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Deuteronomy 6:16

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 6:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
Deuteronomy 6:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 6

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; and him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear by his name.
14Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you;
15for Jehovah thy God in the midst of thee is a jealous God; lest the anger of Jehovah thy God be kindled against thee, and he destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
16Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
17Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.
18And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of Jehovah; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers,
19to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as Jehovah hath spoken.
← Deuteronomy 6:15Deuteronomy 6:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, etc.] By striving with him or against him, by murmuring at or complaining of his providential dealings with them, or by requiring a sign of him, or miracles to be done by him; this is another passage used by Christ to repel the temptations of Satan, (<400407>Matthew 4:7), as tempted him in Massah; a place so called from the Israelites tempting the Lord there, (<021707>Exodus 17:7), the Targum of Jonathan adds, with ten temptations; (see <041421>Numbers 14:21).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The Israelites were at the point of quitting a normal, life for a fixed and settled abode in the midst of other nations; they were exchanging a condition of comparative poverty for great and goodly cities, houses and vineyards. There was therefore before them a double danger; (1) a God-forgetting worldliness, and (2) a false tolerance of the idolatries practiced by those about to become their neighbors. The former error Moses strives to guard against in the verses before us; the latter in Deuteronomy 7:1-11. Deuteronomy 6:13 The command “to swear by His Name” is not inconsistent with the Lord’s injunction Matthew 5:34, “Swear not at all.” Moses refers to legal swearing, our Lord to swearing…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Ye shall not tempt - Not provoke him, as the following instance explains. Sinners, especially presumptuous sinners, are said to tempt God, that is, to make a trial of God, whether he be, so wise as to see their sins, so just and true and powerful as to take vengeance on them, concerning which they are very apt to doubt because of the present impunity and prosperity of many such persons. Deuteronomy 6:17”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“6:16 When Israel journeyed through the Sinai desert after the Exodus, they came to Rephidim, where they found no water (Exod 17:1-7). Moses saw the people’s demand for water as testing the Lord; hence the name Massah (“testing”) for this place. Jesus quoted this verse to rebut Satan (Matt 4:7; Luke 4:12).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“tempt: Mat 4:7; Luk 4:12 tempted him: Exo 17:2, Exo 17:7; Num 20:3, Num 20:4, Num 20:13, Num 21:4, Num 21:5; Psa 95:8, Psa 95:9; Co1 10:9; Heb 3:8, Heb 3:9 Deuteronomy 6:17”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 6 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification