Exodus 23:29 kjv

I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.

Exodus 23:29 nkjv

I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.

Exodus 23:29 niv

But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you.

Exodus 23:29 esv

I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you.

Exodus 23:29 nlt

But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you.

Exodus 23 verses

Exodus 23 29 Meaning

Exodus 23:29 reveals God's strategic timing and practical wisdom in Israel's conquest of Canaan. He states He will not dispossess the inhabitants of the land too quickly—specifically, not within a single year. The reason provided is a pragmatic one: a rapid depopulation would leave the land barren and vulnerable to natural chaos, allowing wild animals to overrun it and pose a threat to the Israelites who would then be too few to cultivate or manage the vast empty spaces. This timing was a provision for Israel's welfare, ensuring their gradual occupation could be orderly and safe.

Exodus 23 29 Context

Exodus 23:29 is part of a series of promises and commands given by God to Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, specifically within a section (Exo 23:20-33) outlining the blessings and curses contingent on Israel's obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. This particular verse immediately follows promises of God sending an angel before them to guard them, blessing their food and water, removing sickness, and causing their enemies to be routed by divine terror or hornets. It then specifies a crucial detail regarding the conquest's timing. The historical context places Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai, receiving divine law and preparing for their eventual migration into Canaan. The land they are to inherit is already settled and cultivated. God, through this instruction, addresses the practicalities of a complete transition from wilderness wandering to establishing a nation in an existing ecosystem.

Exodus 23 29 Word analysis

• I will not: God's deliberate, sovereign decision. It's an active choice, not a limitation of His power, but an exercise of His wisdom. It signals His strategic long-term planning for His people's well-being.
• drive them out: Hebrew: garash (גָּרַשׁ). Meaning to expel, dispossess, cast out, thrust out. It emphasizes a complete removal of the Canaanite inhabitants from the land's possession. God is the primary agent in this action, as previously promised (Exo 23:27-28).
• before you: Denotes God leading the way, clearing the path, and fighting on Israel's behalf. It emphasizes His direct involvement and Israel's role as participants following His divine strategy.
• in one year: Hebrew: shanah echath (שָׁנָה אֶחָת). Emphasizes a singular, concentrated period. This specifies that the conquest would not be an instant, sweeping event. This timeline is critical, demonstrating God's understanding of both human and ecological capacities.
• lest: Introduces a preventative measure or a warning about an undesirable consequence. It signifies divine foresight and a calculated approach to avoid harm.
• the land become desolate: Hebrew: shmāmāh (שְׁמָמָה). Meaning desolation, waste, ruin. This refers to the state of an unmanaged land that was once populated and cultivated. If people are removed too quickly, there aren't enough new occupants to tend the fields, pastures, and cities, leading to a state of unproductive wilderness.
• and the wild beasts: Hebrew: chayyath hassadeh (חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה). Literally "beast of the field." This refers to undomesticated animals, potentially dangerous ones like lions, wolves, or bears (which were present in ancient Palestine), that would naturally inhabit an untamed, desolate environment.
• multiply against you: Hebrew: ravah alekha (רָבָה עָלֶיךָ). Meaning to increase greatly, become numerous, to multiply upon or against. The "against you" implies a hostile or detrimental proliferation. If wild animals increase unchecked in a vast, empty territory, they pose a significant threat to a sparse human population.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "I will not drive them out before you in one year": This phrase highlights God's sovereign control over the timing of the conquest, contrary to human impatience or a desire for immediate, overwhelming victory. It asserts that God's plans are detailed and consider the nuances of settlement and ecological balance, not merely military might. This establishes a "divine patience" for Israel to grow into their inheritance.
• "lest the land become desolate": This directly states a key practical consequence of too rapid a conquest. A vast, suddenly uninhabited territory would not magically transition to a productive homeland. Cultivated fields would revert to wilderness, structures would decay, and resources would be unmanaged. God considers the well-being and productivity of the land itself.
• "and the wild beasts multiply against you": This details a severe danger resulting from desolation. If Israel were too few to populate and maintain the acquired land, the ecosystem would fall out of human management. Without enough human population to manage, clear, and cultivate the land, wild animal populations would grow, presenting direct physical threats, disease risks, and impediments to re-establishment for the scattered Israelites.

Exodus 23 29 Bonus section

The divine rationale in Exodus 23:29-30 is often cited by scholars as evidence of God's providential care not only for His people but also for the creation itself. It highlights an understanding of environmental stewardship even within the context of military conquest. God desired a thriving land for His people, not a wilderness of hazards. This perspective underlines the principle that while divine intervention is mighty, it also aligns with natural principles and practical realities. This gradual approach also tested Israel's faith and obedience (as seen in Judges, where their failure to completely dispossess due to disobedience rather than God's timing became a snare). It required consistent reliance on God over an extended period, emphasizing a relationship based on sustained trust rather than a singular, rapid victory.

Exodus 23 29 Commentary

Exodus 23:29-30 (which extends the thought of v.29 with "little by little I will drive them out") encapsulates profound divine wisdom, demonstrating that God's plan for Israel's inheritance of Canaan was not merely an act of brute force, but a meticulously timed process considering both human capacity and ecological stability. The promise of immediate, total eradication might have appealed to Israel's desire for quick possession, but God foresaw the consequences: a suddenly depopulated land too vast for a numerically limited Israel to inhabit and manage effectively. Such desolation would create a dangerous environment, as unhindered wild beasts would pose a significant threat to a sparse and scattered population, impeding their secure settlement and cultivation.

This instruction teaches Israel—and believers today—the importance of God's perfect timing and trusting His methods, even when they appear slower than human preference. It reveals a God who cares for the physical landscape and its delicate balance, not just for the conquest of its inhabitants. It underlines that divine power is often manifested in patient, strategic steps rather than sudden, overwhelming force, thereby enabling gradual growth, effective management, and sustainable development. Practically, it can be understood as an analogy for spiritual growth: just as God doesn't remove all our "enemies" or challenges at once, sometimes He allows a "little by little" process to ensure our spiritual strength, maturity, and capacity grow into the blessings He provides. We must cultivate the land—both literally and spiritually—as we progressively dispossess the "old inhabitants" (sins, strongholds) to avoid creating spiritual desolation that might invite greater dangers.