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Place

Massah

Wilderness site where Israel tested God by demanding water, commemorated in Torah and psalms as a warning against faithlessness.

site in the wilderness of Sinai3 Bible books5 chapters5 verse appearances

What and where is this?

Massah, meaning 'testing,' was a name given to a site in the wilderness — likely near — where the quarreled with over the absence of water and put the Lord to the test, asking 'Is the Lord among us or not?' Moses struck the rock at Horeb and water came out (Exodus 17:1–7). The place was also named ('quarreling') at the same event. Deuteronomy 6:16 and Psalm 95:8 later recall Massah as a warning against testing God, and the New Testament echoes these passages in 1 Corinthians 10 and Hebrews 3–4 as lessons for communities.

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