TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Deuteronomy 11:8–17. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Still Moses urges the same subject, as loth to conclude till he had gained his point. "If thou wilt enter into life, if thou wilt enter into Canaan, a type of that life, and find it a good land indeed to thee, keep the commandments: Keep all the commandments which I command you this day; love God, and serve him with all your heart."
I.Because this was the way to get and keep possession of the promised land.
1. It was the way to get possession (Deu 11:8): That you may be strong for war, and so go in and possess it. So little did they know either of hardship or hazard in the wars of Canaan that he does not say they should go in and fight for it; no, they had nothing in effect to do but go in and possess it. He does not go about to teach them the art of war, how to draw the bow, and use the sword, and keep ranks, that they might be strong, and go in and possess the land; no, but let them keep God's commandments, and their religion, while they are true to it, will be their strength, and secure their success. (2.) It was the way to keep possession (Deu 11:9): That you may prolong your days in this land that your eye is upon. Sin tends to the shortening of the days of particular persons and to the shortening of the days of a people's prosperity; but obedience will be a lengthening out of their tranquillity.
II.Because the land of Canaan, into which they were going, had a more sensible dependence upon the blessing of heaven than the land of Egypt had, Deu 11:10-12. Egypt was a country fruitful enough, but it was all flat, and was watered, not as other countries with rain (it is said of Egypt, Zac 14:18, that it has no rain), but by the overflowing of the river Nile at a certain season of the year, to the improving of which there was necessary a great deal of the art and labour of the husbandman, so that in Egypt a man must bestow as much cost and pains upon a field as upon a garden of herbs. And this made them the more apt to imagine that the power of their own hands got them this wealth. But the land of Canaan was an uneven country, a land of hills and valleys, which not only gave a more pleasing prospect to the eye, but yielded a greater variety of soils for the several purposes of the husbandman. It was a land that had no great rivers in it, except Jordan, but drank water of the rain of heaven, and so,
1.Saved them a great deal of labour. While the Egyptians were ditching and guttering in the fields, up to the knees in mud, to bring water to their land, which otherwise would soon become like the heath in the wilderness, the Israelites could sit in their houses, warm and easy, and leave it to God to water their land with the former and the latter rain, which is called the river of God (Psa 65:9), perhaps in allusion to, and contempt of, the river of Egypt, which that nation was so proud of. Note, The better God has provided, by our outward condition, for our ease and convenience, the more we should abound in his service: the less we have to do for our bodies the more we should do for God and our souls.
2.So he directed them to look upwards to God, who giveth us rain form heaven and fruitful seasons (Act 14:17), and promised to be himself as the dew unto Israel, Hos 14:5. Note,
(1.)Mercies bring with them the greatest comfort and sweetness when we see them coming from heaven, the immediate gifts of divine Providence.
(2.)The closer dependence we have upon God the more cheerful we should be in our obedience to him. See how Moses here magnifies the land of Canaan above all other lands, that the eyes of God were always upon it, that is, they should be so, to see that nothing was wanting, while they kept close to God and duty; its fruitfulness should be not so much the happy effect of its soil as the immediate fruit of the divine blessing; this may be inferred from its present state, for it is said to be at this day, now that God has departed from it, as barren a spot of ground as perhaps any under heaven. Call it not Naomi: call it Marah.
III.Because God would certainly bless them with an abundance of all good things if they would love him and serve him (Deu 11:13-15):
I will give you the rain of your land in due season, so that they should neither want it when the ground called for it nor have it in excess; but they should have the former rain, which fell at seed-time, and the latter rain, which fell before the harvest, Amo 4:7. This represented all the seasonable blessings which God would bestow upon them, especially spiritual comforts, which should come as the latter and former, rain, Hos 6:3. And the earth thus watered produced,
1.Fruits for the service of man, corn and wine, and oil, Psa 104:13-15.
2.Grass for the cattle, that they also might be serviceable to man, that he might eat of them and be full, Deu 11:15. Godliness hath here the promise of the life that now is; but the favour of God shall put gladness into the heart, more than the increase of corn, and wine, and oil will.
IV.Because their revolt from God to idols.
would certainly be their ruin: Take heed that your hearts be not deceived, Deu 11:16, Deu 11:17. All that forsake God to set their affection upon, or pay their devotion to, any creature, will find themselves wretchedly deceived to their own destruction; and this will aggravate it that it was purely for want of taking heed. A little care would have prevented their being imposed upon by the great deceiver. To awaken them to take heed, Moses here tells them plainly that if they should turn aside to other gods,
1.They would provoke the wrath of God against them; and who knows the power of that anger?
