Deuteronomy 8:15

15 and he was thy leader in the great wilderness and fearful, in which wilderness was a serpent burning with blast, and a scorpion, and (a) dipsas, that is, an adder, that maketh them whom he stingeth to die for thirst, and utterly no waters were in the desert, the which Lord brought out streams of the hardest stone, (for he was thy leader in the great and fearful wilderness, in which wilderness there were poisonous serpents, and scorpions, and dipsas, that is, snakes that make those that they sting to die from thirst, and when there was utterly no water in that wilderness, the Lord brought forth streams out of the hardest stone,)

Deuteronomy 8:15 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 8:15

Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness
The wilderness of Paran, which was great and large, reaching from Sinai to Kadesh, eleven days' journey, and terrible to the sight, nothing being to be seen but dry rocks and barren mountains; see ( Deuteronomy 1:19 ) , and especially for what follows: wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions; fiery serpents, such as bit the Israelites, of which see ( Numbers 21:6 ) and scorpions, a kind of serpents, venomous and mischievous, which have stings in their tails they are continually thrusting out and striking with, as Pliny says ^F21; and have their name from their great sting; for Aristotle ^F23 says, this alone of insects has a large sting:

and drought where there was no water;
a dry and barren place where no water was to be had; see ( Psalms 63:1 ) or it may be rather another kind of serpents may be meant, which is called "dipsas"; and so the Vulgate Latin, Septuagint, and Samaritan versions render it; the biting of which produces such a thirst as proves mortal, and which must be intolerable in a wilderness where no water is; and from whence it has its name, which signifies thirsty, as does the Hebrew word here used:

who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
which was done both at Horeb and Kadesh, ( Exodus 17:6 ) ( Numbers 20:11 ) and was very extraordinary; by striking flint, fire is ordinarily produced, and not water. Dr. Shaw observes ^F24, that it may be more properly named, with other sorts of graphite marble here to be met with, "the rock of amethyst", from their reddish or purple colour and complexion.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 25.
F23 Hist. Animal. l. 4. c. 7.
F24 Travels, p. 317, 442.

Deuteronomy 8:15 In-Context

13 and hast droves of oxen (and hast herds of oxen), and flocks of sheep, and plenty of silver, and of gold, and of all things,

14 thine heart be then raised, and thou think not upon thy Lord God, that led thee out of the land of Egypt, and from the house of servage, (then thy heart be raised up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, who led thee out of the land of Egypt, and from the house of servitude, or of slavery,)

15 and he was thy leader in the great wilderness and fearful, in which wilderness was a serpent burning with blast, and a scorpion, and (a) dipsas, that is, an adder, that maketh them whom he stingeth to die for thirst, and utterly no waters were in the desert, the which Lord brought out streams of the hardest stone, (for he was thy leader in the great and fearful wilderness, in which wilderness there were poisonous serpents, and scorpions, and dipsas, that is, snakes that make those that they sting to die from thirst, and when there was utterly no water in that wilderness, the Lord brought forth streams out of the hardest stone,)

16 and he fed thee with manna (there) in the wilderness, which manna thy fathers knew not. And after that the Lord had tormented thee, and proved thee, at the last he had mercy on thee (And after that the Lord had humbled thee, and had tested thee, finally he had mercy on thee),

17 lest thou wouldest say in thine heart, My strength, and the might of mine hand, hath given all these things to me. (lest thou shouldest say in thy heart, My own strength, and the might of my own hand, hath given me all these things.)