Numbers 33:55

Numbers 33:55 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)“ ‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.

Context of Numbers 33:55

53You must dispossess the inhabitants of the land and live in it, for I have given you the land to possess it. 54You must divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families. To a larger group you must give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group you must give a smaller inheritance. Everyone’s inheritance must be in the place where his lot falls. You must inherit according to your ancestral tribes. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, then those whom you allow to remain will be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your side, and will cause you trouble in the land where you will be living. 56And what I intended to do to them I will do to you.”

Numbers 33:55 word by word

וְאִם־לֹ֨א תוֹרִ֜ישׁוּ אֶת־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָאָרֶץ֮ מִפְּנֵיכֶם֒ וְהָיָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תּוֹתִ֣ירוּ מֵהֶ֔ם לְשִׂכִּים֙ בְּעֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם וְלִצְנִינִ֖ם בְּצִדֵּיכֶ֑ם וְצָרֲר֣וּ אֶתְכֶ֔ם עַל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֖ם יֹשְׁבִ֥ים בָּֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But if ye will not drive outיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: takeH3423
• the inhabitantsיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• of the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• from beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remainיָתַרyâthar · to remainH3498
• pricksשֵׂךְώêk · thornH7899
• in your eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• and thornsצָנִיןtsânîyn tsânin · thornH6796
• in your sidesצַדtsad · sideH6654
• and shall vexצָרַרtsârar · to vexH6887

Cross-references for Numbers 33:55

• Exodus 23:33They must not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
• Deuteronomy 7:4for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you.
• Joshua 23:12But if you ever turn away and make alliances with these nations that remain near you, and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them,
• Judges 1:21The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day.
• Judges 2:3At that time I also warned you, ‘If you disobey, I will not drive out the Canaanites before you. They will ensnare you and their gods will lure you away.’”
• Psalms 106:34They did not destroy the nations, as the Lord had commanded them to do.
• Ezekiel 28:24“‘No longer will Israel suffer from the sharp briers or painful thorns of all who surround and scorn them. Then they will know that I am the sovereign Lord.

Commentaries on Numbers 33:55

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 55Shall 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 goading of each side, so that the attempt to avoid the one throws the body more forcibly on the other? And what can be more distressing than a continual pricking in the eye, harassing the mind, tormenting the body, and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 50-56Verses 50-56 The expulsion of the Canaanites and the destruction of their monuments of idolatry had been already enjoined (see the marginal references); and Numbers 33:54 is substantially a repetition from Numbers 33:55-56 is new. A call for it had been furnished by their past transgressions in the matter of Baal-peor, and by their imperfect fulfillment, at the first, of Moses‘ orders in the Midianite war.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 50-56Verses 50-56 Now that they were to pass over Jordan, they were entering again into temptation to follow idols; and they are threatened that, if they spared either the idols or the idolaters, their sin would certainly be their punishment. They would foster vipers in their own bosoms. The remnant of the Canaanites, if they made any peace with them, though but for a time, would be pricks in their eyes, and thorns in their sides. We must expect trouble and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 55-56Israel did not follow God's instructions. So, they suffered the consequences predicted here (33:51–53; see Judges 1:1–2:5; 2:11–3:6). Israel’s enemies in the period of the judges were like "barbs … and thorns" (Numbers 33:55). Their enemies caused them military and spiritual trouble (compare 2 Corinthians 12:7).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5555. But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you--No associations were to be formed with the inhabitants; otherwise, "if ye let remain, they will be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides"--that is, they would prove troublesome and dangerous neighbors, enticing to idolatry, and consequently depriving you of the divine favor and blessing. The neglect of the counsel against union with the idolatrous inhabitants became…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 33:55

• Company
• Thorn

In the dictionaries

• Dispossess
• Divide
• Draw
• Exodus
• Gibeon
• Thorn
• Aaron
• Encampment By the Red Sea
• Exodus, the
• Exodus, the Book of

Commentaries on Numbers 33

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings