Psalm 106:34-37
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The verse highlights that Israel didn't destroy the nations as commanded, but the subtle implication is that this failure wasn't due to misplaced compassion, but often a lack of discipline and a preference for ease. This omission then paved the way for deeper entanglement with the Canaanites' corrupt practices, leading to their eventual downfall.
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. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons;
English Standard Version (ESV)
After the Israelites settled in the Promised Land, they failed to obey God's command to drive out the Canaanite nations. Instead, they mingled with them, adopted their idolatrous practices, and even participated in their horrific rituals like child sacrifice, leading to widespread corruption and God's judgment. This failure to fully obey God set the stage for centuries of struggle and disobedience in the land.
God gave a clear command, but Israel didn't fully obey. What happens when we pick and choose which parts of God's instructions to follow?
The people of Israel were commanded by the Lord to completely drive out the nations inhabiting the land of Canaan. However, they failed to do so. This wasn't just a minor oversight; it was a direct disobedience to God's specific instructions.
It's easy to think we can remain unaffected by the world around us. But what happens when we let the 'heathen' linger in our lives?
When Israel failed to drive out the Canaanite nations, they didn't just share the land; they began to adopt the ways of the people they were supposed to conquer. This mingling led to deep corruption.
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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.
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.
shed · Hebrew Noun
Supernatural, malevolent spiritual entities that oppose God and lead humanity into rebellion, idolatry, and destruction. In the Old Testament, these are often associated with the false gods worshipped by pagan nations.
This verse points to a critical failure during the early settlement of Canaan. Instead of eradicating the idolatrous nations as God commanded, Israel's compromise led to centuries of spiritual defilement and ultimately divine judgment.
c. 1400 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
Following their exodus from Egypt and wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, begin their military campaign to conquer the land of Canaan, as commanded by God.
c. 1375-1050 BC— this verse
Period of the Judges
After Joshua's death, the Israelites fail to fully drive out the Canaanite nations. They intermarry with them, adopt their idolatrous practices, and experience cycles of sin, oppression, and deliverance.
c. 1050 BC
Establishment of the Monarchy
The Israelites anoint Saul as their first king, seeking a more centralized leadership, partly in response to ongoing conflicts and the challenges posed by the remaining foreign populations.
c. 970 BC
United Monarchy Splits
Following the reign of Solomon, the united kingdom divides into two: the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah, further weakening their ability to maintain divine commands.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and marking a significant consequence of their continued disobedience and assimilation with foreign cultures.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Southern Kingdom
The Babylonian Empire destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the people of Judah. This is a direct result of generations of unfaithfulness, including the sins detailed in Psalm 106.
This passage directly illustrates the failure described in Psalms 106:34, showing a specific instance where the tribe of Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of certain cities as commanded.
Deuteronomy 7:1-2This verse lays out God's command to utterly destroy the nations in the Promised Land, providing the direct context for Israel's disobedience highlighted in Psalms 106:34.
Numbers 33:52This verse warns Israel about the consequences of not driving out the inhabitants of the land, reinforcing the severity of the sin recorded in Psalms 106:34 and the subsequent corruption.
Joshua 23:13Joshua explicitly warns Israel that the nations they leave among them will become 'thorns in your eyes and pricks in your sides,' directly echoing the disastrous outcome of the failure mentioned in 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 that Israel didn't destroy the nations as commanded, but the subtle implication is that this failure wasn't due to misplaced compassion, but often a lack of discipline and a preference for ease. This omission then paved the way for deeper entanglement with the Canaanites' corrupt practices, leading to their eventual downfall.
After the Israelites settled in the Promised Land, they failed to obey God's command to drive out the Canaanite nations. Instead, they mingled with them, adopted their idolatrous practices, and even participated in their horrific rituals like child sacrifice, leading to widespread corruption and God's judgment. This failure to fully obey God set the stage for centuries of struggle and disobedience in the land.
After the Israelites settled in the Promised Land, they failed to obey God's command to drive out the Canaanite nations. Instead, they mingled with them, adopted their idolatrous practices, and even participated in their horrific rituals like child sacrifice, leading to widespread corruption and God's judgment. This failure to fully obey God set the stage for centuries of struggle and disobedience in the land.
"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. They sacrificed their sons…" — The verse highlights that Israel didn't destroy the nations as commanded, but the subtle implication is that this failure wasn't due to misplaced compassion, but often a lack of discipline and a pr…
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Last reviewed October 2026
