Joshua 23:13
in Joshua 23know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
know for a certainty that Jehovah your God will no more drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap unto you, and a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you.
KJV
Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.
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This verse in Joshua 23
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThey shall be snares - לפח lephach, a net or gin, set by the artful fowler to catch heedless birds. And traps - מוקש mokesh, any snare, toil, or trap, placed on the ground to catch the unwary traveler or wild beast by the foot. Scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes - Nothing can be conceived more vexatious and distressing than a continual goad in the side, or thorn in the eye. They will drive you into obedience to their false gods, and put out the eyes of your understandings by their idolatries.
This site's exposition
if ye do in any wise
on Joshua 23:12-13
Numbers 33:55 is the warning being quoted, that those you let remain shall be pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides. Joshua swaps the pair, giving thorns in the eyes and scourges in the sides, and adds snares and traps, which is the word Exodus 23:33 and Deuteronomy 7:16 use of serving their gods. Judges 2:3 reports the thing arriving: they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. The marriages of verse 12 are what Deuteronomy 7:3 forbade, and 1 Kings 11:2 quotes that prohibition and then says Solomon clave unto these in love, using the verb Joshua uses here.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Traps to you - By your converse with them, you will be drawn by degrees into their errors, and impieties, and brutish lusts. Thorns in your eyes - When they have seduced, and thereby weakened you, then they will molest and vex you, no less than a severe scourge doth a man's sides which are lashed by it, or than a small thorn doth the eye when it is got within it.
Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you,....
10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the L ORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. As to the date of this edict of Joshua, I. No mention at all is made of the place where this general assembly was held; some think it was at Timnath-serah, Joshua's own city, where he lived, and whence, being old, he could not well remove.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
And a goad in your sides. 1 Rashi takes the word לְשׁטֵט as an expression of prowing rather than as an expression of a rod or goad as do other commentaries. They will prowl around you to loot and ransack.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יָד֙וֹעַ֙ | yadoa' | certainly <to know> | H3045 → | 945 times |
| תֵּֽדְע֔וּ | tedeu | you will know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| כִּי֩ | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לֹ֨א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יוֹסִ֜יף | yosif | he will increase | H3254 → | |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֗ם | ʾeloheikhem | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| לְהוֹרִ֛ישׁ | lehorish | to dispossess | H3423 → | 231 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַגּוֹיִ֥ם | hagoyim | the nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| הָאֵ֖לֶּה | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| מִלִּפְנֵיכֶ֑ם | milifneikhem | from to before you | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| וְהָי֨וּ | vehayu | and they will become | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לָכֶ֜ם | lakhem | for <the> you | ||
| לְפַ֣ח | lefach | <into> a trap | H6341 → | |
| וּלְמוֹקֵ֗שׁ | ulemokesh | and <into> a snare | H4170 → | |
| וּלְשֹׁטֵ֤ט | uleshotet | and <into> a scourge | H7850 → | |
| בְּצִדֵּיכֶם֙ | betzideikhem | in sides your | H6654 → | 33 times |
| וְלִצְנִנִ֣ים | velitzninim | and <into> thorns | H6796 → | |
| בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֔ם | beeineikhem | in view your | H5869 → | 887 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| אֲבָדְכֶ֗ם | ʾavadekhem | perish you | H6 → | 184 times |
| מֵ֠עַל | meal | from on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאֲדָמָ֤ה | haadamah | the land | H127 → | |
| הַטּוֹבָה֙ | hatovah | <the> good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| הַזֹּ֔את | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| אֲשֶׁר֙ | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָתַ֣ן | natan | he has given | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָכֶ֔ם | lakhem | to <the> you | ||
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ | ʾeloheikhem | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
יָד֙וֹעַ֙certainly <to know>
yadoa'H3045 →945 times
תֵּֽדְע֔וּyou will know
tedeuH3045 →945 times
כִּי֩that
kiH3588 →4482 times
לֹ֨אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יוֹסִ֜יףhe will increase
yosifH3254 →
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֗םGod your
ʾeloheikhemH430 →2601 times
לְהוֹרִ֛ישׁto dispossess
lehorishH3423 →231 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַגּוֹיִ֥םthe nations
hagoyimH1471 →561 times
הָאֵ֖לֶּה<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
מִלִּפְנֵיכֶ֑םfrom to before you
milifneikhemH6440 →2123 times
וְהָי֨וּand they will become
vehayuH1961 →3559 times
לָכֶ֜םfor <the> you
lakhem
לְפַ֣ח<into> a trap
lefachH6341 →
וּלְמוֹקֵ֗שׁand <into> a snare
ulemokeshH4170 →
וּלְשֹׁטֵ֤טand <into> a scourge
uleshotetH7850 →
בְּצִדֵּיכֶם֙in sides your
betzideikhemH6654 →33 times
וְלִצְנִנִ֣יםand <into> thorns
velitzninimH6796 →
בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֔םin view your
beeineikhemH5869 →887 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
אֲבָדְכֶ֗םperish you
ʾavadekhemH6 →184 times
מֵ֠עַלfrom on
mealH5921 →5755 times
הָאֲדָמָ֤הthe land
haadamahH127 →
הַטּוֹבָה֙<the> good
hatovahH2896 →538 times
הַזֹּ֔את<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
אֲשֶׁר֙which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נָתַ֣ןhe has given
natanH5414 →2011 times
לָכֶ֔םto <the> you
lakhem
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃God your
ʾeloheikhemH430 →2601 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
Numbers 33:55But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you…
it leads to
- Judges 2:3
So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 7:16
You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 106:34–36
They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them,
- Joshua 23:12–13
For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations that remain among you, and if you intermarry and associate with them,
- Judges 2:3
Through
Deuteronomy 7:16You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:33
They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Judges 8:27
From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
- Deuteronomy 7:2
and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- Exodus 23:33
About Joshua
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.