Psalm 95:8
New International Version
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,

New Living Translation
The LORD says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness.

English Standard Version
do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

Berean Standard Bible
do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness,

King James Bible
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

New King James Version
“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

New American Standard Bible
Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, As on the day of Massah in the wilderness,

NASB 1995
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,

NASB 1977
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness;

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,

Amplified Bible
Do not harden your hearts and become spiritually dull as at Meribah [the place of strife], And as at Massah [the place of testing] in the wilderness,

Christian Standard Bible
Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness

American Standard Version
Harden not your heart, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness;

Contemporary English Version
Don't be stubborn and rebel as your ancestors did at Meribah and Massah out in the desert.

English Revised Version
Harden not your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Do not be stubborn like [my people were] at Meribah, like the time at Massah in the desert.

Good News Translation
"Don't be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah, as they were that day in the desert at Massah.

International Standard Version
do not be stubborn like your ancestors were at Meribah, as on that day at Massah, in the wilderness,

Majority Standard Bible
do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness,

NET Bible
He says, "Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, like they were that day at Massah in the wilderness,

New Heart English Bible
Do not harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,

Webster's Bible Translation
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

World English Bible
Don’t harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Do not harden your heart as [in] Meribah, "" As [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness,

Young's Literal Translation
Harden not your heart as in Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,

Smith's Literal Translation
Ye shall not harden your heart as the strife, as the day of trial in the desert:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
To day if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts:

Catholic Public Domain Version
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts:

New American Bible
Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the desert.

New Revised Standard Version
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Do not harden your hearts to anger him like the rebels and like the day of temptation which was in the wilderness.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Harden not your heart, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, according to the day of irritation in the wilderness:
Audio Bible



Context
The Rock of Our Salvation
7For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice, 8do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work.…

Cross References
Hebrews 3:7-11
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, / do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, / where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works. ...

Hebrews 4:7
God again designated a certain day as “Today,” when a long time later He spoke through David as was just stated: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Exodus 17:1-7
Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. / So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?” / But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” ...

Numbers 20:2-13
Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron. / The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD! / Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? ...

Deuteronomy 6:16
Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.

1 Corinthians 10:9
We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes.

Hebrews 3:15
As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.”

Hebrews 3:8
do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,

Hebrews 3:16-19
For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? / And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? / And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed? ...

Hebrews 4:1-3
Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it. / For we also received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it. / Now we who have believed enter that rest. As for the others, it is just as God has said: “So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’” And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 4:11
Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.

Jeremiah 7:24-26
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. / From the day your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants the prophets again and again. / Yet they would not listen to Me or incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and did more evil than their fathers.

Ezekiel 20:8-13
But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt. / But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were living, in whose sight I had revealed Myself to Israel by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. / So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness. ...

Ezekiel 20:21-24
But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the wilderness. / But I withheld My hand and acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. / However, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. ...

Zechariah 7:11-12
But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing. / They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.


Treasury of Scripture

Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

harden

Exodus 8:15
But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

1 Samuel 6:6
Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?

Daniel 5:20
But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

in the

Exodus 17:2,7
Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? …

Numbers 14:11,22,27
And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? …

Numbers 20:13
This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

provocation.

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Psalm 95
1. An exhortation to praise God
3. For his greatness
6. And for his goodness
8. And not to tempt him














Do not harden
The phrase "do not harden" is a direct exhortation, urging the listener to maintain a soft and receptive heart towards God's voice. The Hebrew root for "harden" is "qashah," which means to make something difficult or stubborn. In a spiritual context, it implies a resistance to divine guidance and a refusal to be molded by God's will. Historically, this warning is a reminder of the Israelites' repeated disobedience and stubbornness during their wilderness journey, as recorded in the Old Testament. The call is to remain pliable and open to God's instruction, avoiding the pitfalls of pride and rebellion.

your hearts
The heart, in biblical terms, is not merely the seat of emotions but the center of one's entire being, including mind, will, and emotions. The Hebrew word "leb" encompasses this holistic view. In ancient Israelite culture, the heart was seen as the core of one's identity and decision-making. Thus, the warning against hardening one's heart is a caution against allowing one's entire self to become resistant to God's influence. It is a call to maintain spiritual sensitivity and responsiveness.

as you did at Meribah
Meribah, meaning "quarreling" or "strife," refers to a specific event in the Israelites' history, found in Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20:1-13. At Meribah, the Israelites quarreled with Moses and tested the Lord due to a lack of water, demonstrating a lack of faith and trust in God's provision. This historical reference serves as a cautionary tale, reminding believers of the consequences of doubt and disobedience. It underscores the importance of trusting in God's faithfulness, even in challenging circumstances.

on the day at Massah
Massah, meaning "testing," is another significant location in the wilderness journey of the Israelites. The event at Massah, closely linked with Meribah, involved the Israelites testing God's patience and questioning His presence among them. This phrase serves as a historical reminder of the dangers of testing God through unbelief and disobedience. It calls believers to learn from past mistakes and to cultivate a faith that trusts in God's presence and provision, even when circumstances seem dire.

(8) The mention of the guiding voice suggests to the poet to make God Himself address His people, and with this verse the Divine warning begins.

Provocation . . . temptation.--It is better to keep here the proper names Meribah and Massah (Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 20:13 : comp. Deuteronomy 33:8).

Verse 8. - Harden not your heart, as in the provocation; rather, as at Meribah (see Exodus 17:2-7). And as in the day of temptation in the wilderness; rather, and as in the day of Massah. The children of Israel "tempted" God, and "chided" with Moses at Massah (or Meribah) in the wilderness, where water was first given them out of the rock. Their descendants are warned not to follow the example of their forefathers.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

harden
תַּקְשׁ֣וּ (taq·šū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7185: To be hard, severe or fierce

your hearts
לְ֭בַבְכֶם (lə·ḇaḇ·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

as you did at Meribah,
כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה (kim·rî·ḇāh)
Preposition-k | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4808: Strife, contention

as on that day
כְּי֥וֹם (kə·yō·wm)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3117: A day

at Massah
מַ֝סָּ֗ה (mas·sāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4531: A testing, of men, of God

in the wilderness,
בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ (bam·miḏ·bār)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech


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OT Poetry: Psalm 95:8 Don't harden your heart as at Meribah (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 95:7
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