2.Good things would be turned away from them; the heaven would withhold its rain, and then of course the earth would not yield its fruit.
3.Evil things would come upon them; they would perish quickly form off this good land. And the better the land was the more grievous it would be to perish from it. The goodness of the land would not be their security, when the badness of the inhabitants had made them ripe for ruin.
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Summary
Deuteronomy 11:10 serves as a profound declaration to the Israelites on the threshold of the Promised Land, contrasting the laborious, human-dependent agricultural practices of Egypt with the divinely sustained fertility of Canaan. Moses highlights Egypt's need for arduous, foot-powered irrigation to cultivate even small plots, setting up a pivotal theological distinction: Canaan's prosperity would not stem from human ingenuity or toil but from Yahweh's sovereign provision of rain, fostering a radical shift from self-reliance to absolute dependence on God's covenant faithfulness.
Context
Literary Context
Deuteronomy 11:10 is strategically positioned within Moses' second major address to Israel, delivered on the plains of Moab as they prepare to cross into Canaan. This discourse (chapters 5-26) meticulously expounds the Mosaic covenant, emphasizing the profound implications of obedience and disobedience. Following the foundational commands and the declaration of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6, Moses transitions to detailing the blessings contingent upon faithfulness and the curses resulting from apostasy. Verses 10-12 of chapter 11 form a distinct rhetorical unit, establishing a vivid contrast between the agricultural realities of Egypt and those of the Promised Land. This contrast is not merely descriptive but serves as a theological linchpin, preparing the people for a new mode of existence where divine provision, not human effort, would be the bedrock of their sustenance. The subsequent verses, particularly Deuteronomy 11:11-12, explicitly elaborate on Canaan's unique reliance on "rain from heaven," thereby directly linking the land's fruitfulness to God's watchful care and the people's covenant fidelity.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Israelites had spent centuries enslaved in Egypt, a civilization whose agricultural prowess was entirely predicated on the predictable annual inundation of the Nile River and an intricate system of irrigation. Egyptian farming demanded immense human labor to divert, lift, and channel water to fields, often utilizing devices such as the shaduf (a counterbalanced lever for lifting water) or various foot-operated water wheels and pumps. The evocative phrase "wateredst it with thy foot" vividly portrays this laborious process. It could refer to operating such foot-powered mechanisms or, more commonly, to the precise and constant manipulation of small earthen dikes or channels with one's foot to direct water flow from larger irrigation ditches to individual garden plots, ensuring every "garden of herbs" received its precise water supply. This stands in stark opposition to Canaan's geography, characterized by diverse hills and valleys, whose agricultural bounty was inherently reliant not on a single river but on the seasonal "early and latter rains" (Deuteronomy 11:14) from the heavens. This distinction highlights a fundamental divergence in agricultural methodology and, more profoundly, in the perceived source of life-sustaining provision.
Key Themes
The central theme underscored in Deuteronomy 11:10 is the stark contrast between human effort and divine provision. In Egypt, prosperity was a direct outcome of arduous human labor, sophisticated engineering, and the predictable flow of the Nile; in Canaan, it would be a direct testament to God's faithfulness in sending the life-giving rain. This foundational difference undergirds the overarching theme of absolute dependence on God rather than self-reliance or human ingenuity. The very land of Canaan would serve as a tangible, daily reminder of their covenant relationship with Yahweh, where blessings and sustenance were entirely contingent upon their obedience and trust. This also introduces the theme of a new way of life for the Israelites, demanding a paradigm shift from the mindset of self-sufficiency and control cultivated during their bondage in Egypt, towards a life of faith and responsive obedience in the Promised Land. The fertility of Canaan was not a given of nature or human design but a miraculous display of divine superintendence.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primitive root means "to sow," figuratively "to disseminate, plant, fructify." In the context of Egyptian agriculture, it highlights the initial human effort of planting the seed. However, the subsequent description of "watering with thy foot" immediately emphasizes that this initial act was merely the beginning of a continuous, labor-intensive cycle required to bring the seed to fruition in a land dependent on irrigation.
