## Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy Chapter 8

###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:1:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:1:1)

**כל המצוה.** הטעם אם רציתם לשמור המצות למען תחיו זכרו את הדרך:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
ALL THE COMMANDMENT. This means, if you want to keep the commandments so that you may live then *remember all the way* (v. 2).¹ (and thou shalt remember) is to be rendered, then thou shalt remember.

footnotes:
¹ In other words, verse 1 and 2 are not independent statements. Furthermore, ve-zakharta


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:2:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:2:1)

**למען ענותך לנסותך לדעת.** פירשתיו:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
THAT HE MIGHT AFFLICT THEE, TO PROVE THEE. I have already explained it.²

footnotes:
² How to understand “to prove thee.” The point is, since God knows the future, what point is there in testing people. I.E. explains divine tests in his comments on the “binding of Isaac.” He writes, “The reason God tested Abraham was to reward him.” See I.E. on Gen. 22:1 (Vol. 1, pp. 221-223).


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:3:1)

**ויענך.** בדרך:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
AND HE AFFLICTED THEE. On the way.


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:2
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:3:2)

**וירעיבך.** קודם בא המן או במן בעצמו בעבור שהיה קל על לבם וזה לא יתכן ויתכן מתאוות אחרות:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
AND SUFFERED THEE TO HUNGER. Before the coming of the manna.³ Or via the manna itself, for it was light and did not satisfy their heart’s desire.⁴ However, this is not so.⁵ It most probably refers to other desires.⁶

footnotes:
³ Before the manna descended, Israel suffered hunger. See Ex. 16:3.
⁴ See Num. 21:5.
⁵ For Moses goes on to speak positively of the manna in verse 3.
⁶ Which they could not fulfill in the wilderness (Weiser).


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:3
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:3:3)

**ידעון.** בנו״‎ן וכן צקון לחש גם ויחנון בעבר ארנון:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
KNOW. *Yade’un* (know) is spelled with a *nun*.⁷. So too the word *tzakun* (poured out)⁸. Be that as it may, the *nun* is not part of the normal form of this word. See I.E. on Is. 26:16. in *Silently they poured out a prayer* (Is. 26:16) and *va-yachanun* (and they pitched)⁹. in *and they pitched on the other side of the Arnon* (Jud. 11:18).

footnotes:
⁷ The usual form of this word is yade’u
⁸ The usual form of the word is yatzeku
⁹ The usual form of the word is va-yachanu


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:4
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:3:4)

**הודיעך.** שם הפעל:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
THAT HE MIGHT MAKE THEE KNOW. *Hodi’akha*¹⁰ plus a pronominal suffix.(make thee know) is an infinitive.

footnotes:
¹⁰ Hodi’a


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:5
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:3:5)

**הלחם.** שאדם תדיר בו:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
BREAD. Which people always eat.


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:6
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:3:6)

**מוצא פי ה'.** כמו מה שגזר כמו הדבר יצא מפי המלך והטעם כי על הלחם לבדו לא יחיה האדם רק הכח או עם הכח הבא מהעליונים במצות השם וזה פי' מוצא פי ה' והעד שלא אכלתם לחם וחייתם:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
EVERY THING THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE LORD. It means that which God has decreed. Compare, *As the word went out of the king’s mouth* (Esth. 7:8). The meaning of our verse is, man does not live by bread alone but by the power,¹¹ or with the power, which comes from on high¹² refers to the power to nourish which God placed in all foodstuffs. According to the second interpretation the verse refers to divine providence. The latter was demonstrated by the manna which came from on high. by the command of God. This is the meaning of *that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord*. The fact that you did not eat bread and you lived is proof of this.

footnotes:
¹¹ In the nature of the food. In other words, God created the world in such a way that man can exist on all types of food. For I.E.’s use of the word “power” in the sense of nature, see I.E. on Deut. 5:26.
¹² See I.E. on Deut. 5:26: “The power and nature of all that is found beneath the heavens is determined by the upper arrangement.” According to I.E.’s first comment, everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:4:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:4:1)

**שמלתך.** יש אומרי' דרך אות ואחרים אומרים כי הוציאו מלבושים רבים ממצרים ויתכן שאין בתולדת המן להוליד זיעה:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
THY RAIMENT. Some say via a miracle. Others say that the Israelites brought out many garments from Egypt.¹³ However, it is most likely the nature of manna not to produce sweat.¹⁴ them.

footnotes:
¹³ The meaning of our clause is that they always had garments to wear.
¹⁴ Hence their garments waxed not old upon


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:4:2
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:4:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:4:2)

**לא בצקה.** מגזרת ויאפו את הבצק כי מנהג רגל האורח שהלך רגלי דרך רב שינפחו רגליו ויתכן שנתן להם השם כח או הוליכם אט:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
NEITHER…SWELL. The word *batzekah* (swell) is related to the word *batzek* (dough)¹⁵ in *And they baked…the dough* (Ex. 12:39). It is usual for the feet of a wayfarer who walks great distances to swell. It is possible that God gave the Israelites strength or that he led them slowly.¹⁶

footnotes:
¹⁵ Dough swells.
¹⁶ Hence their feet did not swell.


