Deuteronomy 8:4 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ver. 4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, &c.— See Deuteronomy 29:5 and Nehemiah 9:21. Houbigant renders this, tuae vestes non sunt attritae; thy garments are not worn out, which is preferable to waxed old. With respect to this matter, we observe, first, that some interpreters, not content to take the words of Moses in the letter, very much aggrandize the miracle. 1st, The Jewish rabbis tell you, that their clothes not only were preserved from decay, and their feet from swelling and growing callous, but that their shoes and clothes still enlarged as their bodies grew bigger: with a thousand other particulars, too ridiculous to be mentioned. 2nd, The greater number of critics, ancient and modern, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Osiander, Bonfrere, Grotius, Marck, Ainsworth, Patrick, &c. take the words of Moses literally: they find here a double miracle, and, in consequence, a double proof of the paternal care of Providence over the Israelites in the uncultivated desarts of Arabia. The grand reason which supports this opinion is, that the preservation of the raiment of the Israelites is put upon a par with the sending of manna, which was certainly miraculous; and Moses speaks in the same manner, both of the one and of the other. Houbigant very strongly urges this reason, and defends this interpretation, opposing himself particularly to the opinion of Le Clerc, which is, 3rdly, as follows. He thinks it is hardly to be imagined, that Moses, whose intention it was to record the miracles which God wrought for the Israelites in the wilderness, should have mentioned this so transiently, and, as it were, by the bye, especially when it appears to have been one of the greatest of them; for there must have been as many miracles wrought as there were persons in the camp. He observes further, that God never uses to work miracles, unless they are quite necessary; yet here is one of the greatest miracles without any necessity at all: for, since it appears from Numb. ch. 7 and 8 that the Israelites had flocks of sheep and goats in the wilderness, and were not ignorant of the art of weaving, and as nothing hindered them from trafficking with their Arabian neighbours, it is evident that they might have been supplied with clothes in the regular way, either by making or purchasing them: from all which he concludes, that the words are to be thus understood; thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, i.e. "Providence has been so liberal in supplying your wants in this desart land, that you have never been necessitated, through poverty, to let your clothes grow old upon your backs, but have always been furnished with new, before the old were worn out." Neither did thy feet swell; i.e. for want of shoes to defend them. Agreeable to this interpretation, instead of thy foot did not swell, we read in chap. Deuteronomy 29:5 thy shoe did not wax old upon thy foot; i.e. "you were not reduced, through poverty, to wear shoes till they were grown so old and torn, that they could not defend your feet against tumors, and other inconveniences arising from heat, and rugged ways." They who consider the high eastern manner of expression, will more easily approve this interpretation of Le Clerc, which, indeed, is not peculiar to him; Spanheim, Burman, Bynaeus, Budaeus, Calmet, and many others have espoused it.