Exodus 23:31
in Exodus 23And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And I will set thy border from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness unto the River: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand: and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
KJV
And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
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This verse in Exodus 23
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
In Exo 23:23, the limits of the Land of Canaan, strictly so called, are indicated; to this, when the Israelites were about to take possession of it, were added the regions of Gilead and Bashan on the left side of the Jordan Num 32:33-42; Jos 13:29-32. These two portions made up the holy land, of which the limits were recognized, with inconsiderable variations, until the final overthrow of the Jewish polity. But in this verse the utmost extent of Hebrew dominion, as it existed in the time of David and Solomon, is set forth.
This site's exposition
And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea
The borders run from the Red sea to the sea of the Philistines and from the desert to the river, which matches the grant made to Abram at Genesis 15:18, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates. 1 Kings 4:21 reports Solomon reigning over all the kingdoms from the river to the land of the Philistines, which is the nearest those bounds ever came to being held. The verse puts the delivering on God and the driving out on the people, in that order.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
) in its utmost extent, which yet they were not possessed of till the days of David; and by their sins they soon lost possession. The precept annexed to this promise is that they should not make any friendship, nor have any familiarity, with idolaters,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And I will set thy bounds,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea - On the south-east, even unto the sea of the Philistines - the Mediterranean, on the north-west; and from the desert - of Arabia, or the wilderness of Shur, on the west, to the river - the Euphrates, on the north-east. Or in general terms, from the Euphrates on the east, to the Mediterranean Sea on the west; and from Mount Libanus on the north, to the Red Sea and the Nile on the south. This promise was not completely fulfilled till the days of David and Solomon. The general disobedience of the people before this time prevented a more speedy accomplishment; and their disobedience afterwards caused them to lose the possession. So, though all the promises of God are Yea and Amen, yet they are fulfilled but to a few, because men are slow of heart to believe; and the blessings of providence and grace are taken away from several because of their unfaithfulness.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשַׁתִּ֣י | veshati | and I will fix | H7896 → | 83 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| גְּבֻלְךָ֗ | gevulkha | border your | H1366 → | 240 times |
| מִיַּם־ | miyam- | from [the] sea of | H3220 → | 396 times |
| סוּף֙ | suf | reed[s] | H5488 → | 28 times |
| וְעַד־ | vead- | and to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| יָ֣ם | yam | [the] sea of | H3220 → | 396 times |
| פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים | pelishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | |
| וּמִמִּדְבָּ֖ר | umimidbar | and from [the] wilderness | H4057 → | 270 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| הַנָּהָ֑ר | hanahar | the River | H5104 → | 119 times |
| כִּ֣י׀ | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֶתֵּ֣ן | ʾeten | I will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בְּיֶדְכֶ֗ם | beyedkhem | in hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| אֵ֚ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יֹשְׁבֵ֣י | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וְגֵרַשְׁתָּ֖מוֹ | vegerashtamov | and you will drive out them | H1644 → | 46 times |
| מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃ | mipaneikha | from before you | H6440 → | 2123 times |
וְשַׁתִּ֣יand I will fix
veshatiH7896 →83 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
גְּבֻלְךָ֗border your
gevulkhaH1366 →240 times
מִיַּם־from [the] sea of
miyam-H3220 →396 times
סוּף֙reed[s]
sufH5488 →28 times
וְעַד־and to
vead-H5704 →1261 times
יָ֣ם[the] sea of
yamH3220 →396 times
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים[the] Philistines
pelishtimH6430 →
וּמִמִּדְבָּ֖רand from [the] wilderness
umimidbarH4057 →270 times
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
הַנָּהָ֑רthe River
hanaharH5104 →119 times
כִּ֣י׀for
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֶתֵּ֣ןI will give
ʾetenH5414 →2011 times
בְּיֶדְכֶ֗םin hand your
beyedkhemH3027 →1618 times
אֵ֚ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
יֹשְׁבֵ֣י[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
הָאָ֔רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
וְגֵרַשְׁתָּ֖מוֹand you will drive out them
vegerashtamovH1644 →46 times
מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃from before you
mipaneikhaH6440 →2123 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 15:18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 11:24
Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 1:3–4
I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses.
- Genesis 12:7
Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
- Genesis 24:7
The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this…
- Genesis 13:15
for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.
- Deuteronomy 11:24
Through
Deuteronomy 11:24Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea.
it leads to
- Genesis 15:18–21
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 14:9
On that day Moses swore to me, saying, ‘Surely the land on which you have set foot will be an inheritance to you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD…
- Genesis 15:18–21
Through
Joshua 21:44And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD delivered all their enemies into their…
it leads to
- Joshua 11:23
So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to the allotments to their tribes. Then…
- Joshua 11:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Exodus

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