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:5:1
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**וידעת עם לבבך.** שידע באמונת לבו שהוא העיקר ובעבור שתשמע אל האלוה המיסר אותך ואם הרעיבך ליסרך ויענך בדרך בצמא שכרך שיביאך אל הארץ הטובה:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
AND THOU SHALT CONSIDER IN THY HEART.¹⁷ You shall know by believing in your heart.¹⁸ The latter is what counts most.¹⁹, p. 91). God will reward you by bringing you into the good land, because you obeyed the God who chastens you. You obeyed God even though in order to chasten you, He afflicted you with thirst and made you suffer hunger.

footnotes:
¹⁷ Literally, you shall know in your heart. Hence I.E.’s interpretation.
¹⁸ What you claim to know should be what your heart believes.
¹⁹ True belief. I.E. says, “If belief is lacking, then the observance of the commandments is meaningless and serves no purpose” (The Secret of the Torah


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:8:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:8:1)

**ארץ חטה.** הזכיר המולידים הדם:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
A LAND OF WHEAT. Moses makes mention of the foods which produce blood.²⁰

footnotes:
²⁰ I.E. believed that the seven types of food mentioned in our verse increase the blood supply.


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:8:2
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:8:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:8:2)

**ודבש.** פירשתיו:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
AND HONEY. I have already explained this.²¹

footnotes:
²¹ See I.E. on Lev. 2:11.


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:9:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:9:1)

**במסכנות.** בדלות ועניות וכן ילד מסכן וחכם:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
SCARCENESS. *Be-miskenut* (scarceness) means in poverty and impoverishment. Compare, *misken* (poor) in *a poor and wise child* (Eccles. 4:13).


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:13:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:13:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:13:1)

**ירבין.** היו״‎ד תחת ה״‎א ואין זה דעת רבי משה הכהן הספרדי:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
MULTIPLY. The *yod* in *yirbeyun* (multiply) is in place of a *heh*.²² is *resh, bet, heh*. Compare the word *yirbeh* (multiplied) later on in the verse. This is not the opinion of Rabbi Mosheh Ha-Kohen the Spaniard.²³ in *yirbeyun* is a root letter.

footnotes:
²² For the root of yirbeyun
²³ Who believes that the yod


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:14:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:14:1)

**ורם לבבך.** ותשכח כי עבד היית בשפלות לב ותשכח הענוי והרעב והצמא שהיה לך במדבר ואף על פי כן השם כלכל אותך:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
THEN THY HEART BE LIFTED UP. And you will forget that you were a slave and your heart was downcast. You will forget the affliction and the hunger which you experienced in the wilderness and even so the Lord sustained you.²⁴

footnotes:
²⁴ Even though you were insignificant, God took pity on you.


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:15:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:15:1)

**במדבר.** מושך עצמו ואחר עמו וכן הוא **במדבר הגדול.** שהוא ארוך ורחב **והנורא.** שהוא מדבר שרף:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
WILDERNESS. The word *midbar* (wilderness) is to be read as if written twice, that is, through the great wilderness in length and width and [through] a dreadful wilderness of fiery serpents.²⁵

footnotes:
²⁵ Our verse literally reads: who led thee through the wilderness and the dreadful wherein were serpents, fiery serpents. I.E. believes that our verse should be interpreted as if written, who led thee through the wilderness, a dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, etc.


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:15:2
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:15:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:15:2)

**החלמיש.** הצור התקיף:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
OF FLINT. *Tzur ha-chalamish* (the rock of flint) means the mighty rock.


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:17:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:17:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:17:1)

**החיל הזה.** הממון וכן ועזבו לאחרים חילם. והטעם יגיעם וכחם:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
THIS WEALTH. *Chayil* means wealth. Compare, the word *chelam* (their wealth) in *And leave their wealth to others* (Ps. 49:11). *Chelam* refers to that which they acquired by their efforts and strength.²⁶ means strength. Hence I.E. explains that it also refers to that which a person acquires by his efforts.

footnotes:
²⁶ Chayil


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:18:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:18:1)

**וזכרת.** הטעם אם עלה על לבבך לאמר כחי ועוצם ידי זכור הנותן לך כח:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
BUT THOU SHALT REMEMBER. This means if the thought *My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth* should enter your mind, then remember the One who gives you power.


###### Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:20:1
[Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:20:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/8:20:1)

**עקב.** שכר באחרית. לטוב או לרע:

**Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter:**
BECAUSE. The word *ekev* (because) refers to payment at the end. It refers both to reward²⁷ and to punishment.

footnotes:
²⁷ See I.E. on Deut. 7:12.