Deuteronomy 8:15
New International Version
He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.

New Living Translation
Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock!

English Standard Version
who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,

Berean Standard Bible
He led you through the vast and terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of flint.

King James Bible
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;

New King James Version
who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock;

New American Standard Bible
He who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions, and its thirsty ground where there was no water; He who brought water for you out of the rock of flint.

NASB 1995
“He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.

NASB 1977
“He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.

Legacy Standard Bible
He led you through the great and fearsome wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.

Amplified Bible
He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; it was He who brought water for you out of the flinty rock.

Christian Standard Bible
He led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water. He brought water out of the flint rock for you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water. He brought water out of the flint-like rock for you.

American Standard Version
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;

Contemporary English Version
Remember how he led you in that huge and frightening desert where poisonous snakes and scorpions live. There was no water, but the LORD split open a rock, and water poured out so you could drink.

English Revised Version
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;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He was the one who led you through that vast and dangerous desert-a thirsty and arid land, with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He was the one who made water come out of solid rock for you.

Good News Translation
He led you through that vast and terrifying desert where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. In that dry and waterless land he made water flow out of solid rock for you.

International Standard Version
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, and who led you through the vast and dangerous desert, that parched land without water, with its poisonous snakes and scorpions. He brought water out of solid rock for you,

Majority Standard Bible
He led you through the vast and terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of flint.

NET Bible
and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow from a flint rock and

New Heart English Bible
who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint;

Webster's Bible Translation
Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drouth, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

World English Bible
who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with venomous snakes and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water; who poured water for you out of the rock of flint;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
who is causing you to go in the great and the terrible wilderness [with] burning serpent, and scorpion, and thirst—where there is no water; who is bringing out waters to you from the flinty rock;

Young's Literal Translation
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;

Smith's Literal Translation
He causing thee to go in the great and fearful desert, the fiery serpent and the scorpion, and a thirsty land, where is no water: he bringing forth to thee water from the rock of flint;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And was thy leader in the great and terrible wilderness, wherein there was the serpent burning with his breath, and the scorpion and the dipsas, and no waters at all: who brought forth streams out of the hardest rock,

Catholic Public Domain Version
and who was your leader in the great and terrible wilderness, in which there was the serpent with a burning breath, and the scorpion, and the snake of thirst, and no waters at all. He led streams out of the hardest rock,

New American Bible
he guided you through the vast and terrible wilderness with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; he brought forth water for you from the flinty rock

New Revised Standard Version
who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, a place of fiery serpents and scorpions and droughts, a place where there was no water; who brought you forth water out of the flinty rock;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he led you in the great and awesome wilderness, a place of serpents, dragons and scorpions, and a place of drought where there is no water; he brought out waters for you from the rock of flint;
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
who led thee through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
who brought thee through that great and terrible wilderness, where is the biting serpent, and scorpion, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee a fountain of water out of the flinty rock:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Remember the LORD Your God
14then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 15He led you through the vast and terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of flint. 16He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.…

Cross References
Exodus 17:6
Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Numbers 20:8-11
“Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.” / So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he had been commanded. / Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” ...

Psalm 78:15-16
He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas. / He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.

Isaiah 48:21
They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the rock; He split the rock, and water gushed out.

Nehemiah 9:15
In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land that You had sworn to give them.

Psalm 105:41
He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.

1 Corinthians 10:4
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Isaiah 43:19-20
Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert. / The beasts of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.

Psalm 114:8
who turned the rock into a pool, the flint into a fountain of water!

John 4:14
But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

John 7:37-38
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. / Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”

Revelation 21:6
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 22:1
Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

Isaiah 41:18
I will open rivers on the barren heights, and fountains in the middle of the valleys. I will turn the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into flowing springs.


Treasury of Scripture

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

led thee

Deuteronomy 1:19
And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.

Psalm 136:16
To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Isaiah 63:12-14
That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? …

fiery serpents

Numbers 21:6
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

Hosea 13:5
I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.

who brought

Exodus 17:5
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

Numbers 20:11
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

Psalm 78:15,16
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths…

Jump to Previous
Burning Causing Cruel Desert Dreadful Drought Drouth Dry Led Poison-Snakes Rock Scorpion Scorpions Serpent Serpents Snakes Terrible Thirst Thirsty Vast Venomous Waste Water Waterless Wherein Wilderness
Jump to Next
Burning Causing Cruel Desert Dreadful Drought Drouth Dry Led Poison-Snakes Rock Scorpion Scorpions Serpent Serpents Snakes Terrible Thirst Thirsty Vast Venomous Waste Water Waterless Wherein Wilderness
Deuteronomy 8
1. An exhortation to obedience in regard to God's mercy and goodness to Israel.














