New King James Version
Deuteronomy 8:3
3So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 8:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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 Lord doth man live.
- New International Version (NIV)He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Context of Deuteronomy 8:3
1“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. 2And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. 4Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.
Read all of Deuteronomy 8Deuteronomy 8:3 word by word
וַֽיְעַנְּךָ֮ וַיַּרְעִבֶךָ֒ וַיַּֽאֲכִֽלְךָ֤ אֶת הַמָּן֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־יָדַ֔עְתָּ וְלֹ֥א יָדְע֖וּן אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן הוֹדִֽעֲךָ֗ כִּ֠י לֹ֣א עַל־הַלֶּ֤חֶם לְבַדּוֹ֙ יִחְיֶ֣ה הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֛י עַל־כָּל־מוֹצָ֥א פִֽי־יְהוָ֖ה יִחְיֶ֥ה הָאָדָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he humbledעָנָה‛ânâh · to afflictH6031
- thee, and suffered thee to hungerרָעֵבrâ‛êb · be hungryH7456
- and fedאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- thee with mannaמָןmân · mannaH4478
- which thou knewestיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- not, neither did thy fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- that manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- doth not liveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
- by breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
- onlyבַּדbad · aloneH905
- that proceedethמוֹצָאmôtsâ' môtsâ' · exitH4161
- out of the mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 8:3
- Exodus 16:2Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
- Psalms 78:23Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven,
- Psalms 105:40The people asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
- 1 Corinthians 10:3all ate the same spiritual food,
- Psalms 37:3Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
- Psalms 104:27These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season.
- Matthew 4:4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
- Luke 4:4But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
- Luke 12:29“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.
- Hebrews 13:5Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 8:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3He - suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee - God never permits any tribulation to befall his followers, which he does not design to turn to their advantage. When he permits us to hunger, it is that his mercy may be the more observable in providing us with the necessaries of life. Privations, in the way of providence, are the forerunners of mercy and goodness abundant.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord - literally, “every outgoing of the mouth of the Lord.” Compare Deuteronomy 29:5-6. The term “word” is inserted by the King James Version after the Septuagint, which is followed by Matthew and Luke (see the marginal references). On the means of subsistence available to the people during the wandering, see Numbers 20:1 note. The lesson was taught, that it is not nature which nourishes man, but…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The word manna comes from the Hebrew words man hu, which mean "What is it?" God provided this food in a miraculous way to teach his people to depend fully on him (Exodus 16:1–30; Numbers 11:4–9). Manna represented the word of God. God’s word is even more important for life and well-being than food. man does not live on bread alone: Jesus quoted these words when Satan tempted him (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). Jesus used this Scripture to answer Satan and show…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-32-3. thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness--The recapitulation of all their checkered experience during that long period was designed to awaken lively impressions of the goodness of God. First, Moses showed them the object of their protracted wanderings and varied hardships. These were trials of their obedience as well as chastisements for sin. Indeed, the discovery of their infidelity…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 8:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries