Deuteronomy 6:16 (GNV)

Passage

Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye did tempt him in Massah:

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 6:14 Ye shall not walke after other gods, after any of the gods of the people which are round about you,

Deuteronomy 6:15 (For the Lord thy God is a ielous God among you:) least the wrath of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye did tempt him in Massah:

Deuteronomy 6:17 But ye shall keepe diligently the commandements of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his ordinances which he hath commanded thee,

Deuteronomy 6:18 And thou shalt doe that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that thou mayest prosper, and that thou mayest go in, and possesse that good land which the Lord sware vnto thy fathers,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "tempt", "lord", 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 "But ye shall keepe diligently the commandements...", 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.