This primitive root means "to quaff," or causatively "to irrigate or furnish a potion to." Its use here underscores the direct, active, and continuous human intervention required to provide water for crops. Coupled with "with thy foot," it vividly portrays the demanding and essential nature of this task in Egypt, where the farmer was constantly engaged in ensuring the survival and growth of his plants.
This word refers to "a foot (as used in walking)" or "a step." Its specific inclusion in this verse is crucial for understanding the method of irrigation. It points to the physical, manual labor involved, whether through operating foot-powered water-lifting devices or, more commonly, by using one's foot to open and close small earthen dikes or channels to direct water flow from larger irrigation ditches to individual plots. This imagery powerfully conveys the intimate, laborious, and direct involvement of the farmer in the watering process, contrasting sharply with the passive reception of rain in Canaan.
This word properly means "green" and concretely "a vegetable." When used in the phrase "garden of herbs" (KJV), it specifies the type of agriculture being described—small, intensively cultivated plots, likely for vegetables, spices, or medicinal plants. Such gardens require precise and constant watering, further emphasizing the meticulous and continuous labor involved in Egyptian agriculture, where every plant's water supply was manually managed to ensure its growth.
Verse Breakdown
"For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, [is] not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out,"
This opening clause immediately establishes the central rhetorical and theological contrast of the verse. Moses declares that the Promised Land (Canaan) is fundamentally distinct from Egypt, the land of their bondage and former experience. This difference is not merely geographical or climatic but profoundly theological, setting the stage for a new mode of existence and a radically different relationship with God. The phrase "to possess it" highlights the land as a divine gift and the purpose of their entry, emphasizing that their future inheritance is unlike their past.
"where thou sowedst thy seed,"
This segment describes a universal agricultural act—planting. However, in the context of Egypt, it serves as a precursor to the unique and laborious irrigation method. It implies that while sowing is common, the subsequent care for the seed in Egypt was exceptionally demanding, emphasizing that the labor did not cease with planting but continued intensely throughout the growing cycle.
"and wateredst [it] with thy foot,"
This is the most vivid and pivotal phrase, detailing the arduous irrigation method characteristic of Egypt. It signifies constant, direct, and physically demanding human effort to ensure crops received water. This was not a passive activity but an active, ongoing struggle against the arid climate, requiring ingenuity, precision, and immense physical exertion to sustain life and agriculture. It encapsulates the human-centered effort required for sustenance in Egypt.
"as a garden of herbs:"
This simile concludes the description of Egyptian agriculture, likening the cultivated land to a "garden of herbs." This reinforces the idea of small, intensively managed, and meticulously watered plots. It emphasizes the level of human control and continuous effort required to cultivate even modest yields in Egypt, thereby setting up the stark contrast with the natural, God-given irrigation of Canaan, which would rely on divine rain rather than human sweat.
Literary Devices
Deuteronomy 11:10 masterfully employs Contrast as its primary literary device, juxtaposing the agricultural realities of Egypt with those anticipated in Canaan. This contrast is not merely descriptive but serves a profound theological purpose, highlighting the fundamental difference between human-dependent and divinely-dependent provision. The verse also utilizes vivid Imagery, particularly with the phrase "wateredst it with thy foot," which evokes a clear mental picture of arduous, manual labor and the intimate, constant involvement of the farmer. This specific image functions as a Metonymy or Synecdoche, where the "foot" stands for the entire laborious, human-engineered irrigation system, symbolizing the self-reliant agricultural economy of Egypt. The concluding Simile, "as a garden of herbs," further reinforces the meticulous, demanding, and small-scale nature of Egyptian farming, emphasizing the extensive human effort required to sustain even modest plots in that environment, thereby sharpening the distinction with the Promised Land.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Deuteronomy 11:10 transcends a mere agricultural observation; it is a profound theological declaration concerning the nature of God's provision and the required posture of His covenant people. It teaches that God's blessings are not earned through human ingenuity, exhaustive labor, or self-sufficient systems, but flow from His sovereign grace and faithfulness in response to covenant obedience. Unlike Egypt, where prosperity was a testament to human engineering and relentless toil, Canaan's fertility would be a direct sign of God's active involvement and watchful care. This demanded a fundamental reorientation of the Israelites' trust—from their own hands and efforts to God's. It underscores that true security, abundance, and flourishing come from absolute dependence on Yahweh, who controls the very heavens and sends the life-giving rain. This principle extends far beyond agriculture, teaching that in all areas of life, our ultimate reliance must be on God's methods and timing, which often differ radically from human expectations or worldly systems of control and self-sufficiency.
