John Calvin Commentary Matthew 4:10

"Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." — Matthew 4:10 (ASV)

Depart, Satan. Instead of this, Luke has, Depart behind me, Satan. It is useless to speculate about the phrase, behind me, which Christ addressed to Peter, Go behind me, (Matthew 16:23) as if the same words had not been addressed to Satan. Christ simply commands him to go away;³¹⁵ and now proceeds with the same kind of defense as before, employing Scripture as a shield, not of reeds, but of brass. He quotes a passage from the law, that God alone is to be adored and worshipped (Deuteronomy 6:13; Deuteronomy 10:20). From the application of that passage, and from the circumstances in which it is introduced, it is easy to conclude what is the design of adoration of God, and in what it consists.

Papists deny that God alone ought to be adored and evade this and similar passages by sophistical arguments. Latria (λατρεία), they admit, is adoration, which ought to be given to God alone: but Dulia (δουλεία), is an inferior kind of adoration, which they bestow on dead men, and on their bones and statues. But Christ rejects this frivolous distinction, and claims for God alone προσκύνησις, worship; by which He warns us to attend more to the matter than to expressions, when we are concerned with the worship of God.

Scripture enjoins us to worship God alone: we must inquire, for what purpose? If anyone takes anything from His glory, and ascribes it to creatures, this is a heinous profanation of divine worship. But it is very evident that this is done, when we go to creatures, to receive from them those good things, of which God desired to be acknowledged as the only Author. Now, as religion is strictly spiritual, and the outward acknowledgment of it relates to the body, so not only the inward worship, but also the outward manifestation of it, is due to God alone.³¹⁶

³¹⁵ “Il vent seulement le rejetter avec son conseil;” — “he wishes only to reject him with his advice.”;” — “he wishes only to reject him with his advice.”

³¹⁶ “Christ attribue aussi a Dieu seul l'adoration externe, que les Grecs appellent προσχύνησις: προσχύνησις: car il use de ce terme qui signifient proprement s'agenouiller ET prosterner par forme de service divin.” — “Christ ascribes also to God alone the external adoration, which the Greeks call προσχύνησις: for he employs this term, which signifies literally to .” — “Christ ascribes also to God alone the external adoration, which the Greeks call προσχύνησις: for he employs this term, which signifies literally to kneel and bow down, in a form of divine service.”in a form of divine service.”