Exodus 23:28-29
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This promise of "hornets" isn't just about insects; it’s about God unleashing a terrifying force, possibly even a divine plague or a natural disaster, that would sow such confusion and dread among the Canaanites that they'd flee their land, paving the way for Israel's easy conquest. It reveals God’s power to use even the seemingly insignificant to accomplish His grand purposes.
And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is promising to clear the land of Canaan for the Israelites before they even arrive. He assures them that He will send "hornets"—likely a metaphor for divine plagues or terrors, or perhaps even the Egyptian army—to drive out the powerful inhabitants like the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. This sets the stage for Israel's conquest by emphasizing that their victory will be supernatural, not solely dependent on their own strength.
The mention of 'hornets' driving out entire nations might sound strange, even a little comical. But what does this imagery truly represent?
While the text mentions 'hornets,' scholars suggest this likely wasn't just about insects. It could be a metaphor for plagues, diseases, or even the psychological terror God would send. Think of it as a divine 'panic button' – a way for God to destabilize and weaken the enemy nations before Israel even had to fight them head-on. This highlights that God's power can work in ways we don't always expect, using both the natural and the supernatural to accomplish His will.
God promises to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. Why these specific groups, and what does this tell us about His strategy?
The verse names three prominent nations: the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites. While these were major powers, they represent the broader collection of peoples in the land. God's promise here isn't necessarily about instant and total eradication of every single person from every single group at that very moment. Instead, it's about God initiating the process, weakening the strongest opposition, and clearing the path for Israel's advance. This method of 'little by little' (mentioned elsewhere in the Law) was intentional. It kept the Israelites dependent on God, prevented their easy assimilation into pagan cultures, and allowed them to grow in faith and strength as they conquered.
Understand the original words
Ask a follow-up
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.
shemamah · Hebrew Noun
A state of being empty, deserted, or laid waste, often occurring when a land loses its inhabitants and remains uncultivated.
This passage echoes the promise of sending hornets, again emphasizing God's direct intervention in driving out Israel's enemies to make way for them.
Joshua 24:12This verse explicitly states that God sent hornets before the Israelites, which drove out the two Amorite kings, reinforcing the idea that 'hornets' could represent supernatural terror or plagues sent by God.
This ancient Jewish text interprets the 'hornets' literally as a plague of insects, highlighting a traditional understanding of God's judgment manifesting through natural, albeit devastating, means.
Here, hornets are used metaphorically to describe enemies that 'encircled and cut down' the psalmist, showing how the imagery of these insects could represent overwhelming and distressing attacks.
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…
This promise of "hornets" isn't just about insects; it’s about God unleashing a terrifying force, possibly even a divine plague or a natural disaster, that would sow such confusion and dread among the Canaanites that they'd flee their land, paving the way for Israel's easy conquest. It reveals God’s power to use even the seemingly insignificant to accomplish His grand purposes.
God is promising to clear the land of Canaan for the Israelites before they even arrive. He assures them that He will send "hornets"—likely a metaphor for divine plagues or terrors, or perhaps even the Egyptian army—to drive out the powerful inhabitants like the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. This sets the stage for Israel's conquest by emphasizing that their victory will be supernatural, not solely dependent on their own strength.
God is promising to clear the land of Canaan for the Israelites before they even arrive. He assures them that He will send "hornets"—likely a metaphor for divine plagues or terrors, or perhaps even the Egyptian army—to drive out the powerful inhabitants like the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. This sets the stage for Israel's conquest by emphasizing that their victory will be supernatural, not solely dependent on their own strength.
"And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply agai…" — This promise of "hornets" isn't just about insects; it’s about God unleashing a terrifying force, possibly even a divine plague or a natural disaster, that would sow such confusion and dread among th…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
