You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah.
Parallel translations
- KJV Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye 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 17:7He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, “Is Yahweh among us, or not?”
- Luke 4:12Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
- Matt 4:7Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”
- Ps 95:8–9Don’t harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
- Heb 3:8–9don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness,
- 1 Cor 10:9Let us not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents.
- Exod 17:2Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?”
- Num 21:4–5They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey.
- Num 20:13These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.
- Num 20:3–4The people quarreled with Moses, and spoke, saying, “We wish that we had died when our brothers died before Yahweh!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.