You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah.
World English Bible
Deuteronomy 6:16
This verse is examined in more than one Scripture Analysis section. Each lens is shown on its own terms, in the section's own words; GEBible reaches no verdict of its own.
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WEB World English Bible Public Domain ✓ - Modern English
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- TCENT Text-Critical English New Testament A modern reasoned-eclectic New Testament (2022) · CC BY 4.0
- F35 Family 35 New Testament Wilbur Pickering's Byzantine-priority New Testament, with text-critical commentary notes · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (3)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
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Can God be tempted?
James 1:13 declares God "cannot be tempted with evil" — a flat denial of divine temptability. Deuteronomy 6:16 (and Jesus citing it at Matt 4:7 / Luke 4:12) commands "Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God" — a command that presupposes God CAN be tempted, otherwise why forbid it?
Critical scholarship: Usually considered reconciled.
Theology
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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Is it OK to test God?
Deuteronomy 6:16 issues a blanket prohibition — 'Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God' — quoted approvingly by Jesus at Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12. Judges 6:36-40 has Gideon test God twice with the fleece, with God complying each time.
Critical scholarship: Genuinely disputed among scholars.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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Can God be tempted?
James 1:13 says God cannot be tempted with evil (*apeirastos kakōn*). But Deuteronomy 6:16, Exodus 17:2, Matthew 4:7, Luke 4:12, and Acts 15:10 all assume God can be tempted — the command 'do not tempt God' presupposes the act is possible.
Critical scholarship: Leans toward a genuine contradiction.
Theology
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Commandments (1)
The laws of the Torah, each cited and shown as a primary source.
- Not to test or try God beyond what is proper Deuteronomy 6:16
Each section sets the viewpoints side by side; you weigh the evidence. Here, "critical scholarship" means academic study, not a value judgment. How this is built →
Other verses examined for the same kind of question or claim
Within each section, grouped by shared field or question type — not a cross-section comparison.
Cite this page
This citation refers to this GEBible page — the verse and the analysis gathered here. To cite the underlying scholarship, cite those sources directly.
"Deuteronomy 6:16 — Scripture Analysis" GEBible, https://gebible.app/analysis/verse/deuteronomy/6/16?version=WEB (retrieved 27 August 2026).