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Psalm 106:34
They didn’t destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them,
32They angered him also at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was troubled for their sakes;
33because they were rebellious against his spirit, he spoke rashly with his lips.
34They didn’t destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them,
35but mixed themselves with the nations, and learned their works.
36They served their idols, which became a snare to them.
Notice
The command to “destroy the peoples” makes Israel’s disobedience hard to read, because the obedience described here involved the destruction of human lives.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What troubles you about the command to destroy peoples being attributed to YHWH?
Write on thisHow do the next two verses connect Israel’s disobedience with learning to serve idols?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
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Deuteronomy 7:2and when the LORD your God delivers them up before you, and you strike them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them, nor …Deuteronomy states the command to destroy the peoples delivered into Israel’s hands; the psalm records Israel’s failure to obey it.
Deuteronomy 7:16You shall consume all the peoples whom the LORD your God shall deliver to you. Your eye shall not pity them. You shall not serve their gods; for that would be …Both passages connect the command to destroy these peoples with the danger of serving their gods, described as a snare.
Judges 1:21The children of Benjamin didn’t drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.Benjamin’s failure to drive out the Jebusites shares the psalm’s account of peoples remaining among Israel.
Joshua 23:12–13“But if you do at all go back, and hold fast to the remnant of these nations, even these who remain among you, and make marriages with them, and go in to them, …Joshua warns against joining the remaining nations; the psalm’s surrounding verses describe Israel mixing with those nations and learning their works.
1 Samuel 7:14The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel recovered its border out of the hand of the …Both concern Israel’s life among other peoples; Samuel describes restored cities and peace, while the psalm records disobedience.
2 Chronicles 8:8of their children who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel didn’t consume—of them Solomon conscripted forced labor to this day.Both texts acknowledge peoples whom Israel had left alive in the land; Chronicles describes Solomon imposing forced labor on their descendants.
Matthew 17:19–20Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?”The connection is limited: both record something left undone, though Matthew describes the disciples’ inability and the psalm describes Israel’s disobedience.
1 Samuel 15:22–23Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the LORD’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to …Samuel declares the worth of obeying the LORD’s voice; the psalm identifies Israel’s failure to do what the LORD commanded.
Numbers 33:55–56“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 …Numbers warns about leaving the land’s inhabitants in place; the psalm records Israel’s failure to remove those peoples as commanded.
Deuteronomy 20:16–17But of the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;Deuteronomy commands that nothing breathing be spared in these cities; the psalm records Israel’s failure to carry out the commanded destruction.
Joshua 15:63As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah couldn’t drive them out; but the Jebusites live with the children of Judah at …Joshua describes Jebusites remaining because Judah could not drive them out; the psalm records peoples Israel did not destroy.
Judges 1:27–36Manasseh didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its towns, nor Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants …Manasseh’s failure to drive out the inhabitants of several towns shares the psalm’s account of peoples left in the land.
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Encouragement
This account concerns Israel’s conquest of Canaan; it gives no permission to harm your neighbors. Its hard words remain part of Scripture’s account of God’s authority over Israel.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).