Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 6:16
Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses addresses Israel, placing this command between a warning about God’s jealousy and a directive to keep His statutes. He issues the instruction as Israel prepares to enter the land.
The words — The Hebrew לֹ֣א (lo') means "not" and תְנַסּ֔וּ (te.na.Su) means "you will put to the test." Together they form a direct prohibition against demanding proof of God’s presence.
The thread — The text references the wilderness incident at Massah recorded in Exodus 17:7. Jesus quotes this command in Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12 during His temptation.
Why it lands — The text commands immediate obedience without requiring supernatural validation. It requires readers to trust God’s prior promises rather than forcing Him to act on their terms.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
Cross-references
- Exodus 17:7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
- Luke 4:12 But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
- Matthew 4:7 Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
- Psalms 95:8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness,
- Hebrews 3:8 do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,
- 1 Corinthians 10:9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes.
- Exodus 17:2 So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”
- Numbers 21:4 Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey
- Numbers 20:3 The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD!
- Numbers 20:13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.