Psalm 95:9 kjv
When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
Psalm 95:9 nkjv
When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work.
Psalm 95:9 niv
where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
Psalm 95:9 esv
when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
Psalm 95:9 nlt
For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw everything I did.
Psalm 95 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 17:7 | He called the name of the place Massah... because they tested the LORD... | Massah/Meribah, testing God for water |
| Num 14:22 | all the men who have seen my glory and my signs... yet have tested me... | Rebellion despite witnessing God's glory |
| Deut 6:16 | You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. | Explicit prohibition against testing God |
| Ps 78:18-20 | They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved... | Testing God for food (manna), doubt in power |
| Ps 78:40-42 | How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness... did not remember His power. | Persistent rebellion, forgetting God's power |
| Ps 106:14-15 | But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. | Desiring sinfully and testing God |
| Isa 63:10 | But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit... | Rebellion grieving God's Spirit |
| Heb 3:7-11 | Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion..." | NT echo of Ps 95, warning against hardening hearts |
| Heb 3:12-14 | Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart... | Warning against unbelief and hardening |
| Heb 3:15 | As it is said, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..." | Reiterates the warning from Ps 95 |
| Heb 3:16-19 | For who were those who heard and yet rebelled?... to whom indeed did He swear that they would not enter His rest? | Linking rebellion to not entering God's rest |
| Heb 4:1-2 | Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands... | Entering God's rest (Spiritual rest) |
| Heb 4:6-7 | ...again He appoints a certain day, "Today"... if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. | Emphasizes "Today" and avoiding hardening |
| 1 Cor 10:9 | We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did... | Warning for Christians against testing Christ |
| Acts 7:42-43 | But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven... | Consequence of continuous rebellion |
| Luke 4:12 | And Jesus answered him, "It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’" | Jesus quoting Deut 6:16, resisting temptation |
| John 6:28-30 | Then they said to Him, "What must we do... what sign do you do...?" | People asking for signs despite seeing Christ's work |
| John 14:11 | Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. | Believe in Jesus' words or works |
| Matt 12:38-39 | Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." | People seeking signs despite evidence |
| Jude 1:5 | Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt and afterward destroyed those who did not believe. | Reminder of those destroyed due to unbelief |
| 2 Pet 2:20-22 | For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world... | Warning about turning away after knowing Christ |
Psalm 95 verses
Psalm 95 9 Meaning
Psalm 95:9 serves as a stark warning within a call to worship, recounting the rebellion of the Israelites in the wilderness. It reminds the audience that their ancestors, despite directly witnessing God's powerful and miraculous works, chose to test and challenge Him. This testing was not a sincere seeking of understanding, but an act of unbelief and distrust that provoked divine judgment. The verse highlights the inexcusability of their actions given the overwhelming evidence of God's power and faithfulness.
Psalm 95 9 Context
Psalm 95 is a sapiential (wisdom) psalm with both a call to joyful worship and a stern warning against disobedience. Verses 1-7a are an invitation to worship Yahweh, recognizing Him as the great God, the Rock of salvation, Creator, and Shepherd of His people. Verses 7b-11 pivot abruptly, delivering a serious admonition not to harden their hearts, mirroring the historical rebellion of Israel at Massah and Meribah during their wilderness journey. Psalm 95:9, specifically, refers back to this pivotal period when the Israelites, despite experiencing God's miraculous provision and presence firsthand (His "work"), demonstrated deep-seated unbelief and challenged His ability and faithfulness to provide for them. This verse serves as a crucial historical example, warning the psalmist's contemporary audience, and all subsequent generations, against repeating the same errors of testing and trying God's patience, lest they suffer similar divine consequences, primarily being denied entry into God's rest.
Psalm 95 9 Word analysis
- when your fathers: Refers to the preceding generations of Israelites who experienced the Exodus from Egypt and the wilderness wandering. This immediately links the warning to a foundational period in Israelite history, highlighting a communal past error. It signifies a lesson passed down through generations.
- tested me (Hebrew: נָסוּנִי, nasuni, from נָסָה, nasah): This word signifies putting God to the test, to scrutinize or examine with intent. It often implies a challenge or a trial to prove His power, rather than a genuine search for understanding. In the biblical context, it indicates a doubting or presumptuous attitude towards God’s character or ability. It can also imply a "temptation" to make God prove Himself.
- they tried me (Hebrew: בָּחֲנוּנִי, bakhanuni, from בָּחַן, bakhan): This term reinforces "tested me." While nasah can mean putting to the proof (neutral or negative), bakhan specifically refers to a more deliberate examination or scrutiny, often with an underlying tone of skepticism, questioning God's very nature or promises. It suggests an attitude of seeking to find fault or to evaluate divine faithfulness based on human expectation rather than trust.
- though they had seen: Emphasizes the crucial point of the verse. It underscores the profound disconnect between witnessed divine evidence and human response. This clause highlights the inexcusable nature of their sin.
- my work (Hebrew: פָעֳלִי, fa'oli): Refers to God's powerful acts and miraculous deeds performed for Israel. This includes the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the provision of manna and quail, water from the rock, and the very act of leading them through the wilderness. It is the visible, tangible manifestation of God's power and faithfulness. The rebellion was not from ignorance but from active disregard of proven divine power.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "when your fathers tested me, they tried me": This phrase captures the essence of their rebellion: an audacious challenge to God’s authority and power. The repetition with two distinct but complementary verbs underscores the severity and deliberateness of their sin of unbelief. It implies a pattern of challenging God, putting His patience to the limit.
- "though they had seen my work": This crucial contrast exposes the core of their transgression. Their unbelief was not due to a lack of evidence but despite overwhelming, undeniable proof of God's miraculous intervention and care. It emphasizes the culpability of the wilderness generation, as their distrust flew in the face of manifest divine power. This highlights a principle: visible evidence of God's power does not automatically lead to belief if the heart is hardened.
Psalm 95 9 Bonus section
The "testing" mentioned in Psalm 95:9 specifically echoes the incidents at Massah ("testing") and Meribah ("quarrelling") in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20, where the Israelites challenged God's ability to provide water. This location became synonymous with their unbelief. The passage underscores a form of "practical atheism," where despite professing God, their actions denied His sufficiency. The sin of "trying God" is portrayed as an acute form of spiritual blindness, a rejection of demonstrated grace. This rebellion wasn't a one-time event but a persistent pattern, ultimately leading to exclusion from God's promised "rest" as further elaborated in the book of Hebrews, connecting the wilderness journey to the journey of faith for all believers.
Psalm 95 9 Commentary
Psalm 95:9 articulates a fundamental biblical warning: that seeing God's works is not sufficient if the heart remains hardened. The generation that witnessed the miraculous Exodus and divine provision in the wilderness chose to "test" and "try" God through their grumbling, doubt, and rebellion. This was an active challenge to God's omnipotence and faithfulness, implying that He was either unwilling or unable to meet their needs. The gravity of their sin lay in this deliberate unbelief, directly contradictory to the undeniable evidence of "His work" they had experienced. This historical example serves as an enduring caution for all generations, urging humility and trusting obedience rather than challenging God's proven character.