Deuteronomy 8:7-10

8:7 For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks, ¹  springs, and fountains flowing forth in valleys and hills, 8:8 a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, of olive trees and honey, 8:9 a land where you may eat food ²  in plenty and find no lack of anything, a land whose stones are iron ³  and from whose hills you can mine copper. 8:10 You will eat your fill and then praise the Lord your God because of the good land he has given you.

Deuteronomy 31:21

31:21 Then when ⁴  many disasters and distresses overcome them ⁵  this song will testify against them, ⁶  for their ⁷  descendants will not forget it. ⁸  I know the ⁹  intentions they have in mind ¹⁰  today, even before I bring them ¹¹  to the land I have promised.”

Deuteronomy 32:12-15

32:12 The Lord alone was guiding him, ¹² 

no foreign god was with him.

32:13 He enabled him ¹³  to travel over the high terrain of the land,

and he ate of the produce of the fields.

He provided honey for him from the cliffs, ¹⁴ 

and olive oil ¹⁵  from the hardest of ¹⁶  rocks, ¹⁷ 

32:14 butter from the herd

and milk from the flock,

along with the fat of lambs,

rams and goats of Bashan,

along with the best of the kernels of wheat;

and from the juice of grapes you drank wine.

Israel’s Rebellion

32:15 But Jeshurun ¹⁸  became fat and kicked,

you ¹⁹  got fat, thick, and stuffed!

Then he deserted the God who made him,

and treated the Rock who saved him with contempt.

¹ tn Or “wadis.”

² tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. NASB, NCV, NLT) or “bread” in particular (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).

³ sn A land whose stones are iron. Since iron deposits are few and far between in Palestine, the reference here is probably to iron ore found in mines as opposed to the meteorite iron more commonly known in that area.

⁴ tn Heb “Then it will come to pass that.”

⁵ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

⁶ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

⁷ tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

⁸ tn Heb “it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed.”

⁹ tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

¹⁰ tn Heb “which he is doing.”

¹¹ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

¹² tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing guidance during the period in view.

¹³ tn The form of the suffix on this verbal form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. Note as well the preterites with vav (ו) consecutive that follow in the verse.

¹⁴ tn Heb “he made him suck honey from the rock.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “oil,” but this probably refers to olive oil; see note on the word “rock” at the end of this verse.

¹⁶ tn Heb “flinty.”

¹⁷ sn Olive oil from rock probably suggests olive trees growing on rocky ledges and yet doing so productively. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 415; cf. TEV “their olive trees flourished in stony ground.”

¹⁸ tn To make the continuity of the referent clear, some English versions substitute “Jacob” here (NAB, NRSV) while others replace “Jeshurun” with “Israel” (NCV, CEV, NLT) or “the Lord’s people” (TEV).

¹⁹ tc The LXX reads the third person masculine singular (“he”) for the MT second person masculine singular (“you”), but such alterations are unnecessary in Hebrew poetic texts where subjects fluctuate frequently and without warning.