Deuteronomy 7:20-21
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This verse doesn't just describe a literal plague of insects; it highlights God's active, relentless pursuit of His people's enemies, even those trying to escape and hide. It assures Israel that no hiding place will be secure from God's judgment on those who oppose Him.
Moreover, the LORD your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. You shall not be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse is part of God's instructions to the Israelites about how to deal with the nations they are about to displace in the Promised Land. Following commands to utterly destroy these peoples and not make covenants with them, God promises to assist Israel by sending overwhelming forces, including the literal swarming "hornets," to ensure their complete eradication. This divine intervention is meant to accomplish what might be difficult for the Israelites alone, driving out even those who try to hide.
What if God's most powerful tools aren't armies with swords, but something much smaller and far more terrifying? This verse reveals a unique weapon in God's arsenal.
In Deuteronomy 7:20, God promises to send 'the hornet' among the Canaanites. While this might sound like a minor nuisance, the original context and scholars suggest it refers to a significant, perhaps even supernatural, plague of insects.
Why would God use something like 'hornets'? This tactic reveals God's unwavering commitment to His people's purity and His judgment on persistent evil.
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The mention of hornets in Deuteronomy 7:20 serves a critical purpose: to ensure the complete eradication of the Canaanites and prevent any lingering threat or compromise for Israel.
Understand the original words
tsirah · Hebrew Noun
A stinging insect, used symbolically or literally as a tool of divine judgment to harass and drive out enemies.
arats · Hebrew Verb
A state of extreme fear, terror, or alarm, often associated with a sense of helplessness before an overwhelming threat or divine presence.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal name of the Almighty God of Israel, revealing His covenant faithfulness, eternal nature, and sovereign authority over all creation.
nora · Hebrew Adjective
A term used to describe God’s nature that inspires both deep reverence and a sense of holy fear because of His power, holiness, and majesty.
This passage directly parallels Deuteronomy 7:20, stating God will send hornets ahead of the Israelites to drive out their enemies, highlighting a supernatural intervention.
Joshua 24:12This verse recounts the historical fulfillment of the promise in Deuteronomy 7:20, explicitly stating that God sent hornets to drive out the Amorites, confirming the literal and powerful nature of God's judgment.
1 Samuel 14:14Here, a divine panic or terror is described as God's instrument against the Philistines, showing that God can use unseen forces or overwhelming fear to achieve victory, much like the 'hornets' in Deuteronomy.
Psalm 78:45This Psalm speaks of God sending 'destroying insects' against Egypt during the Exodus, demonstrating a consistent pattern of God using plagues and creatures to judge His enemies and deliver His people.
calvinDeuteronomy 7:16-26: "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."
The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out; so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.
Probationum magnarum quas videru…
gillDeuteronomy 7:20: "Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed."
Moreover, the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them,.... Not a single one, but several of them, and which may be understood of creatures so called, which resemble wasps, only twice as large, an insect very bold and venomous; see Exodus 23:28 . Aben Ezra interprets it of the leprosy: until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, b…
This verse doesn't just describe a literal plague of insects; it highlights God's active, relentless pursuit of His people's enemies, even those trying to escape and hide. It assures Israel that no hiding place will be secure from God's judgment on those who oppose Him.
This verse is part of God's instructions to the Israelites about how to deal with the nations they are about to displace in the Promised Land. Following commands to utterly destroy these peoples and not make covenants with them, God promises to assist Israel by sending overwhelming forces, including the literal swarming "hornets," to ensure their complete eradication. This divine intervention is meant to accomplish what might be difficult for the Israelites alone, driving out even those who try to hide.
This verse is part of God's instructions to the Israelites about how to deal with the nations they are about to displace in the Promised Land. Following commands to utterly destroy these peoples and not make covenants with them, God promises to assist Israel by sending overwhelming forces, including the literal swarming "hornets," to ensure their complete eradication. This divine intervention is meant to accomplish what might be difficult for the Israelites alone, driving out even those who try to hide.
"Moreover, the LORD your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. You shall not be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God." — This verse doesn't just describe a literal plague of insects; it highlights God's active, relentless pursuit of His people's enemies, even those trying to escape and hide. It assures Israel that no h…
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Last reviewed October 2026
