Commentary on Joshua - Keil & Delitzsch - David Cox

Keil and Delitzsch <strong>Commentary</strong> on the Old Testament
For this reason the Lord had driven out great and strong nations before the Israelites,
so that no one was able to stand before them. The first hemistich points to the
fulfilment of Deut 4:38; 7:1; 9:1; 11:23; the second to that of Deut 7:24; 11:25.
wª'atem (OT:859) is placed at the beginning absolutely. - In v. 10a, the blessing of
fidelity to the law which Israel had hitherto experienced, is described, as in Deut
32:30, upon the basis of the promise in Lev 26:7-8, and Deut 28:7, and in v. 10b the
thought of v. 3b is repeated. To this there is attached, in vv. 11-13, the admonition to
take heed for the sake of their souls (cf. Deut 4:15), to love the Lord their God (on the
love of God as the sum of the fulfilment of the law, see Deut 6:5; 10:12; 11:13). For
if they turned, i.e., gave up the faithfulness they had hitherto displayed towards
Jehovah, and attached themselves to the remnant of these nations, made marriages
with them, and entered into fellowship with them, which the Lord had expressly
forbidden (Ex 34:12-15; Deut 7:3), let them know that the Lord their God would not
cut off these nations before them any more, but that they would be a snare and
destruction to them.
This threat is founded upon such passages of the law as Ex 23:33; Deut 7:16, and
more especially Num 33:55. The figure of a trap, which is employed here (see Ex
10:7), is still further strengthened by pach (OT:6341), a snare (cf. Isa 8:14-15).
Shotet , a whip or scourge , an emphatic form of the word derived from the poel of
shuwT (OT:7751), only occurs here. "Scourges in your sides, and thorns in your
eyes" (see Num 33:55). Joshua crowds his figures together to depict the misery and
oppression which would be sure to result from fellowship with the Canaanites,
because, from his knowledge of the fickleness of the people, and the wickedness of
the human heart in its natural state, he could foresee that the apostasy of the nation
from the Lord, which Moses had foretold, would take place but too quickly; as it
actually did, according to Judg 2:3ff., in the very next generation. The words "until ye
perish," etc., resume the threat held out by Moses in Deut 11:17 (cf. Josh 28:21 ff.).
Joshua 23:14-16
And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your
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