wilderness = desert, Compare Deuteronomy 1:19 . serpents. Hebrew. nachash. drought. Hebrew. zimm'on. Only here and Psalms 107:33 , and Isaiah 35:7 . Who brought. Compare Psalms 114:8 . read more
Ver. 15. Scorpions— The scorpion is a small insect, which has a bladder full of poison: the belly is divided into seven rings, from the last of which the tail proceeds, which tail is armed with one, and sometimes with two stings, whence it darts a dangerous poison; it fixes violently with its snout, and by its feet or claws, on such persons as it seizes, so that it cannot be plucked off without difficulty, and hence its name עקרב akrab. See Parkhurst on the word. The desarts of Arabia are full... read more
15. Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions—Large and venomous reptiles are found in great numbers there still, particularly in autumn. Travellers must use great caution in arranging their tents and beds at night; even during the day the legs not only of men, but of the animals they ride, are liable to be bitten. who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint—(See on :-). read more
Warning against pride and forgetfulness of God ch. 8"Two important lessons from the past are now referred to. First, the experience of God’s care in the wilderness period, when the people of Israel were unable to help themselves, taught them the lesson of humility through the Lord’s providential discipline. The memory of that experience should keep them from pride in their own achievements amid the security and prosperity of the new land (Deuteronomy 8:1-20)." [Note: Thompson, p. 134.] The... read more
Moses applied the lesson to Israel’s future in this section. When the people settled in the land and experienced God’s blessing of material wealth, they would face temptation to think they were responsible for it rather than God (Deuteronomy 8:17). The prophylactic to this spiritual delusion was to remember what God had taught them in the past. It had been He, not themselves, that had been responsible for their prosperity. [Note: See Eugene H. Merrill, "Remembering: A Central Theme in Biblical... read more
Practical Exhortations (continued)The people are reminded of God’s goodness to them at the time of the exodus and during their sojourn in the wilderness. They are exhorted to humility and obedience, and warned against worshipping strange gods.2, 3. The events of the wanderings were intended to teach Israel humility and dependenee on God alone: see on Deuteronomy 7:19. 3. Which thou knewest not] see Exodus 16:15. But by every word, etc.] If necessary God can sustain human life apart from the... read more
(15) The rock of flint.—The rock in Horeb is called tsûr; the rock smitten in Kadesh, selagh. The first word conveys the idea of “hardness”; the other is rather a “cliff,” or “height,” and suggests the idea of inaccessibility. In Numbers 20:10, the words of Moses to the rebels, “Must we fetch you water out of this rock?” seem to help the distinction, whatever its purpose may be. On the associations of the word tsûr with flint, see Note on Joshua 5:2. The word challâmîsh, here used for flint,... read more
The Way in the Wilderness (First Sunday of the Year) Deuteronomy 8:2 (i) Let us emphasize the word all, for on that word the emphasis of the sentence truly lies. (ii) The character of the path to be estimated not by the present difficulty or danger, but by the importance of the end. (iii) The infinite variety of the way. (iv) The beauty of the way. It is a goodly world which our God hath built and adorned for us, a world whose goodliness is ever around us. (v) The bread of the wilderness. This... read more
THE BREAD OF THE SOULDeuteronomy 8:1-20IN the chapters which follow, viz. 8., 9., and Deuteronomy 10:1-2, we have an appeal to history as a motive for fulfilling the fundamental duty of loving God and keeping His commandments. In its main points it is substantially the same appeal which is made in chapters 1-3, is, in fact, a continuation of it. Its main characteristics, therefore, have already been dealt with; but there are details here which deserve more minute study. Coming after Yahweh’s... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 8:1-20
The promised land (7:1-8:20)Israel’s responsibility was to destroy the people of Canaan along with everything connected with their religion, so that nothing would remain in the land that might corrupt God’s people (7:1-5). Israel’s favoured place as God’s chosen people was not an excuse for them to do as they liked, but a reason for them to avoid corruption and be holy. If they were disobedient, they would surely be punished (6-11). But if they were obedient, they would enjoy the blessings of... read more