Deuteronomy 8:15-20

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.)

18 But think thou upon thy Lord God, that he hath given strengths to thee (to become prosperous), that he should fulfill his covenant, of which he swore to thy fathers, as this present day showeth. (But rather, remember the Lord thy God, that it is he who hath given thee the power to become prosperous, in order to fulfill his covenant which he swore to thy fathers, as he doeth in this present day.)

19 Forsooth if thou forgettest thy Lord God, and followest alien gods, and worshippest them in (thine) heart, and honourest [them] withoutforth, lo! now I before-say to thee, that thou shalt perish utterly; (But if thou forgettest the Lord thy God, and followest foreign, or other, gods, and worshippest them inwardly, and honourest them outwardly, lo! I now say to thee beforehand, that is, I warn thee, that thou shalt utterly perish;)

20 as [the] heathen men perished, which the Lord did away in thine entering, so also ye shall perish, if ye shall be unobedient to the voice of your Lord God. (as the heathen shall perish, whom the Lord shall do away when thou shalt enter into the land, so also ye shall perish, if ye do not obey the voice of the Lord your God.)

Deuteronomy 8:15-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 8

In this chapter Moses repeats the exhortation to observe the commands of God, and urges the Israelites to it, from the consideration of the great and good things God had done for them in the wilderness, and even in those instances which were chastisements, and were of an humbling nature, De 8:1-6, and on the consideration of the blessings of the good land they were going to possess, De 8:7-9 for which blessings they are exhorted to be thankful, and are cautioned against pride of heart through them, and forgetfulness of God, and of his goodness to them while in the wilderness, and when brought into the land of Canaan, which they were to ascribe to his power and goodness, and not their own, De 8:10-18, and the chapter is concluded with a warning against idolatry, lest they perish through it as the nations before them, De 8:19,20.