Exodus 23 · Verse 33

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.
Exodus 23:33, King James Version

Exodus 23:33 in other translations

BSBThey must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
WEBThey shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
ASVThey 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.
YLTthey do not dwell in thy land, lest they cause thee to sin against Me when thou servest their gods, when it becometh a snare to thee.'
DARBYThey shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me; for if thou serve theirgods, it is sure to be a snare unto thee.
BBELet them not go on living in your land, or they will make you do evil against me: for if you give worship to their gods, it will certainly be a cause of sin to you.
WebsterThey shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee to sin against me: for if thou shalt serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to thee.

What does Exodus 23:33 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 33 They shall not dwell in thy land - They must be utterly expelled. The land was the Lord's, and he had given it to the progenitors of this people, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The latter being obliged to leave it because of a famine, God is now conducting back his posterity, who alone had a Divine and natural right to it, and therefore their seeking to possess the inheritance of their fathers can be only criminal in the sight of those who are systematically opposed to the thing, because it is a part of Divine revelation. What a pity that the Mosaic Law should be so little studied! What a number of just and equal laws, pious and humane institutions, useful and instructive ordinances, does it contain! Everywhere we see the purity and benevolence of God always working to prevent crimes and make the people happy! But what else can be expected from that God who is love, whose tender mercies are over all his works, and who hateth nothing that he has made? Reader, thou art not straitened in him, be not straitened in thy own bowels. Learn from him to be just, humane, kind, and merciful. Love thy enemy, and do good to him that hates thee. Jesus is with thee; hear and obey his voice; provoke him not, and he will be an enemy to thine enemies, and an adversary to thine adversaries. Believe, love, obey; and the road to the kingdom of God is plain before thee. Thou shalt inherit the good land, and be established in it for ever and ever.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 23:20-33

It is here promised that they should be guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the land of promise, Behold, I send an angel before thee, mine angel. The precept joined with this promise is, that they be obedient to this angel whom God would send before them. Christ is the Angel of Jehovah; this is plainly taught by St. Paul, 1Co 10:9. They should have a comfortable settlement in the land of Canaan…

Read the full comment on Exodus 23:20-33 →

Exodus 23:33 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לֹ֤אlo'notH3808
יֵשְׁבוּ֙ye.she.Vuthey will dwellH3427
בְּאַרְצְךָ֔be.'ar.tze.Khain land yourH776
פֶּן\־pen-lestH6435
יַחֲטִ֥יאוּya.cha.Ti.'uthey should cause to sinH2398
אֹתְךָ֖'o.te.Kha<obj.> youH853
לִ֑יLito <the> me
כִּ֤יkiforH3588
תַעֲבֹד֙ta.'a.Vodyou will serveH5647
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
אֱלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם'e.Lo.hei.Hemgods theirH430
כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
יִהְיֶ֥הyih.Yehit will becomeH1961
לְךָ֖le.Khafor <the> you
לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ\׃\ \פle.mo.Kesh<into> a snareH4170

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 23:33

  • Psalms 106:36

    And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.

  • Deuteronomy 7:16

    And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.

  • Joshua 23:13

    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.

  • Exodus 34:12

    Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

  • Judges 2:3

    Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

  • Deuteronomy 12:30

    Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

  • 2 Timothy 2:26

    And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

  • 1 Kings 14:16

    And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

  • 1 Samuel 18:21

    And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.

  • 2 Chronicles 33:9

    So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.

  • Deuteronomy 7:2-3

    And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
they make.
1Ki 14:16; 2Ch 33:9
it will surely.
34:12; De 7:16; 12:30; Jos 23:13; Jud 2:3; 1Sa 18:21; Ps 106:36
2Ti 2:26

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 23:32

    Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

  • 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.

Read all of Exodus 23

Exodus 23:33 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		En tu tierra no habitarán, no sea que te hagan pecar contra mí sirviendo á sus dioses: porque te será de tropiezo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ils n’habiteront pas dans ton pays, de peur qu’ils ne te fassent pécher contre moi, car tu servirais leurs dieux; certainement ce serait un piège pour toi.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Sie sollen nicht in deinem Lande wohnen, damit sie dich nicht wider mich sündigen machen; denn du würdest ihren Göttern dienen, denn es würde dir zum Fallstrick sein.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Non habitent in terra tua, ne forte peccare te faciant in me, si servieris diis eorum: quod tibi certe erit in scandalum.