Lexical Summary
maccah: Wound, blow, plague, slaughter
Original Word:מַסָּה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:maccah
Pronunciation:mak-kaw'
Phonetic Spelling:(mas-saw')
KJV: temptation, trial
Word Origin:[fromH5254 (נָסָה - test)]
1. a testing, of men (judicial) or of God (querulous)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
temptation, trial
Fromnacah; a testing, of men (judicial) or of God (querulous) -- temptation, trial.
see HEBREWnacah
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] (literally
melting, failing); — onlyJob 9:23at the despair of innocent ones he mocketh; so Ew Di Bu Du > Ges Hi and otherstrial (by calamity), √ . II. ; —Psalm 95:8; constructJob 9:23; pluralDeuteronomy 4:34;Deuteronomy 7:19,Deuteronomy 29:2; —testingsorprovings of Pharaoh and Egyptians at Exodus,Deuteronomy 4:34 (see Dr),Deuteronomy 7:19;Deuteronomy 29:2 ("" ); —test, trial, of innocent personJob 9:23 according to Hi and others, but see I. below .
Topical Lexicon
Essence of the TermThe word מַסָּה designates a “test” or “trial” in which God’s power, faithfulness, or the disposition of human hearts is proved. Each occurrence frames a moment when the Lord’s dealings expose what lies beneath outward circumstances, whether in delivering His people or in revealing hidden unbelief.
Occurrences in the Torah
Deuteronomy gathers Israel on the threshold of the Promised Land and reminds the nation of earlier tests. Moses asks, “Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another… by trials, signs, and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm…?” (Deuteronomy 4:34). The “trials” are not generic hardships but unmistakable demonstrations that the covenant-keeping God alone orchestrated Israel’s redemption.Deuteronomy 7:19 and 29:3 echo the same thought, linking Egypt’s plagues and wilderness experiences to pedagogical tests designed to engrave Yahweh’s uniqueness on the collective memory of His people. Every “trial” is therefore redemptive in purpose and revelatory in outcome.
Reflections in Wisdom Literature
Job 9:23 laments that when disaster suddenly “kills,” God appears to “mock the despair of the innocent.” Here the term shifts from historical recollection to existential wrestling. Though Job misunderstands God’s intent, Scripture allows the complaint to stand, affirming that even inexplicable suffering falls within divine sovereignty, which ultimately vindicates the righteous (Job 42:7-17).
Warning inPsalm 95
Psalm 95:8 applies Israel’s past “trial” at Meribah to later generations: “Do not harden your hearts, as you did at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness”. The psalmist names the very site where Israel accused God of abandonment (Exodus 17). History becomes exhortation; the same test recurs whenever hearers confront God’s Word with skepticism.
Theological Significance
1. Revelation of God’s Character
The trials display divine omnipotence and covenant loyalty. By orchestrating plagues, parting seas, and sustaining Israel, the Lord proves Himself incomparable among the gods.
2. Exposure of Human Hearts
Trials unmask unbelief or confirm faith. Israel’s grumbling at Massah, Job’s anguished honesty, and the psalmist’s admonition all reveal that the decisive battlefield lies within the heart.
3. Pedagogical Purpose
Scripture never portrays testing as arbitrary. Deuteronomy insists that the Lord “disciplines you as a man disciplines his son” (Deuteronomy 8:5), forging a people who live “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Relation to Faith Formation
For believers, remembering these biblical trials safeguards against two errors: presumption (forgetting past deliverances) and despair (forgetting God’s future faithfulness). James later echoes the theme: “The testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:3). New Testament writers assume continuity between Israel’s experiences and the church’s sanctification.
Applications for Christian Ministry
• Preaching: Use the historic trials to ground assurance in God’s proven character, especially when exhorting congregations facing adversity.
• Discipleship: Encourage believers to interpret personal hardships through the lens of redemptive testing rather than random misfortune.
• Pastoral Care: Like Job’s friends should have done, sit with sufferers, acknowledging the mystery of trials while pointing to the God who ultimately vindicates.
• Worship: Incorporate readings ofPsalm 95 to call the assembly to responsive obedience, ensuring that past tests inform present faith.
Conclusion
מַסָּה threads through Scripture as a divine instrument that both unveils and shapes reality—unveiling God’s unmatched power and shaping a people marked by steadfast trust. Recognizing its role equips the church to meet contemporary trials with the same confidence that sustained Moses, Job, and the psalmist: “For the LORD is good; His loving devotion endures forever, and His faithfulness continues to all generations” (Psalm 100:5).
Forms and Transliterations
בְּמַסֹּת֩ במסת הַמַּסֹּ֨ת הַמַּסּוֹת֙ המסות המסת לְמַסַּ֖ת למסת מַ֝סָּ֗ה מסה bə·mas·sōṯ bemasSot bəmassōṯ ham·mas·sō·wṯ ham·mas·sōṯ hammasSot hammassōṯ hammassōwṯ lə·mas·saṯ lemasSat ləmassaṯ mas·sāh masSah massāh
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