Joshua 23:13

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.

Know {H3045} for a certainty {H3045} that the LORD {H3068} your God {H430} will no more {H3254} drive out {H3423} any of these nations {H1471} from before {H6440} you; but they shall be snares {H6341} and traps {H4170} unto you, and scourges {H7850} in your sides {H6654}, and thorns {H6796} in your eyes {H5869}, until ye perish {H6} from off this good {H2896} land {H127} which the LORD {H3068} your God {H430} hath given {H5414} you.

know for certain that ADONAI your God will stop driving out these nations from your sight. Instead, they will become a snare and a trap for you, whipping your sides and pricking your eyes, until you perish from this good land which ADONAI your God has given you.

know 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.

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.

Commentary

Commentary on Joshua 23:13 (KJV)

Joshua 23:13 serves as a solemn warning from Joshua to the Israelites, delivered near the end of his life. It highlights the severe consequences of disobedience and compromise after God had faithfully delivered them into the Promised Land.

Context

This verse is part of Joshua's farewell address to the leaders and all of Israel, found in Joshua chapters 23 and 24. Having largely completed the conquest of Canaan, Joshua, now old and well stricken in age, reminds the people of God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to them (Joshua 23:5). However, he also issues a stern warning against turning away from the Lord. He emphasizes the critical importance of remaining faithful to the covenant and not intermarrying with the remaining Canaanite nations or serving their gods. The specific warning in verse 13 follows his exhortation to be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses.

Key Themes

  • Consequences of Disobedience: The verse explicitly states that if Israel fails to drive out the remaining nations, God will cease to assist them in doing so. Instead, these nations will become a constant source of trouble and affliction. This illustrates the principle that blessings are often conditional on obedience to God's commands.
  • Spiritual Compromise: The core danger Joshua warns against is spiritual compromise, specifically through intermarriage and adopting the idolatrous practices of the surrounding peoples. God had commanded Israel to utterly destroy or drive out these nations precisely to prevent such defilement (Deuteronomy 7:2). Failure to do so would lead to their own downfall.
  • Loss of Blessing and Inheritance: The ultimate consequence is the terrifying prospect of "perish[ing] from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you." This highlights the conditional nature of their continued enjoyment of the Promised Land, which was not an unconditional right but a covenantal inheritance dependent on their fidelity to God.

Linguistic Insights and Metaphors

Joshua employs vivid, painful metaphors to describe the consequences of Israel's potential compromise:

  • "Snares and traps": The Hebrew words for these (moqesh and pach) convey the idea of hidden dangers, entanglements, and subtle allurements that lead to destruction. These refer to the moral and spiritual pitfalls posed by the pagan nations, drawing Israel into sin and idolatry.
  • "Scourges in your sides": The Hebrew word totaphoth (often referring to a whip or lash) paints a picture of constant, stinging pain and affliction. This suggests that the remaining nations would be a perpetual source of physical and emotional distress, perhaps through ongoing conflict or oppression.
  • "Thorns in your eyes": The Hebrew tsinnim (thorns or pricks) speaks to an incessant irritation, hindrance, and even blindness. This metaphor implies that the presence of these unexpelled nations would cause constant vexation, obstruct their spiritual vision, and prevent them from clearly seeing or following God's path.

Related Scriptures

This warning foreshadows much of Israel's subsequent history recorded in the Book of Judges. The failure to fully dispossess the inhabitants, as recounted in Judges 1, directly led to the very problems Joshua warned about. The angel of the Lord later reiterates this warning in Judges 2:3, confirming that the unexpelled nations would indeed become "thorns in your sides." This pattern of disobedience and its consequences is a recurring theme throughout Israel's history, demonstrating God's consistent justice and the seriousness of His covenant demands.

Practical Application

For believers today, Joshua's warning in verse 13 carries significant spiritual weight. Just as Israel was called to fully conquer the Promised Land and remove hostile influences, Christians are called to dispossess spiritual enemies and not compromise with worldly values or sinful habits. Failing to address these "nations" or influences in our lives can lead to:

  • Spiritual Snares: Temptations and entanglements that hinder our walk with God.
  • Constant Affliction: Inner turmoil, guilt, or external consequences that arise from compromise.
  • Blurred Vision: A diminished ability to discern God's will and follow His path clearly.

This verse serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of complete obedience, spiritual vigilance, and the necessity of rooting out anything that would draw us away from our full commitment to God. It underscores that God's warnings are not arbitrary, but are given out of His desire for our ultimate good and continued blessing.

Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Deuteronomy 7:16 (7 votes)

    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 serve their gods; for that [will be] a snare unto thee.

  • Numbers 33:55 (7 votes)

    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.

  • Exodus 23:33 (5 votes)

    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.

  • Judges 2:2 (4 votes)

    And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

  • Judges 2:3 (4 votes)

    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 unto you.

  • Luke 21:24 (3 votes)

    And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

  • Psalms 106:35 (3 votes)

    But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.