Numbers 33:56
Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.
Original Language Analysis
וְהָיָ֗ה
H1961
וְהָיָ֗ה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 7
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר
H834
כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
2 of 7
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
דִּמִּ֛יתִי
unto you as I thought
H1819
דִּמִּ֛יתִי
unto you as I thought
Strong's:
H1819
Word #:
3 of 7
to compare; by implication, to resemble, liken, consider
אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה
Moreover it shall come to pass that I shall do
H6213
אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה
Moreover it shall come to pass that I shall do
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
4 of 7
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
Historical Context
Israel's history validated this warning completely. The Canaanite peoples who remained continually seduced Israel into idolatry, intermarried with them, and corrupted their worship. The judges period records cycle after cycle of compromise, corruption, oppression, and deliverance. The thorns God warned about proved exactly as painful as He said. Compromise never brought peace, only ongoing trouble.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the imagery of thorns and pricks describe the ongoing pain of tolerating sin?
- What does Israel's history of compromise teach about the impossibility of peaceful coexistence with sin?
- In what ways does unmortified sin inevitably damage Christian life and witness?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The warning that remaining Canaanites 'shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell' uses vivid imagery to describe the constant irritation and danger of compromising with sin. Pricks and thorns cause ongoing pain and damage. This teaches that tolerating sin creates perpetual problems, not peaceful coexistence. The Reformed understanding that sin not mortified will inevitably mortify us is powerfully illustrated. We cannot make peace with what God has condemned.