The Meaning of Joshua 23:13 Explained

Joshua 23:13

KJV: Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

YLT: know certainly that Jehovah your God is not continuing to dispossess these nations from before you, and they have been to you for a gin, and for a snare, and for a scourge, in your sides, and for thorns in your eyes, till ye perish from off this good ground which Jehovah your God hath given to you.

Darby: know for a certainty that Jehovah your God will no more dispossess these nations from before you, and they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you.

ASV: know for a certainty that Jehovah your God will no more drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap unto you, and a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Know  for a certainty  that the LORD  your God  will no more  drive out  [any of] these nations  from before  you; but they shall be snares  and traps  unto you, and scourges  in your sides,  and thorns  in your eyes,  until ye perish  from off this good  land  which the LORD  your God  hath given  you. 

What does Joshua 23:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 23:1-16 - Joshua's Farewell Address
Joshua's anxiety for the welfare of his people after his death has New Testament parallels. See Acts 20:29; 2 Peter 1:13-15; and especially John 13:1-38; John 14:1-31; John 15:1-27. As always, he lays stress on what the Lord had done, Joshua 23:3; Joshua 23:5; Joshua 23:9. Not one ray of glory is stolen for himself.
He argues for their steadfastness on three grounds: There are the promises of Joshua 23:5; the threatenings of Joshua 23:11-13; the exhortations of Joshua 23:14-16. Our failure to drive out the foes of our heart is due to our failure to follow the Lord. A lack of whole-hearted surrender lies at the root of all failure. Cleaving to the Lord is the Old Testament way of saying "abide in Christ," John 15:1-27.
In contrast to man's inconstancy and infidelity, notice the sublime testimony to God's faithfulness. "Not one thing hath failed," Joshua 23:14. When at last we review our life, we, too, shall be able to say as much, if only by His grace we are kept faithful and obedient. We cannot keep the old Covenant, but the new stands forever, Jeremiah 31:31. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 23

1  Joshua's exhortation before his death
3  by former benefits
5  by promises
11  and by threatenings

What do the individual words in Joshua 23:13 mean?

For certain know that no longer Yahweh your God will drive out - nations these from before you but they shall be to you snares and traps and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes until you perish from land good this which has given you your God
יָד֙וֹעַ֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּ כִּי֩ לֹ֨א יוֹסִ֜יף יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֗ם לְהוֹרִ֛ישׁ אֶת־ הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָאֵ֖לֶּה מִלִּפְנֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָי֨וּ לָכֶ֜ם לְפַ֣ח וּלְמוֹקֵ֗שׁ וּלְשֹׁטֵ֤ט בְּצִדֵּיכֶם֙ וְלִצְנִנִ֣ים בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֔ם עַד־ אֲבָדְכֶ֗ם מֵ֠עַל הָאֲדָמָ֤ה הַטּוֹבָה֙ הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁר֙ נָתַ֣ן לָכֶ֔ם אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם

יָד֙וֹעַ֙  For  certain 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
תֵּֽדְע֔וּ  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּי֩  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
לֹ֨א  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יוֹסִ֜יף  longer 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָסַף 
Sense: to add, increase, do again.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֗ם  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
לְהוֹרִ֛ישׁ  will  drive  out 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: יָרַשׁ  
Sense: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַגּוֹיִ֥ם  nations 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הָאֵ֖לֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
מִלִּפְנֵיכֶ֑ם  from  before  you 
Parse: Preposition-m, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וְהָי֨וּ  but  they  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לָכֶ֜ם  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
לְפַ֣ח  snares 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: פַּח 
Sense: bird trap, trap, snare.
וּלְמוֹקֵ֗שׁ  and  traps 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹוקֵשׁ  
Sense: bait, lure, snare.
וּלְשֹׁטֵ֤ט  and  scourges 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֹׁטֵט  
Sense: scourge.
בְּצִדֵּיכֶם֙  on  your  sides 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: צַד 
Sense: side.
וְלִצְנִנִ֣ים  and  thorns 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: צְנִינִים  
Sense: thorn, prick.
בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֔ם  in  your  eyes 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc, second person masculine plural
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
עַד־  until 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
אֲבָדְכֶ֗ם  you  perish 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
הָאֲדָמָ֤ה  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.
הַטּוֹבָה֙  good 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
הַזֹּ֔את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
נָתַ֣ן  has  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).