Exodus 34:12-13
Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This isn't just a warning against making deals; it's a caution against letting any entanglement with these nations become a "snare." The Hebrew word translated as snare carries the sense of a trap or a stumbling block, implying that such alliances wouldn't just lead to bad decisions, but could actively trip up Israel's entire spiritual walk and bring about their downfall.
Just after God renews the covenant and gives Moses the Ten Commandments a second time, He warns the Israelites entering the promised land. They are commanded to utterly destroy the Canaanites and make no alliances with them, because any such treaty would become a dangerous trap leading them into idolatry and ruin.
Why would God forbid alliances with the people living in the Promised Land? It seems harsh, but His concern is for Israel's spiritual well-being.
The command to make no covenant with the Canaanites, and to destroy them, wasn't about ethnic cleansing for its own sake. It was a protective measure against spiritual contamination.
A Path to Idolatry
The core danger was that forming alliances would inevitably lead to adopting the surrounding cultures' practices, especially their idolatry. The commentators highlight how intermarriage or close friendships could easily lead to embracing their gods and worship. This wasn't just about a different religion; it was about turning away from the one true God who had just rescued them.
Undermining God's Faithfulness
Making a covenant would imply a mutual reliance and partnership. But Israel's only true reliance was to be on God. To seek partnership with these nations was to undermine God’s covenant with them and to trust in a power that would ultimately fail them, becoming a trap that led to their downfall.
God's commands often feel restrictive, but here, He's acting like a loving parent protecting His children from harm.
The instruction in Exodus 34:12 is rooted in God's deep love and desire for Israel's flourishing. It’s not arbitrary rule-making; it’s a divine safeguard.
A Love That Commands Boundaries
God’s promise to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan was an act of grace. He wasn’t just clearing the land for Israel; He was also removing the immediate spiritual threats that would endanger them. The command to avoid covenants was the necessary follow-up to ensure they wouldn't invite those threats back into their lives.
The Importance of "Taking Heed"
The phrase "Take heed to thyself" emphasizes personal responsibility. It’s a call to vigilance, an awareness that the danger isn't just external but also internal – a susceptibility to being drawn away. God provides the command, but Israel must actively choose to obey and protect their relationship with Him.
Understand the original words
berit · Hebrew Noun
A binding, solemn agreement between two parties, typically involving mutual obligations, promises, and often sealed by a ritual, frequently used to describe God's relationship with His people.
moqesh · Hebrew Noun
An object, trap, or lure that entices someone into danger or sin, leading to their eventual ruin or downfall.
mizbeah · Hebrew Noun
A structure or place, typically of stone or earth, designed for offering sacrifices or burnt offerings to a deity as an act of worship or propitiation.
matsebah · Hebrew Noun
Upright stone monuments or stelae often associated with Canaanite worship, representing the presence or power of a deity.
This passage directly follows the command in Exodus 34:12, explicitly detailing God's instructions to utterly destroy the inhabitants of the land, reinforcing the danger of making any covenants.
Judges 2:1-3This later historical account shows the fulfillment of the 'snare' warning, as the Israelites failed to drive out the Canaanites, leading to their persistent temptation and entanglement with pagan practices.
Joshua 23:12-13Joshua echoes this warning, reminding the Israelites that if they intermarry or make alliances with the remaining nations, those people will become 'thorns in your eyes and briers in your sides,' causing their downfall.
1 Corinthians 15:33The Apostle Paul uses similar language about the corrupting influence of bad company, stating 'Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals,' which mirrors the concept of the Canaanites being a snare to Israel's spiritual well-being.
gillExodus 34:12: "Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:"
Take heed to thyself,.... This is said not to Moses, but to the people of Israel, as a caution to them when they should enter the land of Canaan, and possess it: lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest: enter into a league and alliance, to live friendly and amicably, and support and assist each oth…
wesleyExodus 34:12: "Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:"
34:12 Take heed to thyself - It is a sin thou art prone to, and that will easily beset thee; carefully abstain from all advances towards it, make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land - If God in kindness to them drove out the Canaanites, they ought in duty to God not to harbour them: If they espoused their children they would b…
This isn't just a warning against making deals; it's a caution against letting any entanglement with these nations become a "snare." The Hebrew word translated as snare carries the sense of a trap or a stumbling block, implying that such alliances wouldn't just lead to bad decisions, but could actively trip up Israel's entire spiritual walk and bring about their downfall.
Just after God renews the covenant and gives Moses the Ten Commandments a second time, He warns the Israelites entering the promised land. They are commanded to utterly destroy the Canaanites and make no alliances with them, because any such treaty would become a dangerous trap leading them into idolatry and ruin.
Just after God renews the covenant and gives Moses the Ten Commandments a second time, He warns the Israelites entering the promised land. They are commanded to utterly destroy the Canaanites and make no alliances with them, because any such treaty would become a dangerous trap leading them into idolatry and ruin.
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asherah · Hebrew Noun
Cultic objects, likely wooden poles or carved images representing the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah, used in idolatrous worship practices.
"Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim" — This isn't just a warning against making deals; it's a caution against letting any entanglement with these nations become a "snare." The Hebrew word translated as snare carries the sense of a trap or…