Reflection and Application
Deuteronomy 11:10 offers a timeless and vital lesson for believers today: God's ways of providing for us often differ significantly from what we are accustomed to, what the world dictates, or what our own instincts might suggest. We are perpetually tempted to rely on our own strength, ingenuity, and control, much like the Egyptians relied on their elaborate irrigation systems. However, God calls us to a radically different kind of trust—one that profoundly acknowledges His sovereignty over all provision, whether it comes through conventional means or through unexpected, "rain-from-heaven" blessings. This verse challenges us to deeply examine where our true reliance lies. Are we constantly striving to "water with our foot," meticulously controlling every aspect of our lives, careers, and provision through sheer effort and self-sufficiency, or are we learning to depend on God's faithfulness to send the "rain" when and how He sees fit? It encourages a profound shift from a mindset of self-sufficiency to one of divine sufficiency, reminding us that true abundance, peace, and spiritual fruitfulness are found in aligning our efforts with God's purposes and wholeheartedly trusting in His unfailing care and miraculous provision.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "wateredst with thy foot" literally mean?
The phrase "wateredst with thy foot" refers to the laborious and common irrigation methods employed in ancient Egypt, particularly in the Nile Valley. It could literally mean using one's foot to operate a water-lifting device, such as a foot-powered water wheel or pump. More commonly, it refers to the precise and constant use of one's foot to open and close small earthen dams or channels within an irrigation system, thereby directing water from a main ditch to specific garden plots or rows of crops. This method required continuous, direct, and physically demanding human effort to ensure every plant received water, highlighting the stark contrast with the rain-fed agriculture of Canaan, as further described in Deuteronomy 11:11-12.
Why was this contrast important for the Israelites?
This contrast was vitally important for the Israelites because it underscored a fundamental shift in their relationship with God and their understanding of divine provision. In Egypt, their sustenance was intrinsically tied to human labor and the predictable (though arduous) flow of the Nile. In Canaan, however, their prosperity and agricultural bounty would be directly dependent on God's faithfulness to send the seasonal rains. This meant that their well-being was inextricably linked to their obedience and trust in Yahweh. It taught them that the Promised Land was not merely a geographical location but a covenant space where God's direct involvement was paramount, fostering a deep and abiding reliance on Him rather than on human ingenuity or self-sufficiency. It was a profound lesson in spiritual dependence, preparing them for a life lived by faith in God's promises, not by the sweat of their brow alone.
Does this verse imply that human effort or hard work is bad?
No, this verse does not imply that human effort or hard work is inherently bad or discouraged. The Bible consistently values diligence, industry, and labor (e.g., Proverbs 6:6-11). Instead, Deuteronomy 11:10 highlights the source and ultimate object of reliance. In Egypt, human effort was the primary means of provision, fostering a mindset of self-sufficiency and control. In Canaan, while effort was still required for planting, tilling, and harvesting, the foundational element of water—the very lifeblood of agriculture—came directly from God. The verse teaches that our ultimate trust should be in God's provision and blessing, not in our own ability to control circumstances or generate blessings through sheer effort. It's about recognizing that even our labor is blessed and made fruitful by God's grace, shifting the focus from human capability to divine sovereignty.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Deuteronomy 11:10, with its striking contrast between the laborious, human-dependent irrigation of Egypt and the divinely-watered land of Canaan, powerfully foreshadows the spiritual provision found in Christ. Just as the Israelites were called to transition from a system of arduous toil to one of dependence on God's direct blessing, so too does the New Covenant call us from a life of striving under the law to a life of grace and rest in Christ. The "wateredst with thy foot" imagery vividly reflects the futility of human effort to achieve righteousness or spiritual life through works, much like attempting to irrigate a vast desert with one's own limited strength. In profound contrast, Jesus declares, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:37-38). He is the ultimate source of "living water" (John 4:10) that eternally quenches spiritual thirst, a provision not earned by human labor or merit but freely given by divine grace. Our spiritual sustenance, transformation, and fruitfulness come not from our own strenuous efforts to obey the law or earn favor, but from the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is poured out upon us as a divine "rain from heaven" (Acts 2:17). In Christ, we enter a spiritual "Promised Land" of grace, where our spiritual vitality is sustained by His finished work and continuous, unmerited provision, rather than by our own weary "foot-watering" attempts at self-salvation or self-righteousness.