מַסָּה
mas.sah
Massah
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Massah: A Place Name in Biblical History Massah (מַסָּה) appears five times in the Hebrew Bible and functions as a proper noun—specifically, a geographical location rather than a common word with multiple meanings. The term itself is a place name, indicating a fixed location that held significance in ancient Israelite tradition and narrative. The limited occurrence of Massah (only five biblical references) suggests it was a specific, historically relevant site rather than a commonly referenced location. Its presence across multiple biblical passages indicates the place was significant enough to be remembered and recorded in Israel's religious literature, likely associated with important events in the nation's early history or wilderness period. Without additional lexical data on the word's etymological roots or the specific contexts of its five occurrences, the analysis must remain focused on what the entry confirms: Massah was a recognized biblical place name that ancient Hebrew writers considered noteworthy enough to preserve in their texts.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences across the text
Don’t harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
Exodus 17:7He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, “Is Yahweh among us, or not?”
Deuteronomy 9:22At Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked Yahweh to wrath.
Deuteronomy 6:16You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah.
Deuteronomy 33:8About Levi he said, “Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one, whom you proved at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah.