Deuteronomy 8
PATwood of a grove that was cut down; or to sit under the shadow of it, for coolness’ sake, while it was standing; or so much as to use the ashes of the wood that were left after the grove was burnt. (See Selden, lib. ii. de Jure Nat. et Gent juxta Discipl. Heb. cap. 7. p. 215, 216, &c.) the first-fruits of corn, wine, oil, and honey, or dates, as we there translate it in tho margin.
Deuteronomy 8:1
JjlLL the commandments which J command thee this day shall ye observe to do. He seems still to press them to have a special care to observe the ten commandments, and especially the first of them, (vi. 4 — 6.) For it appears by the latter end of this chapter that he hath a regard to that. Tliat ye may live.’] -Long and happily: for life, every one knows, frequently signifies all the comforts of life, as death signifies all manner of miseries. And multiply.] Which is the effect of a long and happy life. And go in and possess the land, &c. or, after ye go in and possess the land, which the Lord sware tmto your fathers.] Seevi.18.
Deuteronomy 8:2
And thou shall remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness. Whereby they were severely punished for the rebellion of their forefathers against him; which should be an admonition to them to be more dutiful. Others expound it of the care of God over them, in providing for them and protecting them, as well as leading them by a glorious cloud all that time; which doth well enough agree with what follows. (Seeii.7.) To humble thee.] Or, to afflict thee with tedious wanderings up and down, backward and forward, without any certain dwelling-place. And prove thee.] To try whether they would be better, by being kept so long out of the good land promised unto them. And to know what tvas in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandment’s, or no.] God knew perfectly how they were disposed towards him; but it was fit, that they should know themselves better, and posterity be instructed by their behaviour.
Deuteronomy 8:3
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger. He afflicted thee, by suffering thee to want bread to eat, (Exod. xvi.2, 3.) And fed thee with manna:] But it was that he mighthave an opportunity to make a bountiful provision for such a vast multitude of people, as were fed by him every day from heaven, and teach them to depend on his good providence.’ Which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know.] Exod. xvi. 15. He made an unusual, as well as an unexpected provision for them. That he might make thee knoiv that man doth not live by bread only.’] That it is not only our common food that preserves us. * But by every tvord that proceedeth out of the month of God doth man live.] But by any thing whatsoever (for so word often signifies) which God shall please to command to give us nourishment. This was a wonderful encouragement t<5 obedience, that God would rather work a miracle, than suffer them to want necessaries^ and by a light aerial sort of bread, give them as* great strength and vigour, as the most solid nourishment was wont to afford them. The remembrance of which could not but excite their posterity to love God, and serve him, if they often and seriously reflected on it. The great Salmasius, in a treatise on purpose about manna, hath said a great deal to # prove that the manna which God sent the Jews did not differ in its form or substance from that which commonly fell in those countries, and doth so at this day: but herein consisted the miracle, that he gave them in a prescribed measure, -and so abundantly, as to suffice such a vast number; and that every morning, in all seasons of the year. This made it a Divine manna; for the common fell only in smallquantities/ and not always, but at some times in the year.. That he might humble thee.] This word is commonly understood of humbling by affliction • which may seem not to belong to manna; for that was a singular benefit, being an excellent nourishment, and of a delicious taste: but they, having nothing else besides this to live upon, were soon tired with it, (as we find Numb. xi. 6.) And much more did it seem an affliction to them, to live upon one thing alone for forty years together; and God intended by it to humble them, at tho same time that he was extraordinary kind to them. And that he might prove thee.] Whether they would be thankful that they were not starved, and submit to his wise providence, and obey his laws; which they had tho greater reason to observe, because it was evident they owed their Ycry life and being to him every moment: for without new supplies every day from heaven, they had been famished in that desolate wilderness. And do the good at thy latter end.] That in conclusion his kindness to them might be more thankfully received, and more safely enjoyed. So Maimonidcs expounds this passage, in his Jtfore Nevoohim, (par. iii, cap. 24.) " God was pleased to accustom them to labour in the wilderness, that he might increase their happiness when they came into the land.of Canaan. For this is certain, a transition from labour to rest is far SM’ccter than cpntinual rest. Nor could they so easily have subdued the land, and overcome the inhabitants of it,unless they had endured some hardship in tho wilderness. For rest and idleness take away men’s courage; but labour and hard fare augments it. And this is the good (saith he) yrhich was in the issue to redound to them by this wise dispensation of God’s providence."
Deuteronomy 8:4
Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. These were t%vo other wonderful benefits, which, if well considered, could not but incline them to be obedient to him, who multiplied miracles to nourish and strengthen their faith and hope in him. The Jews, to increase the miracle, say, their clothes enlarged as they grew bigger, from children to men; and so did their shoes also: but there was no need of this; for the clothes and shoes of those men that died might serve their children when they grew up to their stature. And it was sufficiently amazing, without such additions, that their clothes should not so much as decay, nor their feet, by so long travelling in hot and stony places, have the least swelling in them, or, as some translate it, grow callous. There are those that refer this last clause not to their feet, but to their shoes; according to what we read, xxix. 5.
