Albert Barnes Commentary Deuteronomy 8
Albert Barnes Commentary
Deuteronomy 8
Albert Barnes Commentary
Deuteronomy 8
"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live." — Deuteronomy 8:3 (ASV)
But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord - literally, “every outgoing of the mouth of the Lord.” Compare (Deuteronomy 29:5–6). The term “word” is inserted by the King James Version after the Septuagint, which is followed by Matthew and Luke (see the marginal references). On the means of subsistence available to the people during the wandering, see (Numbers 20:1) note. The lesson was taught, that it is not nature which nourishes man, but God the Creator by and through nature: and generally that God is not tied to the particular channels (“bread only,” i.e., the ordinary means of earthly sustenance) through which He is usually pleased to work.
"Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years." — Deuteronomy 8:4 (ASV)
They had clothes, it would seem, in abundance at the beginning of the 40 years; and during those years they had many sheep and oxen, and so must have had much material for clothing always at command. No doubt also they carried on trade in these, as in other commodities, with the Moabites and the nomadic tribes of the desert. Such ordinary supplies must not be shut out of consideration, even if they were on occasions supplemented by extraordinary providences of God, as was undoubtedly the case with their food.
"For Jehovah thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig copper." — Deuteronomy 8:7-9 (ASV)
See (Exodus 3:8) note, and the contrast expressed in (Deuteronomy 11:10–11), between Palestine and Egypt.
The physical characteristics and advantages of a country like Palestine must have been quite strange to Israel at the time Moses was speaking: compare (Deuteronomy 3:25) note. To have praised the fertility and excellence of the promised land at an earlier period would have increased the people's murmurings and impatience while they were detained in the wilderness. Whereas now, this praise encouraged them to encounter more cheerfully the opposition that they would meet from the inhabitants of Canaan.
Vines - The abundance of wine in Syria and Palestine is dwelt upon in the Egyptian records of the campaigns of Thutmose III. Only a little wine is produced in Egypt itself. The production of wine has in later times gradually ceased in Palestine (circa 1880s).
For "brass" read "copper" (Genesis 4:22 note); and compare the description of mining operations in (Job 28:1–11). Mining does not seem to have been extensively carried on by the Jews, though it certainly was by the Canaanite peoples displaced by them. Traces of iron and copper works have been discovered by modern travelers in Lebanon and many parts of the country. For example, the district of Argob (see Deuteronomy 3:4 notes) contains ironstone in abundance.
"who led thee through the great and terrible wilderness, [wherein were] fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;" — Deuteronomy 8:15 (ASV)
Render: "Who brought you through that great and terrible wilderness, the fiery serpent and the scorpion, and the dry land where are no waters." On the fiery serpents see Numbers 21:6 note.
"who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not; that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end:" — Deuteronomy 8:16 (ASV)
To do thee good at thy latter end - This is presented as the result of God’s dealings.
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