You have not eaten bread: that is, during the forty years the Israelites had not eaten bread but only the manna that God sent them every day (see 8.2-5). It may be necessary to make this clear, either in the text, for example, “I gave you special food instead of bread, wine, or beer,” or by means of an explanatory footnote.

Wine or strong drink: this strong drink is not distilled liquor, but something more like “beer” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “or other intoxicant,” New International Version “other fermented drink,” New Jerusalem Bible “fermented liquor.”

That you may know that I am the LORD your God: that is, all the trials and difficulties they had experienced throughout the forty years were intended to teach them to acknowledge Yahweh as their God, to confess that he is their God. Bible en français courant has “The LORD took care of you so that you might understand that he is your God.” In translation it should be made clear that the speaker here is Yahweh, not Moses (see the note in the previous verse).

A possible alternative translation model combining verses 5 and 6 is the following:

• The LORD has told you, “For forty years, I, the LORD, led you through the wilderness, but your clothes and sandals didn’t wear out, and I gave you special food instead of bread, wine, and beer. I did these things so that you would know that I am the God you serve.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .