The Meaning of Deuteronomy 8:15 Explained

Deuteronomy 8:15

KJV: Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

YLT: who is causing thee to go in the great and the terrible wilderness -- burning serpent, and scorpion, and thirst -- where there is no water; who is bringing out to thee waters from the flinty rock;

Darby: who led thee through the great and terrible wilderness, a wilderness of fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there is no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

ASV: who led thee through the great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Who led  thee through that great  and terrible  wilderness,  [wherein were] fiery  serpents,  and scorpions,  and drought,  where [there was] no water;  who brought thee forth  water  out of the rock  of flint; 

What does Deuteronomy 8:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 - Beware Of Forgetting God
"Thou shalt remember," Deuteronomy 8:2; "thou shalt consider," Deuteronomy 8:5; "thou shalt bless," Deuteronomy 8:10.
The lessons of hunger, Deuteronomy 8:1-9 : "Suffered to hunger." "Blessed are they that hunger." "Man doth not live by bread only;" he hungers for knowledge, opportunity, society, love. How many wan faces around us bear witness to the gnawing within. But the Father suffered His Son to fast; and so he deals with us, to prove us. It is only through the discipline of the soul, in learning to go without, that it can be trusted with spiritual opulence and power. See Deuteronomy 8:7-9.
The perils of prosperity, Deuteronomy 8:10-20 : It is harder to walk with God in the sunshine of success than in the nipping frosts of failure. When Paul said, "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound," he put the hardest last. The one secret is to give all the glory to God, and to look always to the Cross, where we were crucified to the pride of the flesh, Philippians 2:7-11; Philippians 4:12. "I lay in dust life's glory dead!" [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 8

1  An exhortation to obedience in regard to God's mercy and goodness to Israel

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 8:15 mean?

who led you through wilderness that great and terrible [in which were] serpents fiery and scorpions and thirsty land where no there was water who brought for you water out of the rock flinty
הַמּוֹלִ֨יכֲךָ֜ בַּמִּדְבָּ֣ר ׀ הַגָּדֹ֣ל וְהַנּוֹרָ֗א נָחָ֤שׁ ׀ שָׂרָף֙ וְעַקְרָ֔ב וְצִמָּא֖וֹן אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֵֽין־ מָ֑יִם הַמּוֹצִ֤יא לְךָ֙ מַ֔יִם מִצּ֖וּר הַֽחַלָּמִֽישׁ

הַמּוֹלִ֨יכֲךָ֜  who  led  you 
Parse: Article, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בַּמִּדְבָּ֣ר ׀  through  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
הַגָּדֹ֣ל  that  great 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
וְהַנּוֹרָ֗א  and  terrible 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
נָחָ֤שׁ ׀  [in  which  were]  serpents 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָחָשׁ  
Sense: serpent, snake.
שָׂרָף֙  fiery 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: שָׂרָף  
Sense: serpent, fiery serpent.
וְעַקְרָ֔ב  and  scorpions 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַקְרָב  
Sense: scorpion.
וְצִמָּא֖וֹן  and  thirsty  land 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צִמָּאֹון  
Sense: thirsty ground.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  where 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
אֵֽין־  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
מָ֑יִם  there  was  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
הַמּוֹצִ֤יא  who  brought 
Parse: Article, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
לְךָ֙  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
מַ֔יִם  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
מִצּ֖וּר  out  of  the  rock 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צוּר 
Sense: rock, cliff.
הַֽחַלָּמִֽישׁ  flinty 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַלָּמִישׁ  
Sense: flint, rock.