Bible Strands
Exodus 23:28
I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh addresses Israel in the wilderness, outlining the conditions for entering Canaan. He promises to clear the land ahead of their advance before settling the nation.
The words — צִרְעָה (tzir'ah) translates to "hornet," and גֵרְשָׁה (gereshah) means "drive out." These verbs and noun describe a supernatural agent that forces the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites to flee.
The thread — This divine "hornet" appears again in Deuteronomy 7:20 as an instrument of judgment against remaining nations and in Joshua 24:12 during the territorial settlement.
Why it lands — The text states God will deploy a terrifying force to remove hostile populations before Israel moves forward. It requires readers to acknowledge that territorial acquisition follows divine timing and intervention rather than human military pacing alone.
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
King James Version
And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 7:20 Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet against them until even the survivors hiding from you have perished.
- Joshua 24:11 After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand.