Deuteronomy 11 10

Deuteronomy 11:10 kjv

For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:

Deuteronomy 11:10 nkjv

For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden;

Deuteronomy 11:10 niv

The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.

Deuteronomy 11:10 esv

For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables.

Deuteronomy 11:10 nlt

For the land you are about to enter and take over is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you planted your seed and made irrigation ditches with your foot as in a vegetable garden.

Deuteronomy 11 verses

Deuteronomy 11 10 Meaning

Deuteronomy 11:10 explains that the Promised Land of Canaan is fundamentally different from Egypt regarding agricultural practices and sustenance. Unlike Egypt, which relied on arduous human effort and complex irrigation systems stemming from the Nile River (symbolized by "watering with your foot"), Canaan is a land sustained by God's direct provision of rain. This contrast highlights that Israel's well-being in the new land would depend on their covenant relationship and obedience to God, rather than their own toil and ingenuity, which characterized their former life of slavery and forced labor. It emphasizes a shift from human-centered reliance to divine dependence.

Deuteronomy 11 10 Context

Deuteronomy 11 continues Moses' final address to the Israelites as they stand poised to enter the Promised Land. This chapter focuses on the necessity of loving God, keeping His commandments, and remembering His mighty works. Verse 10 specifically draws a crucial distinction between their past experience in Egypt and their future in Canaan, particularly concerning the fundamental means of sustenance.

Historically, the Israelites had endured centuries of slavery in Egypt, a land whose fertility depended entirely on the annual flooding and sophisticated irrigation of the Nile River. Their forced labor included significant efforts in constructing and maintaining these irrigation systems. As they prepared to enter Canaan, a land vastly different geographically and climatically, Moses emphasized that their prosperity would no longer stem from arduous physical labor and human engineering but from their faithful obedience to God, who would provide rain directly from heaven. This verse directly leads into the promise of God-given "early and latter rain" in Deut 11:13-15, which links divine provision explicitly to obedience, a profound theological and practical shift.

Deuteronomy 11 10 Word analysis

• For the land (כִּי הָאָ֗רֶץ – ki ha'aretz): The definite article "the" emphasizes a specific land, namely Canaan, the one they are about to inherit. This phrase signals a transition to discussing the distinct characteristics of their destination.
• which you go to possess (אֶל־אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֣ה בָא־שָׁ֔מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּ֖הּ – el-asher-atta va-shamma l'rishtah): Highlights their immediate purpose and God's granting of the land as an inheritance. "To possess" (l'rishtah) signifies a right granted by divine promise and the establishment of their new home.
• is not like (לֹ֣א כְאֶ֤רֶץ – lo ch'eretz): A strong, declarative negation emphasizing a fundamental difference. This immediately contrasts the past with the future, setting the stage for the specific distinctions to follow.
• the land of Egypt (אֶרץ מצרים – eretz Mitzrayim): Egypt represents their past, their place of bondage and their old ways of life. It also carries the imagery of the mighty Nile as the lifeblood, entirely independent of rain.
• from which you came (מִשָּׁם יְצָאתֶ֔ם – mishsham y'tzatem): A direct reminder of their recent deliverance and exodus from slavery, further reinforcing the break from that past existence.
• where you sowed your seed (אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַ֤ע אֶת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ – asher tizra et zar'akha): Describes the active human effort required for agriculture. "Sowing" (tizra) represents the initial act of cultivation.
• and watered it (וְהִשְׁקֵ֖יתָ – v'hishqeita): Refers to the irrigation necessary to make the sown seed grow. This highlights the ongoing, direct human involvement in water supply.
• with your foot (בְּרַגְלְךָ֙ – b'ragl'kha): This is the most crucial phrase. It vividly portrays the physical, intensive labor of Egyptian irrigation. This could mean:
  • Treading water wheels (noria/saqiyah): operating foot-powered pumps or treadmills to draw water from the Nile or canals into fields.
  • Opening/closing irrigation ditches: Using the foot to manipulate sluices, dams, or small earthen barriers to direct water flow into individual plots, often done meticulously for efficiency.
  • "Foot-propelled" irrigation: A more general sense of walking through ditches and manipulating water.
  This phrase strongly emphasizes human exertion, self-reliance, and physical control over the water supply, deeply contrasting with God's provision. It also evokes the memory of arduous work under Egyptian oppression.
• as a garden of vegetables (כְּגַ֣ן הַיָּרָֽק – k'gan hayaraq): A "garden of vegetables" (gan hayaraq) is typically a small, intensely cultivated, highly managed plot, requiring constant manual watering and care. It illustrates the limited scale and laborious nature of their farming in Egypt, where every plot needed personal attention and active irrigation. It contrasts sharply with the vast, rain-fed lands of Canaan, which needed a broader, divinely-provided blessing.

• "Not like the land of Egypt... where you sowed... and watered it with your foot, as a garden of vegetables.": This entire phrase group encapsulates the stark theological and practical contrast. In Egypt, sustenance came through human toil, meticulous management of irrigation, and a dependency on the Nile, essentially making the cultivator the "provider" through labor. Canaan, by divine contrast, relies on God's provision of rain, shifting the focus from human capability to divine grace and the covenant relationship. This highlights God's intent to cultivate a relationship of direct dependence and trust with His people in their new land. The memory of "watering with your foot" is meant to illustrate the kind of human effort they will no longer solely rely on, preparing them for a faith-dependent lifestyle.

Deuteronomy 11 10 Bonus section

The "watering with your foot" imagery also implicitly recalls the hard servitude Israel endured in Egypt, where their very physical presence and labor (even stepping to control water) was integral to Egyptian productivity. In Canaan, God desires their obedience and faith, not their sheer, backbreaking labor to control nature. This contrast establishes the spiritual principle that their prosperity will be directly tied to their relationship with God, rather than their technical prowess or sheer effort. The shift is not just geographical or agricultural, but fundamentally theological and relational, aiming to prevent Israel from forgetting their Deliverer.

Deuteronomy 11 10 Commentary

Deuteronomy 11:10 is a pivotal verse, marking a dramatic shift in Israel's understanding of their livelihood. It disabuses them of the notion that the agricultural practices and mindset of Egypt, centered on human ingenuity and strenuous labor to irrigate, would serve them in the Promised Land. Egypt, sustained by the Nile, represented a human-managed economy where the abundance was visibly the fruit of human design and exertion. "Watering with your foot" symbolizes this laborious self-sufficiency and control over natural resources.

Canaan, however, is presented as a land dependent on rain—directly and sovereignly supplied by God (as elaborated in verses 11-12). This foundational difference implies a profound theological shift: from relying on human effort and natural cycles managed by man, to relying wholly on God's consistent faithfulness and sovereign provision. Their prosperity would no longer be a direct result of their manual labor in taming the land's water sources, but a consequence of their obedient walk with Yahweh.

This verse therefore serves as a polemic against the "Egyptian mindset" of self-reliance and serves as a call to faith. It tests whether Israel truly trusts that God can sustain them by unconventional means (rain, rather than guaranteed river inundation). This setup also serves as a critical basis for the covenant blessings and curses found in Deuteronomy; if God provides the rain for their sustenance, then withholding rain becomes a potent covenant curse for disobedience.

Practically, this verse calls believers to:

• Recognize where true provision comes from; it's not solely through our strenuous efforts or meticulously planned systems, but through God's grace.
• Guard against a self-sufficient mentality, understanding that blessings flow from a relationship of dependence on God.
• Embrace the unknown and less controllable aspects of life with faith, knowing God controls the "rain" and sustains us in ways beyond our direct management.