Deuteronomy 8:15-16

8:15 and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents 1  and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow 2  from a flint rock and 8:16 fed you in the desert with manna (which your ancestors had never before known) so that he might by humbling you test you 3  and eventually bring good to you.

1 tn Heb “flaming serpents”; KJV, NASB “fiery serpents”; NAB “saraph serpents.” This figure of speech (metonymy) probably describes the venomous and painful results of snakebite. The feeling from such an experience would be like a burning fire (שָׂרָף, saraf).

2 tn Heb “the one who brought out for you water.” In the Hebrew text this continues the preceding sentence, but the translation begins a new sentence here for stylistic reasons.

3 tn Heb “in order to humble you and in order to test you.” See 8:2.