Deuteronomy 8:16

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),

Deuteronomy 8:16 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 8:16

Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna
Even all the forty years they were in it, ( Exodus 16:35 ) which thy fathers knew not; when they first saw it, ( Exodus 16:15 )

that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee;
they were kept humble, being dependent on God for their daily bread, having nothing in the wilderness to support themselves with; and this tried them, whether they would trust in God for their daily supply, and be thankful for it, or not:

to do thee good at thy latter end;
that by living on such light bread, and this only and continually, his goodness might appear the greater, and be the sweeter to them, when they came into a land abounding with all good things; which is not to be understood of the latter end and last days of their commonwealth, as our version, with the Septuagint, Samaritan, Arabic versions, and others, and the Targum of Onkelos; but of time following nearer, and the phrase should be rendered "hereafter" {y}; which better agrees with the promise of a divine blessing; though, come when it would, it was the more acceptable for the trial; as heaven will be the sweeter to the saints, through the afflictions, hardships, straits, and difficulties, which attend them here.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F25 (Ktyrxab) "tandem", Tigurine version, Vatablus, Piscator; "posthac", Noldius, p. 180. No. 807.

Deuteronomy 8:16 In-Context

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.)

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.)