Psalm 106:34-36
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse highlights not just disobedience, but a failure to complete God's command. Israel was instructed to destroy the Canaanite nations entirely, a directive they neglected to fully carry out, leading to them becoming "mingled among the heathen" and learning their corrupt ways. This omission, rather than simple defiance, set the stage for further sin and spiritual compromise.
They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After settling in the Promised Land, the Israelites failed to completely drive out the Canaanite nations as God commanded. Instead of obeying this clear directive, they chose to coexist with them, which ultimately led to them adopting the foreign peoples' wicked practices and idolatry, bringing God's judgment upon them.
God's commands often feel absolute. But what happens when obedience is incomplete? This verse reveals a dangerous gap between following orders and truly obeying.
The Israelites were commanded to completely drive out the Canaanite nations from the Promised Land. However, they didn't fully obey. Instead, they 'mingled with the heathen' and allowed them to remain.
This wasn't just a minor oversight; it was a significant failure to follow God's direct command. The consequences were severe, leading to spiritual compromise and eventual judgment. It highlights that obedience isn't just about doing some of what God says, but doing all He commands, especially when it involves separating from influences that can lead us astray.
Allowing even a little bit of the 'wrong' into our lives can feel harmless. But this verse and its context show how easily this can lead to a much darker place.
The failure to completely remove the Canaanite nations had far-reaching consequences. The Israelites, by not finishing the job, soon 'learned their works' and began to 'serve their idols.' This verse marks the beginning of a downward spiral for Israel.
What started as a simple omission—not destroying certain peoples—led to cultural assimilation, idolatry, and even horrific practices like sacrificing their children. It's a powerful reminder that compromise with sin, even in seemingly small ways, can open the door to greater corruption. God's command was about protecting His people from these destructive influences.
Understand the original words
Ask a follow-up
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name of the God of Israel, YHWH, the self-existent and eternal One who enters into a personal, binding relationship with His people.
arab · Hebrew Verb
To mingle, join with, or associate closely; in a covenantal context, it often refers to the illicit integration of Israel with pagan nations, leading to spiritual defilement.
goyim · Hebrew Noun
Used for foreign or heathen nations outside the covenant of Israel; often associated with idolatry, pagan practices, and moral corruption.
‘atsab · Hebrew Noun
In a biblical context, idols refer to any physical or abstract object, image, or concept that is worshipped or served in the place of, or alongside, the one true God. They are frequently characterized as worthless, powerless, and a source of spiritual deception.
moqesh · Hebrew Noun
A metaphor for a trap, lure, or enticement that leads individuals or communities away from obedience to God and into sin, judgment, or spiritual ruin. It represents the deceptive power of sinful practices to ensnare the heart and life.
This verse points to a critical turning point early in Israel's history in the Promised Land. Their failure to completely obey God's command to drive out the Canaanites wasn't just a military oversight; it was a profound act of disobedience that directly led to spiritual compromise, idolatry, and ultimately, God's judgment through exile.
c. 1406 BC
Israel enters the Promised Land
After 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites finally crossed the Jordan River and began their conquest of Canaan, as commanded by God.
c. 1406-1366 BC— this verse
Partial Conquest of Canaan
While some victories were won, the Israelites failed to fully drive out the Canaanite nations as God had commanded, leading to ongoing conflict and assimilation.
c. 1366 BC onwards
Assimilation and Idolatry
The Israelites began to 'mingle' with the remaining Canaanites, adopting their customs and worshipping their idols, which led to spiritual corruption and cycles of divine judgment.
c. 1000 BC
Reign of King David
David's conquests brought much of the land under Israelite control, but the remnants of the Canaanite nations were often subjugated rather than completely removed, continuing the pattern of compromise.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the united kingdom split into Israel (north) and Judah (south). Both kingdoms struggled with idolatry and often made alliances with foreign powers, continuing the legacy of not fully obeying God's command regarding the Canaanites.
722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, largely due to their persistent sin and unfaithfulness to God, including the failure to heed His commands about the Canaanites.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The southern kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians, leading to the exile of its people. This judgment was also a consequence of their long-standing disobedience, including the compromises made generations earlier.
This passage details specific instances where the tribes of Israel failed to drive out the inhabitants of the land, just as described in Psalm 106:34, leading to later conflicts and entanglements.
Numbers 33:52This verse explicitly commands the Israelites to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan, highlighting the direct disobedience that Psalm 106:34 points to.
Deuteronomy 7:1-2This passage reiterates God's command to completely destroy the nations in the land, emphasizing the severity of the prohibition that Israel failed to uphold according to Psalm 106:34.
Psalm 106:35-36These verses immediately follow, explaining the consequence of not destroying the nations: Israel mingled with them and learned their ways, directly stemming from the sin mentioned in verse 34.
bensonPsalms 106:34: "They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:"
Psalm 106:34-39 . They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom — Concerning whose destruction, the Lord commanded them — For when the iniquity of the Canaanites was full, it was God’s will to extirpate their race, and Israel was commissioned to execute upon them the vengeance determined. But were mingled among the heathen — In their habitations and negotiations, as also in marriages. And they served…
pulpitPsalms 106:34: "They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:"
Verse 34. - They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them. This is reckoned as another sin. Israel, once comfortably settled in Palestine, with sufficient room for its numbers, did not carry out the Divine command to "destroy," or "cast out," the Canaanitish nations, but was content to share the land with them. "The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inha…
The verse highlights not just disobedience, but a failure to complete God's command. Israel was instructed to destroy the Canaanite nations entirely, a directive they neglected to fully carry out, leading to them becoming "mingled among the heathen" and learning their corrupt ways. This omission, rather than simple defiance, set the stage for further sin and spiritual compromise.
After settling in the Promised Land, the Israelites failed to completely drive out the Canaanite nations as God commanded. Instead of obeying this clear directive, they chose to coexist with them, which ultimately led to them adopting the foreign peoples' wicked practices and idolatry, bringing God's judgment upon them.
After settling in the Promised Land, the Israelites failed to completely drive out the Canaanite nations as God commanded. Instead of obeying this clear directive, they chose to coexist with them, which ultimately led to them adopting the foreign peoples' wicked practices and idolatry, bringing God's judgment upon them.
"They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them." — The verse highlights not just disobedience, but a failure to complete God's command. Israel was instructed to destroy the Canaanite nations entirely, a directive they neglected to fully carry out,…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
