Deuteronomy 29:5

Deuteronomy 29:5

And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.

a. NLT: For forty years I led you through the wilderness, yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. NIV: Yet the LORD says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

c. Amplified Bible: I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out upon you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Septuagint: [In the Septuagint the verse is Deuteronomy 29:4]And he led you forty years in the wilderness; your garments did not grow old, and your sandals were not worn away off your feet.

e. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: [In the Torah the verse is also Deuteronomy 29:4] I led you for forty years in the Wilderness, your garment did not wear out from on you, and your shoe did not wear out from your foot. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

1. “And I have led you forty years in the wilderness…”

a. [And I have] led [Strong: 3212 * yalak yaw-lak'; to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses):--X again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, + follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, + pursue, cause to run, spread, take away ((-journey)), vanish, (cause to) walk(-ing), wax, X be weak.]

b. you [Strong: 853 'eth ayth apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).]

c. forty [Strong: 705 'arba`iym ar-baw-eem' multiple of 702; forty:---forty.] 

c. years [Strong: 8141 shaneh shaw-neh' (in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year (as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old, year(X -ly).]

d. wilderness [Strong: 4057 midbar mid-bawr' from 1696 in the sense of driving; a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs):--desert, south, speech, wilderness.]

2. “…your clothes are not waxen old upon you…” 

a. [your] clothes [Strong: 8008 salmah sal-maw' transp. for 8071; a dress:--clothes, garment, raiment.]

b. [are] not [Strong: 3808 lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

c. waxen old [Strong: 1086 balah baw-law' a primitive root; to fail; by implication to wear out, decay (causatively, consume, spend):--consume, enjoy long, become (make, wax) old, spend, waste.]

d. upon [you] [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

3. “…and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.”

a. [and thy] shoe [Strong: 5275 na`al nah'-al or (feminine) na;alah {nah-al-aw'}; from 5274; properly, a sandal tongue; by extens. a sandal or slipper (sometimes as a symbol of occupancy, a refusal to marry, or of something valueless):--dryshod, (pair of) shoe((-latchet), -s).]

b. [is] not [Strong: 3808 lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

c. waxen old [Strong: [Strong: 1086 balah baw-law' a primitive root; to fail; by implication to wear out, decay (causatively, consume, spend):--consume, enjoy long, become (make, wax) old, spend, waste.]

d. upon [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

e. [thy] foot [Strong: 7272 regel reh'-gel from 7270; a foot (as used in walking); by implication, a step; by euphem. the pudenda:--X be able to endure, X according as, X after, X coming, X follow, ((broken-))foot((-ed, -stool)), X great toe, X haunt, X journey, leg, + piss, + possession, time.]

1). For forty years their clothes or their shoes never wore out. 

a). Nehemiah 9:21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.

b). swelled [Strong: 1216 batseq baw-tsake' a primitive root; perhaps to swell up, i.e. blister:--swell.]

2). Deuteronomy 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

a). Here is a remarkable note found in the Chumash under Deuteronomy 8:4.

“The clothing, too, proved that God was with them, for it is a miracle that clothing could last forty years without deteriorating or wearing out, even without being subjected to perspiration and harsh use (Ramban). How much more so since the Midrash teaches that clothing grew with the children and always remained clean and fresh (Rashi).” 

b). I have no trouble believing the clothing and shoes grew with the people. If I was 5 years old when the Exodus happened and at the end of the forty years I was 45 and I’m still wearing the same shoes because they didn’t wear out, that would imply the shoes grew with me.

3). No wonder Jesus said not to worry about clothes.

a). Matthew 6:31-34 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.