Numbers 33:55
New International Version
“’But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.

New Living Translation
But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live.

English Standard Version
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.

Berean Standard Bible
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.

King James Bible
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

New King James Version
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.

New American Standard Bible
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from you, then it will come about that those whom you let remain of them will be like thorns in your eyes and like pricks in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.

NASB 1995
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.

NASB 1977
‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land in which you live.

Legacy Standard Bible
But if you do not dispossess the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it will be that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land which you inhabit.

Amplified Bible
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you let remain of them will be like pricks in your eyes and like thorns in your sides, and they will attack you in the land in which you live.

Christian Standard Bible
But if you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs for your eyes and thorns for your sides; they will harass you in the land where you will live.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But if you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become thorns in your eyes and in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you will live.

American Standard Version
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall those that ye let remain of them be as pricks in your eyes, and as thorns in your sides, and they shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And if you do not destroy the inhabitants of the land from before you, those who are left of them shall be splinters in your eyes and spear heads in your sides, and they will distress you in the land where you inhabit it.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But if ye will not destroy the dwellers in the land from before you, then it shall come to pass that whomsoever of them ye shall leave shall be thorns in your eyes, and darts in your sides, and they shall be enemies to you on the land on which ye shall dwell;

Contemporary English Version
If you don't force out all the people there, they will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your back. They will always be trouble for you,

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if you will not kill the inhabitants of the land: they that remain, shall be unto you as nails in your eyes, and spears in your sides, and they shall be your adversaries in the land of your habitation.

English Revised Version
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then shall those which ye let remain of them be as pricks in your eyes, and as thorns in your sides, and they shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
" 'But if you do not force out those who live in the land, they will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will constantly fight with you over the land you live in.

Good News Translation
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those that are left will be as troublesome as splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will fight against you.

International Standard Version
But if you fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, their survivors will become irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, to prick your sides and afflict you in the very land in which you'll be living.

JPS Tanakh 1917
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall those that ye let remain of them be as thorns in your eyes, and as pricks in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land wherein ye dwell.

Literal Standard Version
And if you do not dispossess the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it has been [that] those whom you let remain of them [are] for pricks in your eyes and for thorns in your sides, and they have distressed you on the land in which you are dwelling,

Majority Standard Bible
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.

New American Bible
But if you do not dispossess the inhabitants of the land before you, those whom you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land where you live,

NET Bible
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, then those whom you allow to remain will be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your side, and will cause you trouble in the land where you will be living.

New Revised Standard Version
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they shall trouble you in the land where you are settling.

New Heart English Bible
"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you let remain of them will be as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land in which you dwell.

Webster's Bible Translation
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be prickles in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall harass you in the land in which ye dwell.

World English Bible
“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you let remain of them will be like pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land in which you dwell.

Young's Literal Translation
And if ye do not dispossess the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it hath been, those whom ye let remain of them, are for pricks in your eyes, and for thorns in your sides, and they have distressed you on the land in which ye are dwelling,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Instructions for Occupying Canaan
54And you are to divide the land by lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers. 55But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle. 56And then I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”…

Cross References
2 Corinthians 12:7
or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

Numbers 33:56
And then I will do to you what I had planned to do to them."

Joshua 23:13
know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.

Judges 2:3
So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you."

Ezekiel 28:24
For the people of Israel will no longer face a pricking brier or a painful thorn from all around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.'


Treasury of Scripture

But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which you let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein you dwell.

shall be pricks

Exodus 23:33
They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

Deuteronomy 7:4,16
For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly…

Joshua 23:12,13
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: …

Jump to Previous
Allow Barbs Distressed Drive Driving Dwell Dwelling Eyes Harass Inhabitants Land Pricks Sides Slow Thorns Trouble Vex Wherein
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Allow Barbs Distressed Drive Driving Dwell Dwelling Eyes Harass Inhabitants Land Pricks Sides Slow Thorns Trouble Vex Wherein
Numbers 33
1. The forty-two journeys of the Israelites
50. The Canaanites are to be destroyed














Verse 55. - If ye will not drive out the inhabitants. As was in fact the case (Judges 1). The warning is here given for the first time, because the danger was now near at hand, and had indeed already shown itself in the matter of the Midianitish women and children. Pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides. Natural symbols of dangerous annoyances. Possibly the thickets which fringe the Jordan supplied them with present examples. In Joshua 23:13 we have "scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes," which sounds somewhat more artificial. In Judges 2:3, where this warning is quoted, the figure is not expressed at all: "they shall be in your sides."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But if
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

you do not
לֹ֨א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

drive out
תוֹרִ֜ישׁוּ (ṯō·w·rî·šū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

the inhabitants
יֹשְׁבֵ֣י (yō·šə·ḇê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

of the land
הָאָרֶץ֮ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

before you,
מִפְּנֵיכֶם֒ (mip·pə·nê·ḵem)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

those
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you allow to remain
תּוֹתִ֣ירוּ (tō·w·ṯî·rū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3498: To jut over, exceed, to excel, to remain, be left, to leave, cause to abound, preserve

will become
וְהָיָה֙ (wə·hā·yāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

thorns
לְשִׂכִּים֙ (lə·śik·kîm)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7899: A brier

in your eyes
בְּעֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם (bə·‘ê·nê·ḵem)
Preposition-b | Noun - cdc | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

and in your sides;
בְּצִדֵּיכֶ֑ם (bə·ṣid·dê·ḵem)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 6654: A side, an adversary

they will harass
וְצָרֲר֣וּ (wə·ṣā·ră·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6887: To bind, tie up, be restricted, narrow, scant, or cramped

you in
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the land
הָאָ֕רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

where
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you
אַתֶּ֖ם (’at·tem)
Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

settle.
יֹשְׁבִ֥ים (yō·šə·ḇîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry


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OT Law: Numbers 33:55 But if you do not drive out (Nu Num.)
Numbers 33:54
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