God tests and proves his people; he never tempts anyone to evil. “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” In James 1:13, the Greek word is peirazō (G3985): It is one word for both testing and tempting. Strong’s gives ‘to test (…) scrutinize, entice’: the same verb can mean putting someone to the proof, or trying...
Get DeepWordWhat the original says
Behind the word “tempt” in this verse is the Greek word peirazō (said pay-RAHD-zoh).
It is one word for both testing and tempting. Strong’s gives ‘to test (…) scrutinize, entice’: the same verb can mean putting someone to the proof, or trying to lead them wrong. The sentence around it shows which.
This form, peirazei, means ‘he tempts’, and oudena, ‘no one’, follows: “nor does He tempt anyone”. Just before it is apeirastos, which Strong’s defines as ‘not temptable’: “God cannot be tempted by evil”.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘test’ in some form 16 times and ‘tempt’ in some form 14 times. Jesus asked Philip a question “to test him” (John 6:6):
Word by word
| ὁ | γὰρ | θεὸς | ἀπείραστός | ἐστιν | κακῶν | πειράζει | δὲ | αὐτὸς | οὐδένα |
| the | for | God | untemptable | is | by evils | tempts | and | he himself | no one |
Original form
What this tells us
James is writing to believers under pressure, and he has just said, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life” (James 1:12). Then he turns to another kind of trial: the pull toward doing wrong, and the excuse people reach for when they feel it. The word for “tempted” is peirazō, one Greek word for both testing and tempting, and the sentence around it decides which. Here James closes a door firmly. No one should say “God is tempting me.” Then the reason: “For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” He goes on to say where the pull comes from instead: “each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed” (James 1:14). The picture is of bait: something attractive that hides a hook. Left to grow, desire “gives birth to sin” (James 1:15). And what does come from God? “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17). Whatever God allows in a hard season, these verses say he is never the one pulling you toward evil. When you feel pulled toward something wrong, that pull is not God’s plan for you. What comes from him is good, and he is the one to run to when the pull is strong.
What the original says
Behind the word “tested” in this verse is the Hebrew word nasah (said nah-SAH).
It means to test, to put to the proof. Strong’s gives simply ‘to test’.
This form, nissah, means ‘he tested’. The one testing is ha’elohim, ‘God’: “God tested Abraham”.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘test’ in some form 30 times, as in “so that He might humble you and test you” (Deuteronomy 8:2), and never ‘tempt’:
Word by word
| וְהָאֱלֹהִים | נִסָּה | אֶת | אַבְרָהָם |
| and · the · God | tested | — | Abraham |
Original form
What this tells us
Abraham waited years for Isaac, the son God promised him. Now, “Some time later”, God asks what seems unthinkable: “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah” (Genesis 22:2), there to offer him. Abraham gets up early and goes. The word for “tested” is nasah: to test, to put someone to the proof. The Bible tells the reader from the first line that this is a test, so we are not left wondering whether God wants a child to die. On the mountain he stops Abraham’s hand: “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him” (Genesis 22:12). Abraham’s answer on the way up is the heart of the story: “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8). Hebrews says that Abraham “reasoned that God could raise the dead” (Hebrews 11:19). Moses later told Israel that God led them through the wilderness “so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart” (Deuteronomy 8:2). Christians read this hard story in different ways, and many also see in it a picture of God giving his own Son; the text itself shows a test that ends in God providing. A test in the Bible is not a trap. This one ends at a place Abraham named “The LORD Will Provide” (Genesis 22:14), and that is where the story leaves you too.
What the original says
Behind the word “trials” in this verse is the Greek word peirasmos (said pay-rahs-MOS).
It is the noun from peirazō: a testing, a trial. Strong’s says it can be a test ‘of good’ or ‘of evil’, and ‘by implication, adversity’: hard times.
This form, peirasmois, is plural: trials, “of many kinds” (poikilois).
