Deuteronomy 6:16 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 6:14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you;

Deuteronomy 6:15 for 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.

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

Deuteronomy 6:17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.

Deuteronomy 6:18 And 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,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "tempt", "jehovah", "tempted", and "massah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "tempt", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "for Jehovah thy God in the midst..." into verse 17's "Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of...", so "shall" and "tempt" belong inside that flow. In Deuteronomy context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "tempt" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.