Deuteronomy 6:16

16 Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

Deuteronomy 6:16 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 6:16

Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God
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, ( Matthew 4:7 ) ,

as tempted him in Massah;
a place so called from the Israelites tempting the Lord there, ( Exodus 17:7 ) , the Targum of Jonathan adds, with ten temptations; see ( Numbers 14:21 ) .

Deuteronomy 6:16 In-Context

14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you;

15 for Jehovah thy God is a jealous God in thy midst; lest the anger of Jehovah thy God be kindled against thee, and he destroy thee from the face of the earth.

16 Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.

18 And thou shalt do what is right and good in the sight of Jehovah, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest enter in and possess the good land which Jehovah swore unto thy fathers,

Footnotes

• [a]. Temptation.