Deuteronomy 8:5
Thou shall also consider in thine heart. Often reflect and ponder. That as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God cJiasteneth thee.] All the afflictions which God had,sent upon them, he would have them think, were not for their undoing, but for their amendment, and correcting what was amiss in them; and therefore ought to be thankfully acknowledged as well as his benefits. Ver. G. Tlierefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.] Howsoever therefore he dealt with them, it ought to have led them to obedience. In the repetition of this so often, Moses doth but practise his own lesson, which he had taught them, vi. 7. that they should teach these words diligently to their children, &c.
Deuteronomy 8:7
For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land. Therefore there was the greater need they should’ enter into it with the pious resolution beforementioned, to.fear God and walk in his ways. Otherwise, they would be in great danger to be corrupted by such plenty and variety of all good things as this land afforded. A land of brooks of water, of fountains, and depths that spring out of valleys and hills.] The Hebrew word tehom, which we translate deep, and in the plural number depths, signifies sometimes those great caverns of water that are within the ground, which were made by the plentiful rains, which God sent upon this country while they were obedient to him; which both made it fruitful (though now barren), and abounding also with water for their cattle, (Psal. lxxviii. 15. Ezek. xxxi. 4.) But it is here commonly interpreted lakes, or wells of water.
Deuteronomy 8:8
A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and figtrees, and pomegranates. Plentifully stored with all things necessary for the support and pleasure of life. A land of oil, olive, and honey.] The same word debits, which signifies honey, signifies also dates.. And so De Dieu thinks it most reasonable to translate it here, being joined with four other sorts of fruits; and. so Kimchi saith, tho ancient Jews expounded it in this place, and in 2 Chron., xxxi. 5. where it is said, that Israel brought in abundance;
Deuteronomy 8:9
A land wherein thou slialt eat bread without scarceness. Bo in no want of any sort of provision, which is comprehended under the name of bread. Thou shalt not lack any thing in it.’] No other conveniences oflifc. Aland ivhose stones are iron, and out of whose hills tliou mayest dig brass.] Where there are useful minerals, as plentiful as stones are in other places. These are the rather mentioned, because there were no such mines in Egypt, where they had long dwelt, and were stored with plenty of other things, (Numb. xi. 5.) Vcr. 10. mien thou hast eaten, and art full.] After a liberal mcaL Tlien thou shalt bless the Lord tjiy God for the good land xvJiichtie hath given thee.] Give solemn thanks to God, not only for that present repast, but for the plentiful provision he had made for them of all good things, in the land he had bestowed on them,. From this place the Jews have made it a general rule, or as they call it an affirmative precept, that every one bless God at theit meals, that is, as I <said, give him thanks for his benefits: for he blesses us when he bestows good things upon us; and we bless him when we thankfully acknowledge his goodness therein: which is a natural duty which we owe to the Fountain and Original of all good. Ver. II. Beware tluit thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes’, which I command thee this day,] He would have their thanksgiving for his benefits leave such a sense of God upon their minds, as should make them careful to yield him an entire obedience. Vcr. 12. Lest when thou hast eaten, and art full, and hast built goodly Jiouses, and dwelt therein.] Feasted in stately houses, Avherein they enjoyed their ease. Ver.’ 13. And when thy herds and thy flocks are multiplied, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that tliou hast is multiplied.] Tho sense of these two verses is, when they had great abundance of all good things within doors and without. Yer. 14. Tlien thine heart be lifted up.] Which ijs an usual effect of great riches; as Euripides observes in that known saying of his, ff Yj3/w Si tIktu ttXovtoc, wealth breeds pride, scorn, and contempt of others. This Moses Kotzensis thought so great a sin, that he puts it among the negative precepts; and pretends he was warned in a dream so to do, though Maimonidcs, and others, had omitted it. And when Jhe awaked, he. was confirmed in it, by reading a place in the Gemara upon Sota, (cap. 1,) which saith, wheresoever we find these words in Scripture, take heed lest, there is a prohibition, as there is, ver. 11. and here, to take heed of pride: for whosoever is proud, he shalt be brought low, as the Gemara there adds; which aro, in a manner, trje words of.our blessed Saviour, (St. Luke xviii. 14.) And thpu’forget the Lord thy God.] This jjs another common effect of large possessions, which make the owners ofthan fall into sloth and luxury, and such forgetfulness Qf the Donorof all good things, that they trust in uncertain riches (as the apostle speaks), and not in the living tGod, irnagining now they can never want; not because God is so good, but because they have such store of good things laid up for many years. Winch brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, and from the house of bondage.] No wonder if they forgot all his former benefits, when they were unthankful for the present. Vcr. 15. TFfco ted thee through that great and terrible wilderness.] See i. 19. Wlierein were fiery serpents.] Sec Numb. xxi. G. And scoipioris.] These aro commonly joined with serpents in Scripture, even in the New Testament, (Luke x. 19. xi. 12, 13.) being found in the same places, especially in this desert of Arabia. Avd drought.] The Hebrew word tsimmaon signifies a dry place, as we translate it, Psal. cvii. 33. Isa. xxxv. 7. And that best agrees with what hero follows, where there was no water. IWio brought thee forth water out of a rock of flint.] From which one would have sooner expected lire than water, (Numb. xx. 11.) Wliofed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not.]