(9) Whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.—We do not hear of mining operations in Palestine from sacred history. “Brass,” i.e., copper; and so in all passages. read more
(10) When thou hast eaten.—Literally, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and shalt bless the Lord thy God. There is a saying in the Talmud (Berachoth, p. 35a.), “It is forbidden to any man to take any enjoyment from this present world without thanksgiving; and every one who does so is a transgressor.” read more
(11) Beware that.—From Deuteronomy 8:11 to Deuteronomy 8:18 inclusive is one long sentence in the Hebrew, and may be taken thus: “Take heed to thyself lest thou forget Jehovah thy God (so that thou keep not, &c.); lest thou eat and be satisfied (while thou buildest, &c.); and thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget Jehovah (thy deliverer, thy leader, thy sustainer), and say in thine heart, My power, &c.; and (take heed) that thou remember Jehovah thy God, that it is He that giveth... read more
(12) Hast built goodly houses.—One of the conditions prescribed by Jonadab the son of Rechab to his family was, “All your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers” (Jeremiah 35:7). read more
The Way in the Wilderness (First Sunday of the Year) Deuteronomy 8:2 (i) Let us emphasize the word all, for on that word the emphasis of the sentence truly lies. (ii) The character of the path to be estimated not by the present difficulty or danger, but by the importance of the end. (iii) The infinite variety of the way. (iv) The beauty of the way. It is a goodly world which our God hath built and adorned for us, a world whose goodliness is ever around us. (v) The bread of the wilderness. This... read more
THE BREAD OF THE SOULDeuteronomy 8:1-20IN the chapters which follow, viz. 8., 9., and Deuteronomy 10:1-2, we have an appeal to history as a motive for fulfilling the fundamental duty of loving God and keeping His commandments. In its main points it is substantially the same appeal which is made in chapters 1-3, is, in fact, a continuation of it. Its main characteristics, therefore, have already been dealt with; but there are details here which deserve more minute study. Coming after Yahweh’s... read more
4. Thou Shalt Remember! Provision and Warning CHAPTER 8 1. Remember the forty years and Jehovah’s care (Deuteronomy 8:1-6 ) 2. The gracious provision in the land (Deuteronomy 8:7-10 ) 3. Warning against forgetting Jehovah (Deuteronomy 8:11-20 ) Admonition to obedience begins this chapter. Disobedience and what will result from it closes it. Between the first and last verses we find extremely precious words. They are called upon to remember the experiences of the wilderness. It was... read more
8:9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any [thing] in it; a land {f} whose stones [are] iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.(f) Where there are mines of metal. read more
8:10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt {g} bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.(g) To receive God’s benefits and not be thankful, is to despise God in them. read more
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Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Deuteronomy 8:7
(7) For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land.—The description in this and the following verses is most attractive; but it is a long time since any one has seen Palestine in that condition. Its desolation, no less than its beauty, is a proof of the truth of the Divine word.Of fountains and depths that spring out.—Rather, that go forth in the valley and on the hill. The watercourse down the mountain-side, and the deep lake or still pool below, are both described here. read more