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.
But if you don't drive out the people living in the land ahead of you, then those you allow to stay will become like sharp thorns in your eyes and painful spikes in your sides, and they will cause you constant trouble in the land where you live.
God is warning that if the Israelites don't completely remove the pagan nations from the Promised Land, those remaining people will become a constant source of trouble and temptation.
📚 Historical Context
God gave this warning to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land after 40 years in the wilderness. He commanded them to completely drive out the Canaanite nations who practiced idolatry and moral corruption. This was both to prevent the Israelites from adopting pagan practices and to fulfill God's judgment on these nations for their wickedness.
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