Psalms 106:34
in Psalms 106They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They did not destroy the peoples, As Jehovah commanded them,
KJV
They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them:
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This verse in Psalms 106
Commentary
7 notes on this verseBut the way of sin is down-hill; omissions make way for commissions; when they neglect to destroy the heathen the next news we hear is, They were mingled among the heathen, made leagues with them and contracted an intimacy with them, so that they learned their works,
This site's exposition
They did not destroy the peoples
on Psalms 106:34-39
They left alive the peoples the LORD had commanded them to destroy. They mingled with the nations, took their customs and idols, and sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons, which Deuteronomy 12:31 and 18:10 had forbidden. The land was polluted with blood.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
But they of whose iniquities this Psalm speaks, when they had entered into that temporal land of promise, "destroyed not the heathen, which the Lord commanded them" [Psalm 106:34]; "but were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works" [Psalm 106:35]. "Insomuch that they worshipped their idols, which became to them an offense" [Psalm 106:36]. Their not destroying them, but mingling with them, became to them an offense.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
They did not destroy the nations,.... Here begins an account of their sins and provocations, after they were settled in the land of Canaan. They did not destroy the inhabitants of the land, of the seven nations; whose land was given to them as an inheritance, and of which the Canaanites were dispossessed for their sins, and to be destroyed. Concerning whom the Lord commanded them; that they should destroy them; the command is in Deu 7:
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them. They were commissioned to act as executioners upon races condemned for their unnatural crimes, and through sloth, cowardice, or Sinful complacency they sheathed the sword too soon, very much to their own danger and disquietude. It is a great evil with professors that they are not zealous for the total destruction of all sin within and without. We make alliances of peace where we ought to proclaim war to the knife; we plead our constitutional temperament, our previous habits, the necessity of our circumstances, or some other evil excuse as an apology for being content with a very partial sanctification, if indeed it be sanctification at all. We are slow also to rebuke sin in others, and are ready to spare respectable sins, which like Agag walk with mincing steps. The measure of our destruction of sin is not to be our inclination, or the habit of others, but the Lord's command. We have no warrant for dealing leniently with any sin, be it what it may.
They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them. They were commissioned to act as executioners upon races condemned for their unnatural crimes, and through sloth, cowardice, or Sinful complacency they sheathed the sword too soon, very much to their own danger and disquietude. It is a great evil with professors that they are not zealous for the total destruction of all sin within and without.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
They did not destroy the nations - The Canaanites, Hivites, Jebusites, etc.; the nations that inhabited the land of Canaan. Concerning whom the Lord commanded them - The command on this subject was positive; and it was to destroy them, to spare none of them. Num 33:52; Deu 7:5, Deu 7:16.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| הִ֭שְׁמִידוּ | hishmidu | they destroyed | H8045 → | 90 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָֽעַמִּ֑ים | haamim | the peoples | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָמַ֖ר | ʾamar | he had said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לָהֶֽם׃ | lahem | to them |
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
הִ֭שְׁמִידוּthey destroyed
hishmiduH8045 →90 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָֽעַמִּ֑יםthe peoples
haamimH5971 →1873 times
אֲשֶׁ֤רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אָמַ֖רhe had said
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לָהֶֽם׃to them
lahem
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
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.”
- 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 25:12
you are to cut off her hand. You must show her no pity.
- Deuteronomy 13:8
you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield him.
- Deuteronomy 19:21
You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
- Exodus 23:33
Through
Deuteronomy 7:2and 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.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:32–33
You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
- Judges 2:2
and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?
- Exodus 23:32–33
Through
Judges 1:21The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.
it leads to
- Joshua 15:63
But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the descendants of Judah.
- Joshua 15:63
Where this verse is studied
About Psalms
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 106; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.