Numbers 33:55

But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
out	תוֹרִ֜ישׁוּ to.Ri.shu	H3423	to occupy (by driving out previous tenants · verb, hiphil imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural
inhabitants	יֹשְׁבֵ֣י yo.she.Vei	H3427	properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural construct
land	הָאָרֶץ֮ ha.'a.Retz	H776	the earth (at large · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
before	מִפְּנֵיכֶם֒ mi.pe.nei.Khem	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
remain	תּוֹתִ֣ירוּ to.Ti.ru	H3498	to jut over or exceed · verb, hiphil imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural
pricks	לְשִׂכִּים֙ le.si.Kim	H7899	a brier (as of a hedge) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute
eyes	בְּעֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם be.'Ei.nei.Khem	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
thorns	וְלִצְנִינִ֖ם ve.litz.ni.Nim	H6796	a thorn · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute
sides	בְּצִדֵּיכֶ֑ם be.tzi.dei.Khem	H6654	a side · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
vex	וְצָרֲר֣וּ ve.tza.ra.Ru	H6887	to cramp · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
land	הָאָ֕רֶץ ha.'A.retz	H776	the earth (at large · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
dwell	יֹשְׁבִ֥ים yo.she.Vim	H3427	properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Judges 2:3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare…
Psalms 106:34-36 They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:
Joshua 23:12-13 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages…
Deuteronomy 7:16 And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou…
Exodus 23:33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
Deuteronomy 7:4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and…
Judges 1:21-36 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin…
Ezekiel 28:24 And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 33:55

But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you--No associations were to be formed with the inhabitants; otherwise, "if ye let remain, they will be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides"--that is, they would prove troublesome and dangerous neighbors, enticing to idolatry, and consequently depriving you of the divine favor and blessing. The neglect of the counsel against union with the idolatrous inhabitants became fatal to them. This earnest admonition given to the Israelites in their peculiar circumstances conveys a salutary lesson to us to allow no lurking habits of sin to remain in us. That spiritual enemy must be eradicated from our nature; otherwise it w…

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John Gill on Numbers 33:55

But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you,.... Should be remiss and careless about it, and indifferent to it, and not make use of the proper means to get rid of them, but, on the contrary, make covenants with them, and intermarry among them; or, however, become friendly to them, and suffer them to dwell among them: then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them; sparing their lives, and permitting them to dwell among them: shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides; which figurative expressions show that they should be very troublesome and distressing to them, even in their most tender and nearest concerns, and dearest relations, an…

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John Calvin on Numbers 33:52–end

Numbers 33:52 52. ... destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: 52. Destruite omnes statues earum, et omnes imagines confiatiles destruite, et omnes aras eorum dissipate.

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 33:50–end

These instructions, with which the eyes of the Israelites were directed to the end of all their wandering, viz., the possession of the promised land, are arranged in two sections by longer introductory formulas (Num 33:50 and Num 35:1). The former contains the divine commands (a) with regard to the extermination of the Canaanites and their idolatry, and the division of the land among the tribes of Israel (Num 33:50-56); (b) concerning the boundaries of Canaan (Num 34:1-15); (c) concerning the men who were to divide the land (Num 34:16-29). The second contains commands (a) respecting the towns to be given up to the Levites (Num 35:1-8); (b) as to the setting apart of cities of refuge for unin…

Dictionary and topics

Gibeon — Hill-city, “one of the royal cities, greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty” (Josh. 10:2). Its inhabitants were Hivites (11:19). It lay within the territory of Benjamin, and became a…
Canaanites, The · Part of left: To chastise Israel — Part of left: To chastise Israel
Company · EVIL — EVIL
Thorn · .Of afflictions — .Of afflictions

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Numbers 33:55

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 33:55

John Gill on Numbers 33:55

John Calvin on Numbers 33:52–end

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 33:50–end

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 33:55

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 33:55

John Gill on Numbers 33:55

John Calvin on Numbers 33:52–end

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 33:50–end

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 33:55-56

Rashi on Numbers 33:55