Matthew 4:4 – “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

Issue: Dilution of “word” (ῥῆμα) and the Erosion of Verbal Plenary Significance

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus responds to Satan’s temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, affirming the divine sufficiency of Scripture. This verse holds theological significance for biblical authority, inerrancy, and the necessity of divine revelation. Jesus affirms that true life depends not on physical sustenance alone, but on every individual word spoken by God. The Greek term used—ῥῆμα (rhēma)—carries a focused verbal nuance that is often obscured in dynamic or interpretive translations.

The Updated American Standard Version (UASV) faithfully reflects the Greek and Hebrew phrasing:

Matthew 4:4 (UASV)
But he answered, “It is written,
‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

This rendering preserves both the specificity of “word” and the source (“the mouth of God”)—ensuring no softening of the doctrine of verbal inspiration. Jesus is not referencing abstract spiritual principles or divine ideas. He references spoken words, concrete and exact, that come from God’s mouth—a phrase denoting both origin and authority.

The Greek Term: ῥῆμα (rhēma)

The word ῥῆμα differs from λόγος (logos) in Greek usage. While λόγος often refers to broader concepts like message, reason, or discourse, ῥῆμα is used for specific sayings, utterances, or words spoken or written. In Luke 1:38, for example, Mary responds to Gabriel’s prophecy with, “May it be to me according to your word (ῥῆμα).” This emphasizes the exact promise.

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus upholds the necessity of every ῥῆμα—not just general teachings or moral guidance, but every specific, authoritative declaration that God has uttered. This is a foundational text for a doctrine of verbal plenary inspiration: every word—not just every idea—is God-breathed.

Modern Translations That Dilute or Paraphrase the Term

A number of modern versions compromise the precision of this verse by replacing “word” with more interpretive, less defined concepts.

New Living Translation (NLT):

“People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Though it retains “word,” the NLT footnotes and stylistic choices elsewhere often interpret ῥῆμα as a more general statement, treating it more loosely in context.

Contemporary English Version (CEV):

“No one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.”

The phrase “people need” shifts the imperative and removes the precision of verbal dependence, turning the focus to need rather than obedience. Moreover, “word that God has spoken” remains vague and removes the mouth imagery present in both Greek and Hebrew.

The Message (MSG):

“It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”

This paraphrase introduces dynamic imagery—“steady stream”—but eliminates the structure and wording of the original. The metaphor replaces specificity with abstraction.

Good News Translation (GNT):

“Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.”

While “word” is preserved, “need” and “God speaks” make the verse more functional than revelatory—as if the focus were man’s experience rather than the objective content of divine utterance.

By contrast, literal translations like the UASV, LSB, and ASV maintain fidelity to the original expression:

Legacy Standard Bible (LSB):

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

American Standard Version (ASV 1901):

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Each of these retains:

• The noun “word” (ῥῆμα), not generalizations like “message” or “everything God says.”

• The phrase “mouth of God”, upholding both inspiration and authority.

• The grammar of the original, including “proceeds out of” (ἐκπορευομένῳ) which denotes continual issuing forth, not past utterance alone.

Quoting Deuteronomy 8:3

This verse quotes directly from Deuteronomy 8:3 in the Septuagint, where the Hebrew word מוֹצָא (môṣāʾ)—“that which comes out”—is translated into Greek as ῥῆμα. The underlying Hebrew emphasizes what goes forth from the mouth, again reinforcing that it is the spoken word—not abstract truth or moral principle—that sustains life.

Thus, Jesus affirms that God’s Word is not just true, but necessary for life—as necessary as bread. The implication is that dependence on God is not general, but linguistic: humans live in response to and in obedience to every spoken, specific declaration that God gives.

Implications for Translation Philosophy

Translators have no right to adjust or paraphrase such a critical verse to fit modern idioms or devotional tone. To change “word” into “message,” “everything God says,” or “spiritual truth” is to betray the doctrine Jesus affirms in the wilderness: the verbal authority and necessity of God’s utterances. This supports the total trustworthiness and functional inerrancy of Scripture down to its very words (cf. Matthew 5:18; John 17:17).

Furthermore, the location of this verse—in the context of spiritual warfare and temptation—magnifies the importance of using God’s exact Word in resisting Satan. Jesus defeats the devil not with vague generalities, but with precise quotations from inspired Scripture.

The UASV upholds this conviction by rendering Matthew 4:4 exactly as it stands in the original Greek and the Septuagint’s rendering of the Hebrew:

“…by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

No additions. No paraphrase. No reinterpretation. This is the proper translation.

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