He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. He humbled youThis phrase refers to God's intentional act of humbling the Israelites during their wilderness journey. The Hebrew root word here is "עָנָה" (anah), which means to afflict or humble. This humbling was a divine discipline meant to teach reliance on God rather than on human strength or resources. Historically, the Israelites' journey through the desert was a time of testing and character formation, where they learned to depend on God for their daily needs. causing you to hunger
The hunger experienced by the Israelites was not merely a physical state but a spiritual lesson. The Hebrew word "רָעֵב" (ra'ev) signifies a deep need or craving. This hunger was a tool used by God to draw the Israelites closer to Him, emphasizing their dependence on His provision. In the broader scriptural context, this hunger symbolizes the human condition of spiritual need that only God can satisfy. and then feeding you with manna
Manna, described in Exodus as bread from heaven, was a miraculous provision. The Hebrew word "מָן" (man) is used here, which is derived from the question "What is it?" reflecting the Israelites' initial confusion. Manna represents God's supernatural provision and care. Archaeologically, while no physical evidence of manna exists, its mention in various ancient texts underscores its significance as a divine sustenance. which neither you nor your fathers had known
This phrase highlights the uniqueness of God's provision. The Israelites and their ancestors had no prior experience with manna, emphasizing its miraculous nature. The unfamiliarity of manna serves as a reminder that God's ways and provisions often surpass human understanding and expectations. to teach you
The purpose of these experiences was instructional. The Hebrew word "לָמַד" (lamad) means to learn or be taught. God's intention was to educate the Israelites in faith and obedience, using their physical circumstances to impart spiritual truths. This teaching underscores the importance of experiential learning in the life of faith. that man does not live on bread alone
This statement is a profound theological truth. The Hebrew word for "live" is "חָיָה" (chayah), which implies more than mere physical survival; it encompasses a full, abundant life. Bread, representing physical sustenance, is insufficient for true life, which requires spiritual nourishment from God. but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD
The phrase emphasizes the necessity of divine revelation for life. The Hebrew word "דָּבָר" (dabar) means word or matter, signifying God's spoken word as a source of life. This concept is foundational in Scripture, affirming that God's word is life-giving and sustaining. Historically, this truth is echoed in Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, where He quotes this verse, reinforcing the eternal relevance of relying on God's word. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites who delivered God's message and laws to the people. He is the speaker in Deuteronomy, reminding the Israelites of God's faithfulness and their need for obedience. 2. IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, who were led out of Egypt and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. They experienced God's provision and discipline during this time. 3. WildernessThe desert region where the Israelites wandered for 40 years. It was a place of testing and reliance on God for sustenance. 4. MannaThe miraculous food provided by God to the Israelites in the wilderness. It symbolizes God's provision and care. 5. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who provided for and instructed His people throughout their journey. Teaching Points Dependence on GodJust as the Israelites depended on God for manna, we must rely on God for our daily needs and spiritual nourishment. Spiritual SustenanceTrue life and fulfillment come from God's word, not just physical sustenance. Prioritize time in Scripture to feed your soul. Humility and TestingGod uses trials to humble us and teach us reliance on Him. Embrace challenges as opportunities for spiritual growth. God's FaithfulnessReflect on how God has provided for you in the past, reinforcing trust in His continued provision and guidance. Obedience to God's WordLiving by God's word requires obedience and trust. Commit to following His commands as a demonstration of faith. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the experience of the Israelites in the wilderness mirror our own spiritual journey and dependence on God? 2. In what ways can we prioritize spiritual nourishment from God's word in our daily lives? 3. How can we apply Jesus' response to temptation in Matthew 4:4 to our own struggles and challenges? 4. Reflect on a time when God provided for you in an unexpected way. How did this experience strengthen your faith? 5. How can we cultivate a heart of humility and reliance on God in the midst of life's trials and uncertainties? Connections to Other Scriptures Matthew 4:4Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 during His temptation in the wilderness, emphasizing reliance on God's word over physical sustenance. Exodus 16Describes the initial provision of manna to the Israelites, highlighting God's miraculous provision and the need for trust in Him. John 6:31-35Jesus refers to Himself as the "bread of life," connecting the provision of manna to His role as the spiritual sustenance for believers. People MosesPlaces Beth-baal-peor, EgyptTopics Afflicted, Allowed, Alone, Bread, Cause, Causing, Clear, Didn't, Eat, Fathers, Fed, Feeding, Hadst, Hast, Humble, Humbled, Hunger, Hungry, Knewest, Low, Manna, Man's, Mouth, Order, Pride, Proceedeth, Proceeds, Produce, Suffered, Teach, UnderstandDictionary of Bible Themes Deuteronomy 8:3 1611 Scripture, inspiration and authority
1690 word of God
2054 Christ, mind of
2081 Christ, wisdom
2333 Christ, attitude to OT
2363 Christ, preaching and teaching
4418 bread
4438 eating
4474 manna
4824 famine, spiritual
5167 mouth
5341 hunger
5548 speech, divine
5627 word
7793 teachers
8224 dependence
8409 decision-making, and providence Deuteronomy 8:1-5 8231 discipline, divine Deuteronomy 8:2-3 8832 testing Deuteronomy 8:2-4 1654 numbers, 11-99 Deuteronomy 8:2-5 5473 proof, through testing
8027 faith, testing of Library God's Training
DEUTERONOMY viii. 2-5. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no. 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 every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the …
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other SermonsThe Lesson of Memory
'Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these lofty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no.'--DEUT. viii.2. The strand of our lives usually slips away smoothly enough, but days such as this, the last Sunday in a year, are like the knots on a sailor's log, which, as they pass through his fingers, tell him how fast it is being paid out from the reel, and how far it has …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture National Wealth
(Fifth Sunday after Easter.) Deut. viii. 11-18. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth …
Charles Kingsley—The Gospel of the Pentateuch Subterraneous Places. Mines. Caves.
