Hebrews 3:9
New International Version
where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did.

New Living Translation
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years.

English Standard Version
where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years.

Berean Standard Bible
where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works.

Berean Literal Bible
where forty years your fathers tried Me by testing and saw My works.

King James Bible
When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

New King James Version
Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years.

New American Standard Bible
WHERE YOUR FATHERS PUT ME TO THE TEST, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.

NASB 1995
WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.

NASB 1977
WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.

Legacy Standard Bible
WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.

Amplified Bible
WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED ME BY TESTING [My forbearance and tolerance], AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS [And found I stood their test].

Christian Standard Bible
where your ancestors tested me, tried me, and saw my works

Holman Christian Standard Bible
where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works

American Standard Version
Where your fathers tried me by proving me, And saw my works forty years.

Contemporary English Version
For forty years your ancestors tested God and saw the things he did.

English Revised Version
Wherewith your fathers tempted me by proving me, And saw my works forty years.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
That is where your ancestors tested me,

Good News Translation
There they put me to the test and tried me, says God, although they had seen what I did for forty years.

International Standard Version
There your ancestors tested me, even though they had seen my actions

Majority Standard Bible
where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works.

NET Bible
"There your fathers tested me and tried me, and they saw my works for forty years.

New Heart English Bible
where your fathers tested me and challenged me, and saw my works for forty years.

Webster's Bible Translation
When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

Weymouth New Testament
where your forefathers so sorely tried My patience and saw all that I did during forty years.

World English Bible
where your fathers tested me and tried me, and saw my deeds for forty years.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
in which your fathers tempted Me; they proved Me, and saw My works [for] forty years;

Berean Literal Bible
where forty years your fathers tried Me by testing and saw My works.

Young's Literal Translation
in which tempt Me did your fathers, they did prove Me, and saw My works forty years;

Smith's Literal Translation
Where your fathers tried me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Where your fathers tempted me, proved and saw my works,

Catholic Public Domain Version
where your fathers tested me, even though they had seen and examined my works for forty years.

New American Bible
where your ancestors tested and tried me and saw my works

New Revised Standard Version
where your ancestors put me to the test, though they had seen my works
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Your fathers tempted me even though they examined and saw my works forty years.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
When your fathers tempted me and they proved and saw my works 40 years.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
where your fathers tried me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

Godbey New Testament
whom our fathers tempted in proving me, and saw my works forty years.

Haweis New Testament
when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works during forty years.

Mace New Testament
where your fathers provoked me to give proofs of my power forty years, tho' they saw my works.

Weymouth New Testament
where your forefathers so sorely tried My patience and saw all that I did during forty years.

Worrell New Testament
where your fathers tempted Me by proving Me, and saw My works, forty years.

Worsley New Testament
proved me, and saw my works forty years:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Do Not Harden Your Hearts
8do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, 9where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works. 10Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways.’…

Cross References
Psalm 95:8-11
do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness, / where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work. / For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.” ...

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 14:22-23
not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times— / not one will ever see the land that I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have treated Me with contempt will see it.

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

1 Corinthians 10:9-11
We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes. / And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. / Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

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? ...

Acts 7:36-39
He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness. / This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ / He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us. ...

Psalm 78:40-41
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! / Again and again they tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 106:13-14
Yet they soon forgot His works and failed to wait for His counsel. / They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert.

Deuteronomy 9:22-24
You continued to provoke the LORD at Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah. / And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh-barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You neither believed Him nor obeyed Him. / You have been rebelling against the LORD since the day I came to know you.

Matthew 4:7
Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

John 6:30-31
So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do? / Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

1 Corinthians 10:1-5
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. / They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. / They all ate the same spiritual food ...

Psalm 78:56
But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.

Psalm 81:7
You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah


Treasury of Scripture

When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

and.

Exodus 19:4
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

Exodus 20:22
And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

Deuteronomy 4:3,9
Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you…

forty.

Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy 8:2,4
And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no…

Joshua 5:6
For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

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Hebrews 3
1. Christ is more worthy than Moses;
7. therefore if we believe not in him, we shall be more worthy punishment than hardhearted Israel.














where your fathers
This phrase refers to the ancestors of the Israelites, specifically those who were delivered from Egypt under Moses' leadership. The term "fathers" is a reminder of the generational continuity and the covenant relationship God established with the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In a broader sense, it calls to mind the collective memory and identity of the people of Israel, who were chosen to be God's people. The historical context here is the wilderness period, a time of testing and revelation.

tested and tried Me
The Greek words used here, "ἐπείρασαν" (epeirasan) and "ἐδοκίμασαν" (edokimasan), convey a sense of putting God to the test and examining His faithfulness. This reflects the Israelites' repeated questioning of God's presence and provision, despite the miraculous signs they had witnessed. Theologically, this highlights human doubt and the tendency to challenge divine authority, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture. It serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unbelief and the importance of trusting in God's promises.

and for forty years
The number forty is significant in biblical literature, often symbolizing a period of testing, trial, or judgment. The forty years in the wilderness were a direct consequence of the Israelites' lack of faith and disobedience. This time frame underscores God's patience and the opportunity for repentance and growth. It also serves as a parallel to the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness, emphasizing themes of endurance and divine testing.

saw My works
This phrase refers to the miraculous deeds and providential care God demonstrated during the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. The "works" include the parting of the Red Sea, the provision of manna and quail, and the guidance by a pillar of cloud and fire. These acts were tangible evidence of God's power and faithfulness. Theologically, this highlights the concept of divine revelation through action, inviting believers to recognize and respond to God's ongoing work in the world. It serves as a reminder of the importance of spiritual perception and gratitude for God's continuous involvement in human history.

(9) According to our best MSS. this verse will run thus: Where (or, wherewith) your fathers tempted by trial, and saw My works forty years. The meaning of the Hebrew (with which the LXX. very nearly agrees) is: "Where your fathers tempted Me, proved Me; also saw My work." The change of reading is more interesting than important, as the sense is not materially different. Both here and in the original passage it seems probable that the "work," or "works," should be understood of the divine judgments which the disobedient people "saw" and bore during forty years. In the Psalm (and apparently in Hebrews 3:17 of this chapter) the mention of the forty years connects itself with the words which follow; but here with the provocations of the people and their punishment. It is held by many that in this period of forty years is contained a reference to the time that intervened between our Saviour's earthly ministry and the destruction of Jerusalem; and a Jewish tradition is quoted which assigns to "the days of Messiah" a duration of forty years.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
where
οὗ (hou)
Adverb
Strong's 3757: Where, whither, when, in what place. Genitive case of hos as adverb; at which place, i.e. Where.

your
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

fathers
πατέρες (pateres)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

tested
ἐπείρασαν (epeirasan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 3985: To try, tempt, test. From peira; to test, i.e. Endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline.

[and]
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

tried [Me],
δοκιμασίᾳ (dokimasia)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1382: A trial, proof; tried, approved character. From the same as dokimos; test; by implication, trustiness.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

for forty
τεσσεράκοντα (tesserakonta)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 5062: Forty. The decade of tessares; forty.

years
ἔτη (etē)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2094: A year. Apparently a primary word; a year.

saw
εἶδον (eidon)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

My
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

works.
ἔργα (erga)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2041: From a primary ergo; toil; by implication, an act.


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NT Letters: Hebrews 3:9 Where your fathers tested me by proving (Heb. He. Hb)
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