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘temptation’ 9 times and ‘trial’ or ‘trials’ 8 times. In the Lord’s Prayer, “lead us not into temptation” (Matthew 6:13) is this word:
Word by word
| Πᾶσαν | χαρὰν | ἡγήσασθε | ἀδελφοί | μου | ὅταν | πειρασμοῖς | περιπέσητε | ποικίλοις |
| all | joy | count | brothers | my | when | trials | you fall into | various |
Original form
What this tells us
James writes “To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion” (James 1:1): believers scattered far from home, living as outsiders. After a one-word greeting he goes straight to the hardest part of their lives: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds.” The word for “trials” is peirasmos: a testing, a trial, and in other places a temptation. Here it means the hard things that come at you from outside, “of many kinds”. James does not say that the trials themselves are joyful. He says to count them as joy, because of what they can do in you. He explains in the next verses: “the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:3), and “Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4). Paul traces the same chain: “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3–4). Think of a muscle that only grows when it carries weight. Christians differ on how much of a trial God sends and how much he allows, but they agree that he can use it for good. This verse does not ask you to pretend you are happy about what hurts. It offers another way to look at it: as something that, in God’s hands, can make your faith stronger and more whole.
Read every verse in the original Hebrew and Greek, in the app
Tap any word to see its meaning, lexicon entry, and every other place it appears.
Download on the App StoreWhat the original says
Behind the words “proven character” in this verse is the Greek word dokimion (said do-KEE-mee-on).
It means a testing, a proving, the way metal is tested to show it is genuine. Strong’s adds ‘by implication, trustworthiness’.
This form, dokimion, is a noun: “the proven character of your faith”. Later in the verse is a related verb, dokimazō, here “refined by fire”.
It is found in only 2 verses: “proven character” here, and “testing” in “the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:3):
Word by word
| ἵνα | τὸ | δοκίμιον | ὑμῶν | τῆς | πίστεως |
| so that | the | testing | of you | of the | faith |
Original form
What this tells us
Peter has just told his readers that they “greatly rejoice”, “though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials” (1 Peter 1:6). Joy and grief sit side by side in the same sentence. This verse explains why the trials are not wasted. The words “proven character” are dokimion: a testing, a proving, the way metal is tested to show that it is genuine. Gold goes into the fire, and what comes out is shown to be real. Peter says that faith is “more precious than gold, which perishes”. If gold is worth testing, faith is worth far more. The Old Testament used the same picture for God’s care: “A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts” (Proverbs 17:3). Malachi pictures the LORD who “will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” (Malachi 3:3). A refiner sits close to the fire and watches; the goal is not to destroy the metal but to bring out what is precious in it. And Peter says where the testing ends: in “praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” If your faith feels as if it is in the fire right now, this verse tells you what it is to God: precious, worth watching over, and on its way to being shown for what it is.
What the original says
Behind the words “test me” in this verse is the Hebrew word bachan (said bah-KHAN).
It means to test, especially metals, and so to examine closely. Strong’s: ‘to test (especially metals)’.
This form, bechaneni, is a request with ‘me’ on the end: “test me”. Here the one asking to be tested is David himself.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘test’ in some form 17 times and ‘examine’ 4 times, as in “Test Me in this” (Malachi 3:10):
Word by word
| חָקְרֵנִי | אֵל | וְדַע | לְבָבִי | בְּחָנֵנִי | וְדַע | שַׂרְעַפָּי |
| search · me | O God | and · know | heart · my | test · me | and · know | thoughts · my |
Original form
What this tells us
Psalm 139 begins, “O LORD, You have searched me and known me” (Psalm 139:1). David marvels that he cannot get away from God: “Where can I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). He marvels too that God “knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). Now, at the very end, he asks for what he has been describing all along. The word for “test” is bachan: to test, especially metals, and so to examine something closely. Here the one being tested is the one asking for it: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.” By the end of the psalm, being known by God has become something David welcomes rather than fears. He says why he asks: “See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:24). Another psalm prays the same thing: “Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind” (Psalm 26:2). Think of asking a doctor you trust to look closely, not because you want bad news, but because you want to be well. The test here is not a trap set for David. It is a door he opens himself. This verse is a prayer of trust: inviting God to see everything in you, and then to lead you on from there. It is there for you to pray as your own.
