Numbers 33:50-56 Meaning: When Incomplete Obedience Brings Harm
50Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
51Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, “When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
52then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their stone idols, destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.
53You shall take possession of the land, and dwell therein; for I have given the land to you to possess it.
54You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger groups you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.
55“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.
56It shall happen that as I thought to do to them, so I will do to you.”
50And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
51Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
52Then 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:
53And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.
54And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.
55But 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.
56Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.
50And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
51Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
52then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places:
53and ye shall take possession of the land, and dwell therein; for unto you have I given the land to possess it.
54And ye shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance: wheresoever the lot falleth to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers shall ye inherit.
55But 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.
56And it shall come to pass, that, as I thought to do unto them, so will I do unto you.
50And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, near Jericho, saying,
51`Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When ye are passing over the Jordan unto the land of Canaan,
52then ye have dispossessed all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and have destroyed all their imagery, yea, all their molten images ye destroy, and all their high places ye lay waste,
53and ye have possessed the land, and dwelt in it, for to you I have given the land--to possess it.
54`And ye have inherited the land by lot, by your families; to the many ye increase their inheritance, and to the few ye diminish their inheritance; whither the lot goeth out to him, it is his; by the tribes of your fathers ye inherit.
55`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,
56and it hath come to pass, as I thought to do to them--I do to you.'
50And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan of Jericho, saying,
51Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye pass over Jordan into the land of Canaan,
52then ye shall dispossess all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and ye shall destroy all their figured images, and all their molten images shall ye destroy, and all their high places shall ye lay waste;
53and ye shall take possession of the land, and dwell therein, for to you have I given the land to possess it.
54And ye shall take for yourselves the land as an inheritance by lot according to your families: to the many ye shall increase their inheritance, and to the few thou shalt diminish their inheritance: where the lot falleth to him, there shall be each man's [inheritance]; according to the tribes of your fathers shall ye take for yourselves the inheritance.
55But if ye will not dispossess the inhabitants of the land from before you, those that ye let remain of them shall be thorns in your eyes, and pricks in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land wherein ye dwell.
56And it shall come to pass that I will do unto you as I thought to do unto them.
Meaning in one sentence
Discover the meaning of Numbers 33:50-56: God's command to destroy Canaanite idols, the warning against incomplete obedience, and the spiritual consequences
Context
The Israelites are camped on the plains of Moab, just east of the Jordan River, looking across at the land God promised them. After recording the long list of their wilderness journeys, Moses receives final instructions before the crossing. God tells them what to do when they enter Canaan: drive out the inhabitants, destroy all their religious objects, carved images, metal idols, and hilltop shrines, and settle the land by lot according to their tribes. Then comes a sharp warning: if they leave any of the Canaanites behind, those survivors will become like constant irritants, and eventually God will treat them the same way He planned to treat the Canaanites. The passage is both a commission and a caution.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words give this passage its weight. The verb translated “drive out” or “dispossess” (yarash, H3423) means to take possession by clearing what is there. It is the same word used for inheriting the land. God gave the land, but Israel had to actively remove what was already occupying it.
The “pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides” use two nouns: sikkim (H7899) for thorns and tseninim (H6796) for pricks. Both describe small, persistent sources of pain. Not a fatal blow, but constant irritation that wears you down over time.
Finally, the phrase “I thought to do to them” uses the verb damah (H1819), meaning to intend or to imagine. It reveals that God had a settled purpose toward the Canaanites. The warning is sobering: if Israel tolerated what God had judged, they would face the same outcome.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this passage in different ways. Many Reformed and evangelical traditions emphasize God’s just judgment on the Canaanites after centuries of evil, and the command to protect Israel from idolatry. Wesleyan interpreters, like Adam Clarke, have treated the Canaanites as emblems of indwelling sin that must be rooted out. Modern readers often struggle with the violence and see it as a specific historical command, not a model for later warfare. The Catholic tradition reads it within salvation history, where God’s commands fit a covenantal context. Across these views, the warning against spiritual compromise is taken seriously.
A common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is that God commanded ethnic cleansing because He hated the Canaanites. In fact, the passage does not call for hatred of people but for removal of what would corrupt God’s people. The Canaanite practices, child sacrifice and cultic prostitution, were deeply destructive, and God had waited centuries for them to repent, as Calvin notes. The command was about preserving a holy people through whom the Messiah would come. The warning today is not about physical warfare but about spiritual vigilance.
Living This Out
This passage asks a hard question: what have you left in your life that you know should go? Maybe it is a habit, a relationship, an entertainment, or a thought pattern that pulls you away from wholehearted devotion. The warning is not meant to scare you but to help you see that small compromises grow into larger problems. You don’t have to do this alone. Ask God to show you one thing you have left half-addressed. Then take a real step this week to remove it, unfollow, delete, set a boundary, ask for help. The living God who gave the land also gives the strength to clear it.
Main takeaway: What you refuse to remove will eventually wound you, so take God's call to full obedience seriously.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God told the Israelites to clear the land of things that would lead them away from Him. Think of a weed in a garden. If you leave the root, it will grow back. God wants us to get rid of everything that keeps us from loving Him best.
For ages 9, 12
When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God warned them not to leave any of the Canaanites or their idols behind. Why? Because even a little bit of the wrong influence would cause big problems later. It is the same with us. Maybe you know something in your life that does not belong there, a game with bad attitudes, a friendship that pulls you down, a habit you hide. God does not ask you to be perfect, but He does ask you to take His warnings seriously. What is one thing you can ask Him to help you remove this week?
Questions People Ask
Why did God tell the Israelites to kill all the Canaanites?
The Canaanites had practiced extreme evil for centuries, including child sacrifice and temple prostitution. God had given them time to repent; when they did not, He used Israel to execute judgment. The command was also to protect Israel from being led into idolatry.
What does 'pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides' mean?
This is a vivid picture of constant, nagging irritation. Small, persistent sources of pain that wear you down over time. If Israel left Canaanites in the land, they would become like that, annoying and dangerous, slowly leading them away from God.
Is this command relevant for Christians today?
The literal warfare command belongs to Israel's specific history. But many Christians see a spiritual principle: we must actively remove sin and anything that competes with God's place in our lives. The warning against compromise applies to every believer.
What does the 'lot' mean in verse 54?
The lot was a method of casting something like stones or sticks to determine God's will. The people believed God directed the outcome. It ensured that each tribe received its portion without human favoritism.
For pastors & researchers
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