Deuteronomy 8:3 — Bible Verse Meaning & Context

Deuteronomy 8:3 reads: "He humbled you, and allowed you to be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know; that he might teach you that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh’s mouth." — from the Old Testament, Deuteronomy (Law (Pentateuch)). The full verse is shown above with both the World English Bible (WEB) and King James Version (KJV) translations side by side.

Deuteronomy 8:3 is in the book of Deuteronomy, traditionally attributed to Moses (traditional) and written around c. 1406 BC. Deuteronomy is law (pentateuch) in the Old Testament, originally addressed to The second-generation Israelites on the plains of Moab. Best known for the Shema and "love the LORD your God with all your heart".

Deuteronomy 8:3 is primarily a Bible verse about Faith. Within Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy ("second law") is Moses' final exposition of the covenant — restating the law for a new generation about to enter Canaan. Read the full passage above with surrounding context.

Deuteronomy 8:3 in the World English Bible (WEB) reads: "He humbled you, and allowed you to be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know; that he might teach you that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh’s mouth.". The King James Version (KJV) reads: "And he humbled6031 thee, and suffered thee to hunger7456, and fed398 thee with manna4478, which thou knewest3045 not, neither did thy fathers1 know3045; that he might make thee know3045 that man120 doth not live2421 by bread3899 only905, but by every word that proceedeth4161 out of the mouth6310 of the LORD3068 doth man120 live2421.". The WEB is a modern public-domain translation that updates the KJV's 1611 English while keeping a similar formal-equivalence style. Both render the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text.

Deuteronomy 8:3 is 48 words in the WEB translation (250 characters), broken into 7 clauses. It is a longer verse, often broken into smaller phrases for memorisation. Estimated reading time is about 14 seconds.

To memorise Deuteronomy 8:3, split it into its 7 natural clauses and learn one at a time. Repeat the full verse out loud five times, then write it from memory. Saving the verse as a photo wallpaper using our verse image studio helps daily review — the visual association with a memorable background dramatically improves recall.

Deuteronomy ("second law") is Moses' final exposition of the covenant — restating the law for a new generation about to enter Canaan. It contains the Shema (6:4-5), the great command to love God with all the heart, and the blessings and curses tied to obedience. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than any other book when tempted in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:3 sits within this larger story — Deuteronomy as a whole emphasises covenant renewal, love for God, obedience.

Many readers use Deuteronomy 8:3 as a daily reminder verse — saving it as a phone wallpaper, sharing it on Pinterest, or memorising it for prayer. The verse studio on this page lets you download Deuteronomy 8:3 on 52 different backgrounds for free. Pair the verse with the surrounding chapter context shown above to understand its full meaning before applying it.