Numbers 14:22-23

14:22 For all the people have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tempted ¹  me now these ten times, ²  and have not obeyed me, ³  14:23 they will by no means ⁴  see the land that I swore to their fathers, nor will any of them who despised me see it.

Daniel 6:16

6:16 So the king gave the order, ⁵  and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den ⁶  of lions. The king consoled ⁷  Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!”

Psalms 78:18

78:18 They willfully challenged God ⁸ 

by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.

Psalms 78:41

78:41 They again challenged God, ⁹ 

and offended ¹⁰  the Holy One of Israel. ¹¹ 

Psalms 78:56

78:56 Yet they challenged and defied ¹²  the sovereign God, ¹³ 

and did not obey ¹⁴  his commands. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 95:9

95:9 where your ancestors challenged my authority, ¹⁶ 

and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.

Psalms 106:14

106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving ¹⁷  for meat; ¹⁸ 

they challenged God ¹⁹  in the desert.

Matthew 4:6-7

4:6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ ²⁰  and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ²¹  4:7 Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’” ²² 

Acts 5:9

5:9 Peter then told her, “Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!”

Acts 5:1

The Judgment on Ananias and Sapphira

5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property.

Colossians 1:9

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ²³  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ²⁴  to fill ²⁵  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Hebrews 3:9

3:9 “There your fathers tested me and tried me, ²⁶  and they saw my works for forty years.

[14:22]  ¹ tn The verb נָסָה (nasah) means “to test, to tempt, to prove.” It can be used to indicate things are tried or proven, or for testing in a good sense, or tempting in the bad sense, i.e., putting God to the test. In all uses there is uncertainty or doubt about the outcome. Some uses of the verb are positive: If God tests Abraham in Genesis 22:1, it is because there is uncertainty whether he fears the Lord or not; if people like Gideon put out the fleece and test the Lord, it is done by faith but in order to be certain of the Lord’s presence. But here, when these people put God to the test ten times, it was because they doubted the goodness and ability of God, and this was a major weakness. They had proof to the contrary, but chose to challenge God.

[14:22]  ² tn “Ten” is here a round figure, emphasizing the complete testing. But see F. V. Winnett, The Mosaic Tradition, 121-54.

[14:22]  ³ tn Heb “listened to my voice.”

[14:23]  ⁴ tn The word אִם (’im) indicates a negative oath formula: “if” means “they will not.” It is elliptical. In a human oath one would be saying: “The Lord do to me if they see…,” meaning “they will by no means see.” Here God is swearing that they will not see the land.

[6:16]  ⁵ tn Aram “said.” So also in vv. 24, 25.

[6:16]  ⁶ sn The den was perhaps a pit below ground level which could be safely observed from above.

[6:16]  ⁷ tn Aram “answered and said [to Daniel].”

[78:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “and they tested God in their heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the center of their volition.

[78:41]  ⁹ tn Heb “and they returned and tested God.” The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate that an earlier action was repeated.

[78:41]  ¹⁰ tn Or “wounded, hurt.” The verb occurs only here in the OT.

[78:41]  ¹¹ sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

[78:56]  ¹² tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”

[78:56]  ¹³ tn Heb “God, the Most High.”

[78:56]  ¹⁴ tn Or “keep.”

[78:56]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).

[95:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”

[106:14]  ¹⁷ sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.

[106:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”

[106:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they tested God.”

[4:6]  ²⁰ sn A quotation from Ps 91:11. This was not so much an incorrect citation as a use in a wrong context (a misapplication of the passage).

[4:6]  ²¹ sn A quotation from Ps 91:12.

[4:7]  ²² sn A quotation from Deut 6:16.

[1:9]  ²³ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ²⁴ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ²⁵ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[3:9]  ²⁶ tn Grk “tested me by trial.”