Deuteronomy 6:16 (YLT)

Passage

`Ye do not try Jehovah your God as ye tried in Massah;

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 6:14 ye do not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who <FI>are<Fi> round about you;

Deuteronomy 6:15 for a zealous God <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah thy God in thy midst--lest the anger of Jehovah thy God burn against thee, and He hath destroyed thee from off the face of the ground.

Deuteronomy 6:16 `Ye do not try Jehovah your God as ye tried in Massah;

Deuteronomy 6:17 ye do diligently keep the commands of Jehovah your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes which He hath commanded thee,

Deuteronomy 6:18 and thou hast done that which is right and good in the eyes of Jehovah, so that it is well with thee, and thou hast gone in and possessed the good land which Jehovah hath sworn to thy fathers,

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "for a zealous God FI is Fi..." into verse 17's "ye do diligently keep the commands of...", so "jehovah" and "tried" 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 "jehovah" and "tried" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.