What the original says
Behind the word “escape” in this verse is the Greek word ekbasis (said EK-bah-sis).
It means a way out, an exit. Strong’s says it is made from ek, ‘out’, and the base of basis, ‘a pace’: a going out.
This form, ekbasin, has ‘the’ in front: ‘the way out’. God provides it with the temptation, peirasmos again, “so that you can stand up under it”.
It is found in only 2 verses: “an escape” here, and “outcome” in Hebrews 13:7, “Consider the outcome of their way of life”:
Word by word
| ἀλλὰ | ποιήσει | σὺν | τῷ | πειρασμῷ | καὶ | τὴν | ἔκβασιν | τοῦ | δύνασθαι | ὑπενεγκεῖν |
| but | he will make | with | the | temptation | also | the | way out | of the | to be able | to bear |
Original form
What this tells us
Paul has been retelling Israel’s story in the wilderness, and he says, “these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us” (1 Corinthians 10:11). He warns anyone who feels confident: “the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Then comes this verse, full of comfort. The words “an escape” are ekbasis: a way out, an exit. Paul says three things together. The temptation is “common to man”: you are not uniquely strange or uniquely weak. “God is faithful.” And with the temptation “He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.” Paul names one way out in the very next verse: “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14). Sometimes the exit is simply walking away. On the night before he died, Jesus told his friends, “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). Think of the lit exit signs in a public building: you hope you never need one, but they are always there, and they always lead outside. If you feel cornered by a temptation, this verse says you are not as alone, or as trapped, as it feels. God is faithful, and somewhere close there is a way out.
What the original says
Behind the word “help” in this verse is the Greek word boētheō (said bo-ay-THEH-oh).
It means to help, to come to someone’s aid. Strong’s says it comes from boēthos, a helper.
This form, boēthēsai, means ‘to help’. Before it, peirazō comes twice: “He was tempted” is said of Jesus, and “those who are being tempted” of us.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘help’ 8 times, as in “Lord, help me!” (Matthew 15:25):
Word by word
| πέπονθεν | αὐτὸς | πειρασθείς | δύναται | τοῖς | πειραζομένοις | βοηθῆσαι |
| he suffered | himself | being tempted | he is able | those | being tempted | to help |
Original form
What this tells us
Hebrews has been explaining why the Son of God became fully human: “He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest” (Hebrews 2:17). This verse says what that means for anyone who is facing temptation right now. The word for “help” is boētheō: to come to someone’s aid when they call. Jesus does not help from a safe distance. “Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” His help comes from the inside of the same struggle. The Gospels show him tempted: “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1), and he answered with Scripture (Matthew 4:10). Hebrews adds that he “was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), and so it invites us: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). Think of a mountain guide who has climbed the same path you are on. He knows where it gets steep, and he does not laugh when you slip. When you are tempted, you are not praying to someone who cannot understand. You are calling on someone who has been there, and who is able to help.
Behind "test" are 12 different words
Your English Bible says "test" 81 times. Behind it stand several Hebrew and Greek words:
Reflect
Read it as yours
1 Corinthians 10:13 is for anyone who feels they keep failing the same test. Read it slowly:
Name it
What is the temptation you keep meeting? Write it plainly. Then write where the “escape” might be the next time it comes.
Carry with you
Hebrews 2:18 says Jesus “is able to help those who are being tempted.” Will you ask him for help the next time, before or during, not only after?
A note
If you are struggling with a temptation you can’t shake, you’re not alone. Talking with a pastor or counselor can help.