Again, the devil takes him up into an exceeding high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
the devil.
Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Luke 4:5-7 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time…
and sheweth.
Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Esther 1:4 When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.
Esther 5:11 And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.
and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world
The devil's ability to show Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world" suggests a supernatural vision rather than a physical sight. This vision represents the political and cultural powers of the earth, highlighting the temptation of worldly authority and dominion. In the biblical context, kingdoms often symbolize human power structures in contrast to God's kingdom. This temptation echoes the promise of dominion given to Adam, which was marred by sin, and contrasts with the spiritual kingdom Jesus came to establish.
and their glory
The "glory" of the kingdoms refers to their wealth, splendor, and power. In the ancient world, kingdoms were often judged by their military might, economic prosperity, and cultural achievements. This temptation appeals to human desires for power and prestige. However, Jesus' mission was not to seek earthly glory but to fulfill the will of the Father, ultimately leading to the cross. This moment foreshadows the choice between temporary earthly glory and eternal spiritual victory, a theme prevalent throughout Jesus' ministry and teachings.
• The word signals a third, distinct temptation that follows the first two (Matthew 4:1–7).
• Satan is relentless; he returns “again,” echoing Job 1:6–12 and 1 Peter 5:8, where the adversary keeps prowling.
• Jesus’ continuous resistance models James 4:7, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” though the fleeing comes only after every temptation is answered.
• A literal, personal devil leads Jesus; this is no imagined struggle (Luke 4:5).
• The action underlines that evil cannot move Christ without divine allowance (Job 1:12; John 19:11).
• Christ’s willingness to be “led” into temptation (Matthew 4:1) fulfills Hebrews 2:14–18, proving He shares our battle yet remains sinless.
• A real mountain provides a sweeping vantage point, just as Moses viewed Canaan from Pisgah (Deuteronomy 34:1–4).
• The height symbolizes the apparent magnitude of Satan’s offer, paralleling lofty but empty promises (Isaiah 14:13–15).
• Geography serves God’s purpose: creation becomes the stage for spiritual confrontation (Exodus 19:20).
• Satan “showed” rather than merely “told,” appealing to sight—the same gate used in Eden (Genesis 3:6; 1 John 2:16).
• Whether by panoramic view or supernatural vision, the presentation was vivid enough to tempt (2 Corinthians 4:4).
• Jesus, though seeing the display, remains unmoved, illustrating Psalm 101:3, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.”
• The scope is universal—every realm and power (Daniel 7:14; Revelation 11:15).
• Satan claims temporary authority (Luke 4:6), yet Jesus is the rightful King (John 18:36–37).
• The offer is a shortcut: glory without the cross, power without suffering—a direct assault on the Father’s redemptive plan.
• “Glory” points to riches, splendor, and acclaim (Isaiah 60:1–2).
• This glory is fading (1 Peter 1:24) and empty (Psalm 49:16–17), contrasted with the eternal glory awaiting Christ (Hebrews 12:2).
• The devil packages the temporal as ultimate, but Jesus sees through the façade (1 John 2:17).
Matthew 4:8 depicts Satan’s third attempt to derail Jesus by parading earthly power and splendor from a lofty vantage point. The devil’s tactic is to offer a crown without a cross, leveraging the allure of visible glory. Jesus’ steadfast refusal in the following verse confirms that no shortcut can replace obedience to the Father’s will, reinforcing that worldly kingdoms are fleeting, while God’s kingdom is forever.
(8) An exceeding high mountain.--Here, if proof were wanted, we have evidence that all that passed in the Temptation was in the region of which the spirit, and not the senses, takes cognisance. No "specular mount" (I use Milton's phrase) in the whole earth commands a survey of "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them." St. Luke's addition "in a moment of time," in one of those flashes of intuition which concentrate into a single act of consciousness the work of years, adds, if anything could add, to the certainty of this view. Milton's well-known expansion of this part of the Temptation (Paradise Regained, Book III.), though too obviously the work of a scholar exulting in his scholarship, is yet worth studying as the first serious attempt to realise in part, at least, what must thus have been presented to our Lord's mind.Verse 8. - Into an exceeding high mountain (εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν λίαν; cf. Ezekiel 40:2; Revelation 21:10). Not in Luke. While no material mountain would have enabled our Lord to see all the kingdoms, etc., with his bodily eyes, it is probable that the physical elevation and distance of landscape would psychologically help such a vision. The Quarantana, which "commands a noble prospect" (Soein's ' Baedeker,' p. 263), may have been the spot. In the case of Ezekiel it is expressly said that his being "brought into the land of Israel, and set upon a very high mountain," was only "in the visions of God." All the kingdoms of the world (τοῦ κόσμου; but Luke, τῆς ρἰκουμένης, i.e. of the whole world as occupied by man, cf. Bishop Westcott on Hebrews 2:5). Cyrus says (Ezra 1:2), "All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord, the God of heaven, given me." And the glory of them'; "i.e. their resources, wealth, the magnificence and greatness of their cities, their fertile lands, their thronging population" (Thayer); cf. Matthew 6:29; Revelation 21:24, 26. The kingdoms themselves and their outward show. Contrast the words of the seraphim, "The whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3). In Luke this expression does not occur at this point, but in the tempter's words. As it there comes more abruptly, that is perhaps the more original position. St. Luke adds, "In a moment of time."