Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 1:13

"And he was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; And he was with the wild beasts; And the angels ministered unto him." — Mark 1:13 (ASV)

Mark’s account of the temptation is brief, recording no specific temptation and no victory over Satan. This emphasizes that Jesus’ entire ministry was one continuous encounter with the devil and not limited to a few temptations in the desert. Indeed, in his gospel he vividly describes this continuing conflict.

The “forty days” recall the experiences of Moses (Exodus 24:18) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8, 15) in the desert. Only Mark mentions the “wild animals”—a touch that heightens the fierceness of Jesus’ entire temptation experience.