Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah.
- BSB Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.
- NKJV “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
- NASB “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.
- NLT You must not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel must not test God as they did at Massah. Faith trusts God rather than putting him to the test.
Overview
Moses forbids testing God as Israel did at Massah, where they doubted his care and demanded proof (Exodus 17:1-7). Such testing reveals unbelief rather than trust. Jesus quotes this verse to resist the devil's temptation, modeling the faith that trusts God without demanding signs (Matthew 4:7).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Exod 17:7And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
- Luke 4:12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
- Matt 4:7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
- Ps 95:8–9Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
- Heb 3:8–9Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
- 1 Cor 10:9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
- Exod 17:2Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
- Num 21:4–5And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
- Num 20:13This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.
- Num 20:3–4And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 6:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.