Deuteronomy 8:2 states that God tested Israel in the wilderness:

> "to know what was in thine heart."

This is contrasted with Acts 1:24, where the apostles pray to the Lord:

> "which knowest the hearts of all men."

Skeptics argue that Deuteronomy portrays a God who lacks knowledge and must conduct experiments to learn things. This objection hinges on the limitations of English translation. In Deuteronomy, the Hebrew word 'know' is yada, a very broad term that frequently denotes experiential perception, relational familiarity, or the bringing of a fact into open demonstration, rather than a lack of cognitive data. God tested Israel not to discover unknown data, but to experientially expose and demonstrate the true state of their covenantal fidelity.

Deuteronomy 8:2

—Didn’t God know what Israel would do?

Problem:

This passage says that God led Israel into the wilderness in order “to know” what they would do. But if God knows everything already (

Ps. 139:7–10

;

Jer. 17:10

), then why did He need to do this to know whether they would obey Him?

Solution:

God in His omniscience was already

aware

of what they would do. He led them into the wilderness in order

to prove

them. The parallel expression in this very verse is to “test you, to know what was in your heart.” (See also discussion under

Gen. 22:12

.)