The real sting here isn't just external trouble, but the internal, persistent harassment that comes from tolerating what God has commanded to be removed. Allowing any of the land's inhabitants to remain means they become constant irritations, like splinters in your eye or thorns in your side, relentlessly troubling you in your own home.
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.
English Standard Version (ESV)
As the Israelites stand on the brink of entering the Promised Land, this passage serves as a stern warning. God has just laid out the commands for their conquest and division of the land, but here He emphasizes the crucial necessity of completely driving out the existing inhabitants. Failure to do so, the verse declares, will lead to those remaining Canaanites becoming a persistent source of trouble and oppression for Israel.
God gave the Israelites a clear command: clear the land. But what happens when we don't fully obey? This verse paints a vivid picture of the consequences.
A Command for Complete Purity
God’s instructions to Israel weren’t just about conquering territory; they were about establishing a holy nation set apart for Him. Driving out the inhabitants of Canaan wasn't merely a military objective; it was a spiritual necessity. These people practiced idolatry and all sorts of wickedness, which would inevitably corrupt Israel if left unchecked.
The Sting of Lingering Sin
Verse 55 uses powerful imagery: 'pricks in your eyes' and 'thorns in your sides.' This wasn't just a minor inconvenience. Imagine a tiny shard of glass in your eye, or a sharp thorn digging into your side – constant, irritating, and painful. It hinders your vision, disrupts your movement, and prevents rest.
This is precisely what happens when we fail to 'drive out' the sin God calls us to remove from our lives. Unaddressed sin, even seemingly small or old habits, becomes a persistent source of distress. It clouds our spiritual vision, hinders our walk with God, and causes ongoing turmoil.
The battle for the Promised Land was intense, but the 'battle' within the land was perhaps even more insidious. This verse shows why obedience is crucial for sustained peace.
The Battlefield Within
Ask a follow-up
Even after the initial conquest, Israel's struggle wasn't over. The command to drive out the inhabitants was a lifelong mandate for spiritual purity. Leaving any remnant behind meant inviting ongoing conflict.
A Constant Source of Trouble
The 'pricks' and 'thorns' described in the verse represent a continuous state of unrest. These remaining enemies would not just attack occasionally; they would 'vex' Israel relentlessly. This implies a spiritual warfare where unaddressed sin constantly harasses, distracts, and weakens the believer's resolve and relationship with God.
This isn't about perfection, but about intentionality. It's about actively engaging in the process of sanctification, not allowing sin to take root and establish itself as a permanent resident in our lives.
Understand the original words
sakkik · Hebrew Noun
Sharp, piercing obstacles; metaphorically used to describe people who cause persistent spiritual irritation, temptation, and affliction to those who fail to follow God’s commands.
This verse serves as a critical warning, reflecting the ongoing historical reality where Israel's incomplete obedience in dispossessing the Canaanites led to generations of conflict and spiritual compromise, a direct consequence of failing to follow God's command.
c. 1400 BC
Israelites Promised the Land of Canaan
God promises Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan, setting the stage for future conquest and settlement.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites are miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt, beginning their 40-year journey through the wilderness.
c. 1406 BC
Spies Sent into Canaan
Spies are sent to scout the land of Canaan, reporting on its fertility but also on the strength of its inhabitants, leading to fear and rebellion among the Israelites.
c. 1406 BC
Israelites Wander in the Wilderness
Due to their disobedience and rebellion, the generation that left Egypt is condemned to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until they all perish.
c. 1400 BC
Death of Moses and Entry into Canaan
Moses dies, and Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River to begin the conquest of Canaan.
c. 1370 BC— this verse
Incomplete Conquest of Canaan
Despite initial successes, the Israelites fail to drive out all the Canaanite inhabitants as God commanded, leading to persistent trouble.
c. 1370 BC - 1070 BC
Period of the Judges
The failure to fully conquer Canaan results in cycles of oppression by remaining inhabitants, Israelite repentance, and divine deliverance through judges.
This passage directly echoes the warning in Numbers, explicitly stating that the remaining inhabitants will become scourges and thorns, proving destructive to Israel if they are not driven out.
Judges 2:1-3This passage shows the direct fulfillment of the warning, as God sends an angel to declare that the Israelites would not be fully obeyed, and the nations left behind would become a snare to them.
Ezekiel 28:24This verse uses similar imagery of 'prickly plants' and 'thorny plants' to describe the troublesome presence of Israel's neighbors, highlighting the ongoing affliction that remnant nations would bring.
Romans 6:12-13This New Testament passage draws a parallel between the Israelites' failure to drive out the Canaanites and believers' need to actively refuse to let sin reign in their mortal bodies, using the metaphor of presenting body parts as instruments of righteousness rather than unrighteousness.
1 Corinthians 15:33While not using the same imagery, this verse warns about the corrupting influence of bad company, which directly relates to the danger of allowing the 'inhabitants' of sin and false beliefs to remain and influence the people of God.
clarkeNumbers 33:55: "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."
Shall be pricks in your eyes - Under these metaphors, the continual mischief that should be done to them, both in soul and body, by these idolaters, is set forth in a very expressive manner. What can be more vexatious than a continual go…
gillNumbers 33:55: "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."
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you,.... Should be remiss and careless about it, and indifferent to it, and not make use of the proper means to get rid of them, but, on the contrary, make covenants with th…
The real sting here isn't just external trouble, but the internal, persistent harassment that comes from tolerating what God has commanded to be removed. Allowing any of the land's inhabitants to remain means they become constant irritations, like splinters in your eye or thorns in your side, relentlessly troubling you in your own home.
As the Israelites stand on the brink of entering the Promised Land, this passage serves as a stern warning. God has just laid out the commands for their conquest and division of the land, but here He emphasizes the crucial necessity of completely driving out the existing inhabitants. Failure to do so, the verse declares, will lead to those remaining Canaanites becoming a persistent source of trouble and oppression for Israel.
As the Israelites stand on the brink of entering the Promised Land, this passage serves as a stern warning. God has just laid out the commands for their conquest and division of the land, but here He emphasizes the crucial necessity of completely driving out the existing inhabitants. Failure to do so, the verse declares, will lead to those remaining Canaanites becoming a persistent source of trouble and oppression for Israel.
"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell." — The real sting here isn't just external trouble, but the internal, persistent harassment that comes from tolerating what God has commanded to be removed. Allowing any of the land's inhabitants to rem…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
