עִנָּ֖ה בַדֶּ֥רֶךְ כחו [כֹּחִ֗י] קִצַּ֥ר יָמָֽי׃
ער האָט אָפּגעשלאַפֿט אין װעג מײַן כּוח, ער האָט געקירצט מײַנע טעג.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויענך וירעיבך, “He afflicted you and let you go hungry.” The word “He afflicted you,” refers to the tedium of the journey, compare Palms 102,24: “He drained my strength on the way.” The word “He let you go hungry,” refers to denial of the kind of conventional food eaten by the other nations.
Ramban
AND HE FED THEE WITH MANNA, WHICH THOU KNOWEST NOT, NEITHER DID THY FATHERS KNOW. The purport thereof is that you did not know about the manna that you could live by it for many years, nor did such a tradition reach you from your fathers. Or he [Moses] may be saying that He has done with you this great kindness which your holy fathers [i.e., the patriarchs] did not obtain, for, although they walked after Him wherever He commanded them, as is stated, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house,61Genesis 12:1. yet their eminence did not suffice that He should support them with the corn of heaven62Psalms 78:24. as He did for you. And so the Rabbis have said in the Midrash Bamidbar Sinai Rabbah:63Bamidbar Rabbah 1:2. “Because of the merit of Moses you ate the manna that your holy fathers did not see, as it is said, neither did thy fathers know.” And he explained that He did this in order to inform them that it is He Who preserves man with whatever He decrees, and if so observe His commandments, and live.64Proverbs 4:4.
It is possible to explain that the expressions And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna refer to different subjects. He is stating that He afflicted you when you travelled in the wilderness for forty years, similar to the verse, He afflicted my strength in the way,65Psalms 102:24. [meaning that travel drains the strength]. And He suffered thee to hunger, at the beginning [of the journey in the wilderness] as the people said, to kill this whole assembly with hunger,66Exodus 16:3. and afterwards He fed you with the manna to make you aware that by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Eternal doth man live.67Verse 3 before us. So also, Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not,68Further, Verse 16. telling them of the miracle that was done to them. And the expression that He might afflict thee [further in Verse 16] reverts to that which he said [in the preceding Verse 15], Who led thee through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and draught etc.69Ibid., Verse 15. In other words, since according to Ramban’s interpretation before us, the expression that He might afflict thee refers not to the manna but to the journey through the wilderness, then we must also say that the expression that He might afflict thee in Verse 16 following the subject of the manna is to be interpreted as reverting to the beginning of Verse 15, where the subject of the wilderness is mentioned. But that which He said in the section of the manna, that I may, try them, whether they will walk in My law or not70Exodus 16:4. means that I will provide them their needs and fulfill their request and [then] see if they will hearken to Me when goods increase.71Ecclesiastes 5:10. It is the evil of riches which leads to temptation (Proverbs 30:8). This is in consonance with the plain meaning of Scripture, but the first interpretation is true and correct.
It is possible to explain that the expressions And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna refer to different subjects. He is stating that He afflicted you when you travelled in the wilderness for forty years, similar to the verse, He afflicted my strength in the way,65Psalms 102:24. [meaning that travel drains the strength]. And He suffered thee to hunger, at the beginning [of the journey in the wilderness] as the people said, to kill this whole assembly with hunger,66Exodus 16:3. and afterwards He fed you with the manna to make you aware that by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Eternal doth man live.67Verse 3 before us. So also, Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not,68Further, Verse 16. telling them of the miracle that was done to them. And the expression that He might afflict thee [further in Verse 16] reverts to that which he said [in the preceding Verse 15], Who led thee through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and draught etc.69Ibid., Verse 15. In other words, since according to Ramban’s interpretation before us, the expression that He might afflict thee refers not to the manna but to the journey through the wilderness, then we must also say that the expression that He might afflict thee in Verse 16 following the subject of the manna is to be interpreted as reverting to the beginning of Verse 15, where the subject of the wilderness is mentioned. But that which He said in the section of the manna, that I may, try them, whether they will walk in My law or not70Exodus 16:4. means that I will provide them their needs and fulfill their request and [then] see if they will hearken to Me when goods increase.71Ecclesiastes 5:10. It is the evil of riches which leads to temptation (Proverbs 30:8). This is in consonance with the plain meaning of Scripture, but the first interpretation is true and correct.
Chizkuni
ויענך “He afflicted you,” on the way, as in Psalms 102,24: ענה בדרך כחי, “He drained my strength while I was on the way.”