Psalms 106:34-36
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)
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The verse highlights not just disobedience, but the failure to carry out a specific, divine command. This wasn't an accidental oversight; it was a deliberate omission that set the stage for deeper compromise and entanglement with the very peoples God wanted them to separate from.
After settling in the Promised Land, the Israelites failed to obey God's command to drive out the Canaanite nations. Instead, they mingled with them, learned their corrupt practices, and even adopted their idolatrous and abhorrent rituals. This disobedience marked a significant turning point, leading them into further sin and spiritual unfaithfulness.
Why was it so crucial for Israel to completely remove the Canaanite nations from the land? It wasn't just about winning territory; it was about protecting their very identity.
God's command for Israel to destroy the nations in Canaan was absolute and for their own protection. When they failed to obey, choosing instead to live alongside them, they opened the door to spiritual compromise.
A Fateful Choice
Instead of eradicating the Canaanites, Israel
The Bible warns that 'bad company corrupts good character.' This wasn't just social advice; it was a spiritual reality for ancient Israel.
The failure to obey God's command to destroy the Canaanites led to Israel becoming deeply entangled with their practices. This verse points to a critical turning point where omission (failing to destroy) led to commission (adopting heathen ways).
The Downward Spiral
The text strongly implies that these nations were not just culturally different, but deeply immoral and involved in practices like human sacrifice ('sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils'), which defiled the land.
Understand the original words
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.
This verse speaks to a pivotal moment of disobedience right after Israel entered the Promised Land. Their failure to completely drive out the Canaanite peoples, as God explicitly commanded, set a pattern of compromise that would lead to centuries of spiritual struggle and entanglement with pagan practices.
c. 1406 BC
Israel Enters Canaan
After 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites, led by Joshua, cross the Jordan River and begin their conquest of the land of Canaan as God commanded.
c. 1406-1350 BC— this verse
Partial Conquest of Canaan
While Joshua and the elders were alive, the conquest was significant, but many key areas and peoples were not fully driven out or destroyed as God had commanded.
c. 1350-1050 BC
The Period of the Judges
Israel experiences cycles of disobedience, oppression by surrounding nations, and deliverance by judges. Their failure to fully obey God's commands regarding the Canaanites leads to ongoing struggles and spiritual compromise.
c. 1000 BC
Kingdom Established Under Saul and David
As Israel consolidates into a kingdom, the remnants of the Canaanite peoples are often assimilated or subjugated, rather than completely eradicated as originally commanded.
This passage directly illustrates the failure described in Psalms 106:34, showing how the tribe of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites as commanded.
Deuteronomy 7:1-2This verse outlines God's clear command to completely destroy the nations in Canaan, setting the context for Israel's disobedience in Psalms 106:34.
Judges 2:2-3This passage explains the consequence of Israel's failure to obey God's command to destroy the nations, highlighting how the remaining peoples became snares to them.
Numbers 33:55This verse serves as a direct warning from God about the dangers of not driving out the inhabitants of the land, a warning Israel ignored according to Psalms 106:34.
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 the failure to carry out a specific, divine command. This wasn't an accidental oversight; it was a deliberate omission that set the stage for deeper compromise and entanglement with the very peoples God wanted them to separate from.
After settling in the Promised Land, the Israelites failed to obey God's command to drive out the Canaanite nations. Instead, they mingled with them, learned their corrupt practices, and even adopted their idolatrous and abhorrent rituals. This disobedience marked a significant turning point, leading them into further sin and spiritual unfaithfulness.
After settling in the Promised Land, the Israelites failed to obey God's command to drive out the Canaanite nations. Instead, they mingled with them, learned their corrupt practices, and even adopted their idolatrous and abhorrent rituals. This disobedience marked a significant turning point, leading them into further sin and spiritual unfaithfulness.
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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.
"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 the failure to carry out a specific, divine command. This wasn't an accidental oversight; it was a deliberate omission that set the stage for deeper…
