Jesus' full humanity. After enduring such an extended period without food, His body naturally experienced extreme hunger. This physical vulnerability is crucial; it demonstrates that Jesus was truly human, subject to the same physical limitations and needs as humanity, making His subsequent victory over temptation all the more significant and His empathy for human weakness complete.

#### Literary Devices
Matthew 4:2 employs several key literary devices. **Symbolism** is prominent in the "forty days and forty nights," which is a recurring biblical motif representing periods of testing, purification, or divine encounter. This number symbolically connects Jesus' experience to pivotal moments in Israel's history, portraying Him as the true Israel who perfectly endures the wilderness test. The **setting** of the "wilderness" itself is symbolic, often representing a place of isolation, spiritual struggle, and direct confrontation with evil, but also a place where God reveals Himself. The phrase "he was afterward an hungred" uses **understatement** (or **litotes**), as "an hungred" after forty days implies an extreme, life-threatening hunger, not merely a mild craving. This understatement powerfully emphasizes Jesus' physical vulnerability and the depth of His human experience. The verse also serves as **foreshadowing**, directly setting up the ensuing temptation narrative by establishing Jesus' physical state of extreme weakness, which the devil will immediately attempt to exploit.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Matthew 4:2 is rich with theological significance, primarily underscoring Jesus' unique identity as both fully divine and fully human, and His perfect obedience in preparation for His redemptive mission. His forty-day fast mirrors the forty years of Israel's testing in the wilderness, positioning Jesus as the faithful Israelite who succeeds where the nation failed, perfectly trusting God for sustenance beyond bread alone. This period of intense spiritual discipline and physical vulnerability was not merely a test of endurance but a demonstration of His complete reliance on the Father, qualifying Him as the perfect High Priest who can truly sympathize with our weaknesses because He experienced them firsthand. It reveals that the Son of God voluntarily embraced the full spectrum of human experience, including its limitations and temptations, to redeem humanity from within its own condition.

* [Deuteronomy 8:2-3](/deuteronomy/8-2-3 "Deuteronomy 8:2-3 - Israel's Testing in the Wilderness")
* [Hebrews 4:15](/hebrews/4-15 "Hebrews 4:15 - Jesus, Our Sympathetic High Priest")
* [Luke 4:1-2](/luke/4-1-2 "Luke 4:1-2 - Jesus' Temptation in the Wilderness")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Matthew 4:2 offers profound lessons for believers today, inviting us to consider the depth of Jesus' preparation and humanity. His intentional forty-day fast teaches us the vital importance of spiritual discipline and dedicated time with God before embarking on significant callings or facing major trials. Just as Jesus prepared Himself for the ultimate spiritual battle, we too are called to cultivate a life of prayer, fasting, and deep communion with God, strengthening our inner person for the challenges ahead. Recognizing that Jesus, the Son of God, experienced profound physical hunger and vulnerability allows us to approach Him with greater confidence and empathy, knowing that He truly understands our human struggles, weaknesses, and temptations. His strength was perfected in His weakness, demonstrating that our moments of physical or emotional emptiness can become opportunities for God's power to be fully manifested in our lives, teaching us to rely not on our own strength but on His inexhaustible grace.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does Jesus' forty-day fast challenge or inspire your understanding of spiritual discipline in your own life?**
* **In what ways does knowing Jesus experienced profound physical hunger deepen your appreciation for His humanity and His ability to empathize with your struggles?**
* **How can periods of personal weakness or vulnerability become opportunities for you to rely more fully on God's strength, as demonstrated by Jesus in the wilderness?**

### FAQ
**Why did Jesus fast for forty days and forty nights?**

Answer: The forty-day fast of Jesus in the wilderness is deeply symbolic and rich with biblical precedent. It echoes significant periods of testing, purification, and divine encounter in the Old Testament. Moses fasted for forty days on Mount Sinai before receiving the Law ([Exodus 34:28](/exodus/34-28 "Exodus 34:28 - Moses' Forty-Day Fast")), and Elijah journeyed for forty days to Mount Horeb sustained by God's provision ([1 Kings 19:8](/1_kings/19-8 "1 Kings 19:8 - Elijah's Forty-Day Journey")). Most significantly, it recalls Israel's forty years of testing in the wilderness after the Exodus ([Deuteronomy 8:2-3](/deuteronomy/8-2-3 "Deuteronomy 8:2-3 - Israel's Wilderness Testing")). By enduring this prolonged fast, Jesus identifies with Israel's experience, yet perfectly fulfills it, demonstrating His complete obedience and trust in God where Israel had failed. It was a period of intense spiritual preparation and communion with His Father, equipping Him for His public ministry and the ultimate confrontation with evil.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Matthew 4:2, depicting Jesus' forty-day fast and subsequent hunger, is a profound moment of Christ-centered fulfillment, particularly in how Jesus recapitulates and perfects the experiences of Old Testament Israel. Just as Israel was tested for forty years in the wilderness, often failing in their trust and obedience, Jesus, the true Israel and the new Adam, perfectly endures His forty-day wilderness trial. His hunger, far from being a sign of weakness, is essential to His redemptive mission; it underscores His genuine humanity, without which He could not truly represent and redeem humanity. By experiencing the very physical needs and temptations that plague humanity, Jesus qualifies Himself as the sympathetic High Priest who can truly understand and intercede for our weaknesses ([Hebrews 4:15](/hebrews/4-15 "Hebrews 4:15 - Jesus, Our Sympathetic High Priest")). His victory over temptation, which immediately follows His hunger, demonstrates His perfect obedience and dependence on God's Word, proving Him to be the unblemished Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world ([John 1:29](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God")). Thus, His hunger is not merely a physical state but a necessary aspect of His incarnate life, essential for His atoning work and His ultimate triumph over sin and death, providing a perfect example of reliance on God's power in human weakness ([2 Corinthians 12:9](/2_corinthians/12-9 "2 Corinthians 12:9 - God's Strength in Weakness")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Deuteronomy 9:18

And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

1 Kings 19:8

And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

Exodus 34:28

¶ And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

Luke 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.

Deuteronomy 9:9

When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:

Exodus 24:18

And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Deuteronomy 9:25

Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights, as I fell down [at the first]; because the LORD had said he would destroy you.