What does "watered it by foot" reveal about Egypt's agricultural practices? Setting the Verse in Context “ ‘For the land that you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it by foot, like a vegetable garden.’ ” (Deuteronomy 11:10) • Moses is contrasting the Israelites’ former life in Egypt with the life that awaits them in the Promised Land (vv. 11–12). • Egypt’s crops depended on human‐managed irrigation; Canaan’s would depend on God-sent rain. Unpacking “watered it by foot” The phrase pictures the physically demanding way Egyptians moved Nile water to their plots: • Kicking away earthen plugs with the foot to let canal water spill into small furrows. • Stomping dikes back into place when enough water had flowed. • Operating foot-powered devices—early treadle pumps or water wheels—to lift water up to higher ground. • Hauling water in skins or pots, one step at a time, across vegetable gardens. What This Reveals about Egyptian Agriculture • Labor-intensive: success rested on constant human effort rather than rainfall. • Engineered dependence on the Nile’s annual flood and an intricate web of canals, basins, and dikes. • Small-plot focus: “like a vegetable garden” suggests hand-tended beds near homes, not broad, rain-fed fields. • Predictability through human skill: Egyptians trusted their irrigation systems; Israel would need to trust the Lord for rain (Deuteronomy 11:11-14). Broader Biblical Echoes • Isaiah 19:5-10 describes Egypt’s Nile economy; when the river fails, agriculture collapses. • Ezekiel 29:9 reminds Egypt that the Nile is God’s, not theirs. • Contrast with God’s promise for Canaan: “a land that drinks rain from heaven” (Deuteronomy 11:11), showing divine provision over human manipulation. Spiritual Takeaways • Self-reliance vs. God-reliance: Egypt’s foot-watering illustrates human striving; Canaan’s rain calls for faith (Psalm 127:1-2). • Works vs. grace: just as Israel could not make rain, we cannot earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). • Daily dependence: believers are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7), trusting God for every need as Israel would trust Him for rain. |
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