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 11:10KJV
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Deuteronomy 11:10 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 11:10 mean?

Deuteronomy 11:10 explains that the land the Israelites are about to enter (Canaan) is very different from Egypt, where they came from. In Egypt, people had to work hard to water their crops, but the new land will not require the same kind of manual irrigation.

Moses is speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. He reminds them that life in Egypt involved sowing seed and watering fields "with your foot," which refers to the hard, physical labor of irrigation in Egypt's flat, river-fed land. The verse sets up a contrast to highlight that Canaan will be a land cared for differently, preparing the people for a new way of life.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 11:10

  • "Land" (אֶרֶץ, ’erets): This word appears twice, emphasizing the contrast between Egypt and the land of Canaan. The repetition underlines that the focus is on the physical and practical differences between the two places.
  • "Wateredst it with thy foot" (רַגְלְךָ, raglekha): The phrase uses the word for "foot," which refers to a method of irrigation in Egypt where farmers used their feet to operate water wheels or channels. This detail highlights the labor-intensive nature of Egyptian farming.
  • "Garden" (גַּן, gan) and "herbs" (יָרָק, yaraq): The verse compares Egypt to a garden of herbs, suggesting small-scale, carefully managed plots that require constant attention, unlike the broader, rain-fed fields in Canaan.

Why Deuteronomy 11:10 matters

  • Deuteronomy 11:10 clears up the misconception that all fertile lands are the same; it shows that Canaan's agriculture will depend more on God's provision (rain) than on human effort.
  • The verse emphasizes the shift in dependence from human-controlled irrigation in Egypt to reliance on God in the Promised Land, which is a key theme in the surrounding passage.
  • Understanding this contrast helps explain why Moses urges the Israelites to obey God, since their well-being in the new land will be tied directly to their relationship with Him, not just their own labor.

Where else these words appear

“herbs” Hebrew H3419 · used in 5 verses

  • 1 Kings 21:2 And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
  • 2 Kings 19:26 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.
  • Proverbs 15:17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

“garden” Hebrew H1588 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
  • Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
  • Song of Solomon 8:13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.

“sowedst” Hebrew H2232 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Deuteronomy 21:4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:
  • Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

“wateredst” Hebrew H8248 · used in 72 verses

  • Genesis 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
  • Genesis 40:20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
  • Psalms 60:3 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.