And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss is that "hornets" might not be literal insects at all! The Bible often uses imagery like this to describe powerful, divinely sent "troubles" or "plagues" that would terrorize God's enemies, making them easy for Israel to overcome. This isn't about Israel fighting alone, but about God's direct, even overwhelming, intervention on their behalf.
And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This promise is part of God's instructions to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, laying out the terms of His covenant with them. It assures them that He will personally drive out the existing inhabitants, the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites, though the precise meaning of "hornets" is debated – whether literal insects, divine plagues, or even symbolic representations of overwhelming fear. The broader context emphasizes obedience to God's commands and avoidance of the nations' corrupt practices as crucial for their success and security in the land God is giving them.
The Bible mentions 'hornets' driving out enemies. But what does that really mean for us today?
When God promises to send 'hornets' before the Israelites, it's easy to imagine literal swarms of stinging insects. And while some ancient commentators suggest it could have been literal, the deeper truth is that God uses whatever means necessary to accomplish His will.
Divine Instruments
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Who was really doing the conquering? This verse has a surprising answer.
The promise of 'hornets' driving out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites isn't about Israel's military prowess. It's a powerful reminder that God is the ultimate agent of victory.
The Divine Advantage
Understand the original words
tsirah · Hebrew Noun
Insects, specifically wasps or hornets, often used metaphorically or literally in Scripture as agents of divine judgment or removal of enemies from the Promised Land.
garash · Hebrew Verb
To clear out, cast out, or drive away; used in the context of God's sovereign removal of the inhabitants of Canaan to make room for Israel.
This passage echoes the promise of sending hornets, explicitly stating God will send hornets or wasps to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites, reinforcing the idea of divine intervention against Israel's enemies.
Joshua 24:12Joshua recounts that God sent hornets ahead of the Israelites, driving out the two Amorite kings, which serves as a historical example of this promise in action and shows God's power to discomfit enemies through extraordinary means.
This passage reflects on God's judgment, specifically mentioning that He sent monstrous creatures like wasps to destroy the Canaanites, indicating a tradition of interpreting the 'hornets' literally as a divine plague.
This psalm describes being surrounded and cut down like bees, which can be seen as a figurative parallel to God's enemies being overwhelmed and driven off by terrifying swarms, much like the hornets in Exodus.
pulpitExodus 23:28: "And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee."
Verse 28. - And I will send hornets before thee. This is scarcely to be taken literally, since no actual plague of hornets is mentioned in the historical narrative. "Hornets" here, and in Deuteronomy 7:20; Joshua 24:12, are probably plagues or troubles of any kind, divinely sent to break the power of the heathen nations, and render them an easier prey to the I…
ellicottExodus 23:28: "And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee."
(28) I will send hornets. —Heb., the hornet. Comp. Joshua 24:12 , where “the hornet” is said to have been sent. No doubt hornets might be so numerous as to become an intolerable plague, and induce a nation to quit its country and seek another (see Bochart, Hierozoic. iv. 13). But as we have no historical account of the kind in connection with the Canaanite rac…
What's easy to miss is that "hornets" might not be literal insects at all! The Bible often uses imagery like this to describe powerful, divinely sent "troubles" or "plagues" that would terrorize God's enemies, making them easy for Israel to overcome. This isn't about Israel fighting alone, but about God's direct, even overwhelming, intervention on their behalf.
This promise is part of God's instructions to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, laying out the terms of His covenant with them. It assures them that He will personally drive out the existing inhabitants, the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites, though the precise meaning of "hornets" is debated – whether literal insects, divine plagues, or even symbolic representations of overwhelming fear. The broader context emphasizes obedience to God's commands and avoidance of the nations' corrupt practices as crucial for their success and security in the land God is giving them.
This promise is part of God's instructions to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, laying out the terms of His covenant with them. It assures them that He will personally drive out the existing inhabitants, the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites, though the precise meaning of "hornets" is debated – whether literal insects, divine plagues, or even symbolic representations of overwhelming fear. The broader context emphasizes obedience to God's commands and avoidance of the nations' corrupt practices as crucial for their success and security in the land God is giving them.
"And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you." — What's easy to miss is that "hornets" might not be literal insects at all! The Bible often uses imagery like this to describe powerful, divinely sent "troubles" or "plagues" that would terrorize God'…
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Last reviewed October 2026