Is God leading us into temptation?

by Michael Shackleton · May 22, 2011

The words and lead us not into temptation in the Our Father bother me. It is inconceivable that God would lead one into temptation. If this is explained as a mistranslation of perhaps save us from being led into temptation, it raises the question of how many other mistranslations there are in the Bible.

Jimmy Carter

Let us begin with a glance at Psalm 141:4: Let me feel no impulse to do wrong, to share the godlessness of evildoers. This is an example of the Hebrew literary style of what is known as poetic parallelism. There are two expressions of the same idea: let me not do wrong; let me not share evildoing.

If you read the psalms especially, you will find many more examples of this Hebrew form of parallelism.

Now take a look at the words lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Can you see the parallelism: let me not be tempted; let me be delivered from evil? These two expressions of the same sentiment go together in order to emphasise the appeal of the prayer, which is for protection from what is harmful to us.

God cannot be tempted to do anything wrong and he does not tempt anybody. Everyone who is tempted is attracted and seduced by his own wrong desire (James 1:13-14). This assurance should help us see that God does not lead us into temptation. He cannot do so because he is all-holy. So, why do English translations, which are not mistranslations, persist in using the words lead us not into temptation?

The original Greek is closer to let us not enter (eisenegkes) into temptation and the Latin is closer to do not bring or induce us (inducas) into temptation.

The English word lead seems to embrace these nuances, upholding God’s being in charge. He leads us by his grace at all times.

Connect this to Psalm 23, the well known The Lord is my shepherd. The psalmist imagines himself as a sheep of the flock, led and guided by God, confident that because the Lord leads him, he fears nothing: Though I pass through a gloomy valley, I fear no harm; beside me your rod and your staff are there, to hearten me.

In this vein, perhaps we can appreciate that our Father in heaven will lead us not into temptation but will deliver us from evil.