Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 8:9
a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, concluding his wilderness sermons before they cross the Jordan into Canaan. He describes the territory they are about to inherit as a place of complete material provision.
The words — The Hebrew תֶחְסַ֥ר (tech.Sar) literally means “you will lack,” paired with the negative particle לֹא (loʾ) to form an absolute statement of sufficiency. This construction in the original text emphasizes guaranteed abundance rather than a conditional promise.
The thread — The verse’s mention of iron rocks and copper hills aligns with the material wealth allocated to the Transjordan tribes in Joshua 22:8 and the metal supplies for the temple in 1 Chronicles 22:14. Its promise of scarcity-free eating directly follows the agricultural inventory of Deuteronomy 8:8 and immediately precedes the command to bless God in Deuteronomy 8:10.
Why it lands — The text states that material security is a provided condition, not a self-generated outcome. Readers must acknowledge this provision as a divine grant and respond with deliberate gratitude rather than autonomous self-reliance.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.
Cross-references
- Joshua 22:8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies.”
- 1 Chronicles 22:14 Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.
- Deuteronomy 33:25 May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze, and may your strength match your days.”
- Job 28:2 Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.