Joshua 23:12
Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Intermarriage with Canaanites was explicitly prohibited (Exodus 34:15-16; Deuteronomy 7:3-4) not from ethnic prejudice but from covenant concern—foreign spouses would lead Israelite hearts toward false gods, exactly as happened with Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-8). Ancient Near Eastern marriage involved not just individual union but family alliance, including religious obligations. An Israelite marrying a Canaanite would face pressure to honor his wife's family gods, participate in her religious festivals, and raise children with syncretistic faith.
The warning that remaining nations would become "snares and traps" proved accurate throughout Judges and the monarchy. The Philistines oppressed Israel repeatedly (Judges 3:31; 10:7; 13:1); the Canaanites enticed Israel into Baal worship (Judges 2:11-13; 1 Kings 16:29-33); and Moabites, Ammonites, and others raided Israel's borders. What Israel failed to eliminate during the conquest became perpetual source of suffering—a principle applicable beyond military conquest to spiritual warfare. Sins we tolerate, compromises we accommodate, become ongoing sources of temptation and defeat.
The final phrase—"until ye perish from off this good land"—anticipates eventual exile, fulfilled when Assyria conquered the northern kingdom (722 BCE) and Babylon conquered Judah (586 BCE). The land gift was conditional on covenant faithfulness (Leviticus 26:33-39; Deuteronomy 28:63-68). God's patience endured for centuries, but persistent covenant violation eventually brought the threatened judgment. This demonstrates both God's longsuffering (giving many opportunities for repentance) and His justice (eventually executing threatened curses when repentance doesn't come).
Questions for Reflection
- How does Joshua's warning about compromise with Canaanites apply to Christians' relationships and alliances with anti-Christian cultural forces?
- What "small compromises" in your life might become "snares and traps" if left unaddressed?
- How does the conditional nature of land promises (obedience brings blessing; disobedience brings exile) inform our understanding of God's covenantal dealings with His people?
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Analysis & Commentary
Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
Joshua's warning employs stark conditional language: "Else if ye do in any wise go back" (ki hashov tashuvu, כִּי הָשֹׁב תָּשׁוּבוּ, an emphatic construction meaning "if you indeed turn back"). The verb shuv ("turn back/return") suggests apostasy—abandoning forward progress in covenant faithfulness to regress toward paganism. The specific danger is "cleaving" (davaq, דָּבַק) to remaining Canaanites through intermarriage. Ironically, the same verb describes proper covenant loyalty ("cleave unto the LORD," Deuteronomy 10:20; 11:22; 13:4); here it describes misplaced allegiance.
The phrase "Know for a certainty" (yadoa ted'u, יָדֹעַ תֵּדְעוּ, "knowing you shall know") uses emphatic duplication to stress absolute certainty. If Israel compromises, God "will no more drive out" remaining nations. This reveals that covenant unfaithfulness doesn't merely forfeit future blessing—it reverses previous victories. God's enemies become instruments of discipline for His people. The covenant operates bilaterally: obedience brings blessing and victory; disobedience brings curse and defeat (Deuteronomy 28).
The imagery—"snares and traps... scourges... thorns"—depicts comprehensive affliction from multiple angles. "Snares" (mokesh, מוֹקֵשׁ) are hunters' traps; "traps" (pach, פַּח) are bird snares; "scourges" (shotot, שֹׁטֹט) are whips causing pain; "thorns in your eyes" (tzinim be'eineikhem, צִנִּים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם) cause blindness. Together they describe how compromise produces entrapment, suffering, and eventually spiritual blindness. The progressive nature warns that small compromises metastasize—what begins as toleration ends in captivity. Tragically, Israel's subsequent history vindicated Joshua's warning as they experienced exactly these consequences (Judges 2:1-3; 3:5-8).