Deuteronomy 7:20

Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet against them until even the survivors hiding from you have perished.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Moses addresses Israel on the plains of Moab, summarizing God's past deliverance and promising parallel judgment against the nations they fear.

The words — The Hebrew צִרְעָה (tzir'ah) denotes a hornet or stinging insect, and אֲבֹד ('avod) means to perish or be completely destroyed.

The thread — The same divine deployment of the hornet appears in Exodus 23:28 and Joshua 24:12 as a non-military instrument of displacement against Canaanite populations.

Why it lands — The text states that God will systematically eliminate resistant survivors before the Israelites engage them, inferring that the audience must abandon terror and trust in God's unilateral warfare rather than their own military capacity.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְגַם֙ve./Gamand/ also אֶת־'et-<obj.>הַצִּרְעָ֔הha./tzir.'Ahthe/ hornet יְשַׁלַּ֛חye.sha.Lachhe will send יְהוָ֥הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ yourבָּ֑םBa/mamong <the>/ themעַד־'ad-until אֲבֹ֗ד'a.Vodperish הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֛יםha./nish.'a.Rim[those] who/ remain וְהַנִּסְתָּרִ֖יםve./ha./nis.ta.Rimand/ [those] who/ hide themselves מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃mi./pa.Nei./khafrom/ before/ you

King James Version

Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.

Cross-references

Joshua 24:12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own sword or bow.
Exodus 23:28 I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.