The Hebrew verb bachan means to test, examine, or try — particularly metals through smelting to verify purity. It describes God's refining examination of the human heart and the testing of faith under pressure.
Bachan carries the imagery of a refiner's furnace. When God bachans a person, He is not seeking information for His own benefit but rather purifying and proving the genuineness of faith. The prophets used this word to describe God testing Israel in the wilderness (Psalm 17:3) and the assaying of hearts (Jeremiah 17:10). Unlike nasah (to tempt/test with possibility of failure), bachan emphasizes the examining process itself — the divine metallurgist separating dross from gold. In Malachi 3:10, God invites Israel to bachan Him in the matter of tithes — a rare reversal where the creature tests the Creator's faithfulness.