Thus having taken some notice of the superficies of the land, let us a little search into its bowels. You may divide the subterraneous country into three parts: the metal mines, the caves, and the places of burial. This land was eminently noted for metal mines, so that "its stones," in very many places, "were iron, and out of its hills was digged brass," Deuteronomy 8:9. From these gain accrued to the Jews: but to the Christians, not seldom slavery and misery; being frequently condemned hither by …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Emmanuel's Land
P. G. Deut. viii. 7-10 The land! the glory of all lands, Beyond the Jordan's wave; Beyond the weary desert sands-- The land beyond the grave! Now safe witin that glorious land, We prove His faithful Word; 'Midst Canaan's golden fields we stand, The ransomed of the Lord. Amidst the burning desert drought We learnt His watchful love; Streams from the flinty rocks He brought, Sent bread from Heaven above. Our God in weariness and need, His love was measured there By hunger which His hand would feed, …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others Palestine Eighteen Centuries Ago
Eighteen and a half centuries ago, and the land which now lies desolate--its bare, grey hills looking into ill-tilled or neglected valleys, its timber cut down, its olive- and vine-clad terraces crumbled into dust, its villages stricken with poverty and squalor, its thoroughfares insecure and deserted, its native population well-nigh gone, and with them its industry, wealth, and strength--presented a scene of beauty, richness, and busy life almost unsurpassed in the then known world. The Rabbis never …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life The Temptation of Christ
Matthew 4:1-11 -- "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a …
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield Why all Things Work for Good
1. The grand reason why all things work for good, is the near and dear interest which God has in His people. The Lord has made a covenant with them. "They shall be my people, and I will be their God" (Jer. xxxii. 38). By virtue of this compact, all things do, and must work, for good to them. "I am God, even thy God" (Psalm l. 7). This word, Thy God,' is the sweetest word in the Bible, it implies the best relations; and it is impossible there should be these relations between God and His people, and …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL RELATION OF THE EXCEEDING MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS POOR SERVANT, JOHN BUNYAN; WHEREIN IS PARTICULARLY SHOWED THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION, HIS SIGHT AND TROUBLE FOR SIN, HIS DREADFUL TEMPTATIONS, ALSO HOW HE DESPAIRED OF GOD'S MERCY, AND HOW THE LORD AT LENGTH THROUGH CHRIST DID DELIVER HIM FROM ALL THE GUILT AND TERROR THAT LAY UPON HIM. Whereunto is added a brief relation of his call to the work of the ministry, of his temptations therein, as also what he hath met with …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 In Death and after Death
A sadder picture could scarcely be drawn than that of the dying Rabbi Jochanan ben Saccai, that "light of Israel" immediately before and after the destruction of the Temple, and for two years the president of the Sanhedrim. We read in the Talmud (Ber. 28 b) that, when his disciples came to see him on his death-bed, he burst into tears. To their astonished inquiry why he, "the light of Israel, the right pillar of the Temple, and its mighty hammer," betrayed such signs of fear, he replied: "If I were …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Meditations Before Dinner and Supper.
Meditate that hunger is like the sickness called a wolf; which, if thou dost not feed, will devour thee, and eat thee up; and that meat and drink are but as physic, or means which God hath ordained, to relieve and cure this natural infirmity and necessity of man. Use, therefore, to eat and to drink, rather to sustain and refresh the weakness of nature, than to satisfy the sensuality and delights of the flesh. Eat, therefore, to live, but live not to eat. There is no service so base, as for a man …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Third Sunday Before Lent
Text: First Corinthians 9, 24-27; 10, 1-5. 24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain. 25 And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: 27 but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Deuteronomy 8:3 NIVDeuteronomy 8:3 NLTDeuteronomy 8:3 ESVDeuteronomy 8:3 NASBDeuteronomy 8:3 KJV
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