Deuteronomy 6:16 (KJV)

Passage

Ye shall not tempt the LORD 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 people which are round about you;

Deuteronomy 6:15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

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

Deuteronomy 6:17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD 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 the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "tempt", "lord", "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 the LORD thy God is a..." 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.