Deuteronomy 6:16

“You shall not put YHWH your Elohim to the test, as you put him to the test at Massah.”
Deuteronomy 6:16 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

You shall notלֹאputתְנַסּוּYHWHאֶת יְהוָהyour Elohimאֱלֹהֵיכֶםto the test,תְנַסּוּasכַּאֲשֶׁרyou put him to the testנִסִּיתֶםat Massah.בַּמַּסָּה

Quotation · Matthew 4:7

Go to Matthew 4:7

Jesus quotes the first sentence of Deuteronomy 6:16, which in Hebrew continues: “as you tested him at Massah.” Matthew gives it in the singular: “You shall not test.”

Formula: Πάλιν γέγραπται “again it is written” (Matthew 4:7)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς Πάλιν γέγραπται Οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לֹא תְנַסּוּ אֶת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר נִסִּיתֶם בַּמַּסָּה

Septuagint (Deuteronomy 6:16 in the Septuagint numbering): Οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου, ὃν τρόπον ἐξεπειράσατε ἐν τῷ Πειρασμῷ.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 6 consecutive words: “Οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · Luke 4:12

Go to Luke 4:12

Jesus quotes the first sentence of Deuteronomy 6:16, in the singular.

Formula: Εἴρηται “it is said” (Luke 4:12)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι Εἴρηται Οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לֹא תְנַסּוּ אֶת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר נִסִּיתֶם בַּמַּסָּה

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 6 consecutive words: “Οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Deuteronomy 6:16, word by word

putתְנַסּוּtenasu

test

To put someone in a situation to see how he responds and what is within him.

Where else “tenasu” appears

YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears

your Elohimאֱלֹהֵיelohe

Elohim

The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.

Where else “elohe” appears

at Massahמַּסָּהmasa

Massah

Massah, "testing": the place where Israel put YHWH to the test.

Where else “masa” appears

Translation note

At Massah the people demanded water and asked whether YHWH was among them or not (Exodus 17:1-7). Jesus quoted this verse (Matthew 4:7).

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Matthew 4:7

Jesus quotes the first sentence of Deuteronomy 6:16, which in Hebrew continues: “as you tested him at Massah.” Matthew gives it in the singular: “You shall not test.”

See them side by side

Deuteronomy 6:16

¹⁶You shall not put YHWH your Elohim to the test, as you put him to the test at Massah.

Matthew 4:7

⁷Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’”

Quotation · Luke 4:12

Jesus quotes the first sentence of Deuteronomy 6:16, in the singular.

See them side by side

Deuteronomy 6:16

¹⁶You shall not put YHWH your Elohim to the test, as you put him to the test at Massah.

Luke 4:12

¹²And answering, Jesus said to him, “It is said: You will not put the Lord your God to the test.”

The context

15for a jealous El is YHWH your Elohim in your midst, lest the anger of YHWH your Elohim be kindled against you and he destroy you from the face of the ground.

16 · This verse (above)

17You shall carefully keep the commandments of YHWH your Elohim, and his testimonies and his statutes that he has commanded you.

Read all of Deuteronomy 6

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