Numbers 33 52

Numbers 33:52 kjv

Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

Numbers 33:52 nkjv

then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places;

Numbers 33:52 niv

drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.

Numbers 33:52 esv

then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places.

Numbers 33:52 nlt

you must drive out all the people living there. You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines.

Numbers 33 verses

Numbers 33 52 Meaning

Numbers 33:52 contains God's direct command to the Israelites, immediately before their entry into the promised land of Canaan. It mandates a complete eradication of the existing pagan religious infrastructure and practices, and the expulsion of their inhabitants. This instruction emphasizes the need for Israel to fully purify the land by destroying all idolatrous symbols and sites of worship, such as engraved stones, molded images, and high places, ensuring the removal of influences that could lead Israel into syncretism and disobedience.

Numbers 33 52 Context

Numbers chapter 33 serves as a historical summary of Israel's journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab, on the border of Canaan. It meticulously lists the 42 encampments over 40 years, serving as a testament to God's faithful leading and provision. Verses 50-56 mark a critical turning point as God delivers His final instructions to Moses, specifically regarding the entry into the Promised Land. This passage is paramount because it sets forth the divine mandate for dispossessing the inhabitants and cleansing the land. Historically and culturally, the Canaanite peoples practiced a polytheistic religion involving nature worship (like Baal and Asherah), cultic prostitution, and even child sacrifice. God's command in verse 52 is not merely about conquest, but fundamentally about spiritual purification, ensuring Israel would not be corrupted by the abhorrent practices and gods of the land they were to inhabit. The failure to fully obey this command, as recounted in the book of Judges, led to centuries of Israel's apostasy, oppression, and moral decay.

Numbers 33 52 Word analysis

• Then you shall drive out (וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם v'horashtem from יָרַשׁ yarash): This word means to "take possession" by driving out or dispossessing. It implies a thorough, complete expulsion. It's an active and comprehensive command, not just passive occupation, ensuring no remnants remain that could be a spiritual snare.
• all the inhabitants of the land (כָּל יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ kol yoshve ha'aretz): Refers to the collective peoples residing in Canaan—the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, Jebusites. The emphasis on "all" signifies total removal to prevent mingling and absorption of their pagan practices into Israelite worship.
• from before you (מִפְּנֵיכֶם mip'neykhem): Emphasizes that Israel's actions are directly preceding and enabling their own occupation. The purification is for their benefit and spiritual well-being.
• destroy all their engraved stones (וְאִבַּדְתֶּם אֵת כָּל מַשְׂכִּיֹּתָם v'ibbadtem et kol maskiyyotam):
  • destroy (אִבַּדְתֶּם ibbadtem): To cause to perish, wipe out, make extinct. Indicates total obliteration.
  • engraved stones (מַשְׂכִּיֹּתָם maskiyyotam): Likely refers to sacred cultic stones or pillars (often called massebah) with idolatrous carvings, reliefs, or symbols of pagan deities like Baal or Asherah. They served as points of worship or memorials to false gods.
• destroy all their molded images (וְאֵת כָּל צַלְמֵי מַסֵּכֹתָם תְּאַבֵּדוּ v'et kol tzalmei massekotam te'abedu):
  • destroy (תְּאַבֵּדוּ te'abedu): Repetition of the strong command to obliterate.
  • molded images (צַלְמֵי מַסֵּכֹתָם tzalmei massekotam): Refers to idols crafted by casting metal (e.g., bronze, gold). These were physical representations of their gods, commonly found in temples or households. The terms tselem (image, likeness) and massekah (molten image, cast idol) explicitly identify these as fabricated objects of idolatry.
• and demolish all their high places (וְאֵת כָּל בָּמֹתָם תַּשְׁמִידוּ v'et kol bamotam tashmidu):
  • demolish (תַּשְׁמִידוּ tashmidu from שָׁמַד shamad): To annihilate, utterly destroy, extirpate. Yet another strong verb for total destruction.
  • high places (בָּמֹתָם bamotam): These were elevated locations, natural hills or artificial mounds, designated for pagan religious worship. They often featured altars, cultic poles, and were notorious for practices involving cultic prostitution, spiritism, and child sacrifice. They represented the heart of Canaanite religious abominations.

Numbers 33 52 Bonus section

The specific intensity of this command highlights God's attribute of jealousy for His unique and holy nature. The purity of the land was inextricably linked to the purity of the people residing in it. The land itself, being God's gift to His chosen people, was to be a reflection of His holiness, cleansed from the abominations of the former inhabitants. This purification was a necessary prerequisite for Israel to maintain their distinct identity as God's separated people among the nations. The phrase "from before you" signifies that Israel themselves had a direct responsibility in carrying out this purging, not waiting for a miraculous divine intervention alone. The spiritual lessons extend to the New Covenant: believers are called to rid themselves of spiritual idolatry (e.g., covetousness), to demolish strongholds of ungodliness in their lives, and to separate themselves from spiritual contamination in order to live holy lives before God, recognizing that "you are the temple of the living God" (2 Cor 6:16).

Numbers 33 52 Commentary

Numbers 33:52 encapsulates God's absolute demand for exclusivity in worship and the radical purification required for His holy people to dwell in a land promised to them. The command is explicit, using strong, repetitive verbs (drive out, destroy, demolish) to underscore the need for a thorough, uncompromising removal of all idolatrous elements. This was not simply a military directive for conquest, but a spiritual injunction crucial for the preservation of Israel's covenant relationship with YHWH. The presence of these pagan practices and the people who perpetuated them posed an existential spiritual threat to Israel, a contagion that could undermine their fidelity to God. The "engraved stones," "molded images," and "high places" were not merely inert objects or locations; they represented an entire system of worship antithetical to God's nature and law. Their destruction was essential to prevent Israel from falling into syncretism and idolatry, a warning vividly fulfilled later in their history when they failed to obey this command fully. This historical command serves as a timeless theological principle: believers are called to purge their lives and environments of anything that competes with God for ultimate devotion, though this is now understood in a spiritual rather than physical sense in the New Covenant.