He led you through
This phrase emphasizes God's active guidance and leadership. The Hebrew root for "led" is "נָחָה" (nahah), which conveys the idea of guiding or directing with care. Historically, this reflects God's providential care for Israel during their 40-year journey in the wilderness. It is a reminder of God's faithfulness and the importance of trusting His guidance even in difficult circumstances.

the vast and dreadful wilderness
The "wilderness" (Hebrew: "מִדְבָּר" - midbar) was not just a physical location but a place of testing and transformation. The adjectives "vast" and "dreadful" highlight the formidable challenges faced by the Israelites. This wilderness experience is symbolic of life's trials, where faith is tested and reliance on God is paramount. It serves as a metaphor for spiritual growth through adversity.

with its venomous snakes and scorpions
The presence of "venomous snakes and scorpions" underscores the real dangers in the wilderness. The Hebrew word for "venomous" is "שָׂרָף" (saraph), often associated with fiery or burning, indicating the intense threat these creatures posed. This imagery serves as a reminder of the spiritual dangers and temptations that believers face, and the need for God's protection.

a thirsty and waterless land
This phrase describes the harsh conditions of the wilderness, emphasizing the lack of natural resources. The Hebrew word for "thirsty" is "צָמֵא" (tsame), which conveys a deep longing or need. This reflects the spiritual thirst that can only be quenched by God, who provides sustenance in barren times. It is a call to seek spiritual nourishment from the Lord.

He brought you water out of the rock of flint
This miraculous provision of water from a "rock of flint" (Hebrew: "חַלָּמִישׁ" - challamish) signifies God's power to provide in seemingly impossible situations. The rock, a symbol of strength and permanence, becomes a source of life-giving water, pointing to Christ as the spiritual Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). This act of provision is a testament to God's ability to meet our needs and His faithfulness to His promises.

(15) The rock of flint.--The rock in Horeb is called ts-r; the rock smitten in Kadesh, selagh. The first word conveys the idea of "hardness"; the other is rather a "cliff," or "height," and suggests the idea of inaccessibility. In Numbers 20:10, the words of Moses to the rebels, "Must we fetch you water out of this rock?" seem to help the distinction, whatever its purpose may be. On the associations of the word ts-r with flint, see Note on Joshua 5:2. The word challamish, here used for flint, occurs in Deuteronomy 32:13, Job 28:9, Psalm 114:8 (an allusion to this passage), and Isaiah 1:7. . . . Verse 15. - Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, etc. "The fiery serpent" and "the scorpion" (sing.) are in apposition to the "wilderness," and illustrate its terribleness. Fiery serpents - ὔφεις τοὺς θανατοῦνσας LXX. - or burning serpents, so called from the burning pain caused by their bite; probably the cerastes, or one of the naja species (cf. Numbers 21:6).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He led
הַמּוֹלִ֨יכֲךָ֜ (ham·mō·w·lî·ḵă·ḵā)
Article | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

you through the vast
הַגָּדֹ֣ל (hag·gā·ḏōl)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent

and terrifying
וְהַנּוֹרָ֗א (wə·han·nō·w·rā)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3372: To fear, to revere, caus, to frighten

wilderness
בַּמִּדְבָּ֣ר ׀ (bam·miḏ·bār)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech

with its venomous
שָׂרָף֙ (śā·rāp̄)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 8314: Burning, poisonous, a saraph, symbolical creature

snakes
נָחָ֤שׁ ׀ (nā·ḥāš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5175: A serpent

and scorpions,
וְעַקְרָ֔ב (wə·‘aq·rāḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6137: A scorpion, a scourge, knotted whip

a thirsty
וְצִמָּא֖וֹן (wə·ṣim·mā·’ō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6774: A thirsty place, desert

and waterless [land].
מָ֑יִם (mā·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

He brought you
הַמּוֹצִ֤יא (ham·mō·w·ṣî)
Article | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

water
מַ֔יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

from the rock
מִצּ֖וּר (miṣ·ṣūr)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6697: A cliff, a rock, boulder, a refuge, an edge

of flint.
הַֽחַלָּמִֽישׁ׃ (ha·ḥal·lā·mîš)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2496: Flint


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 8:15 Who led you through the great (Deut. De Du)
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