They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:

PSALMS 106:34KJV
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Psalms 106:34 (KJV)

What does Psalms 106:34 mean?

Psalms 106:34 says that the people of Israel did not destroy the nations as the LORD had commanded them to do. This verse points out a failure to fully obey God’s instructions regarding the other peoples living in the land.

The psalm is written as a reflection on Israel’s history, with the speaker recalling times when the people did not follow God’s commands. Here, the focus is on the period after the Exodus, when Israel entered the promised land but did not remove the other nations as instructed. This failure is presented as a key turning point that led to further problems for Israel.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 106:34

  • destroy (שָׁמַד, shamad): This word often means to completely wipe out or remove. In this context, it emphasizes that the command was not just about defeating, but about fully removing the nations from the land.
  • nations (עַם, am): This word refers to the peoples or groups living in the land before Israel arrived. The verse highlights that these were specific groups the LORD had identified.
  • LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name for God used throughout the Old Testament, underlining that the command came directly from Israel’s covenant God.
  • commanded (אָמַר, amar): This word means “said” or “commanded.” It stresses that the instruction was clear and direct from God, not a suggestion or a tradition.

Why Psalms 106:34 matters

  • This verse clears up that Israel’s later troubles were not just bad luck or outside attacks, but were connected to their own choices and disobedience.
  • It highlights the seriousness of not following God’s specific instructions, showing that partial obedience led to bigger problems.
  • In the wider context of Psalm 106, this verse is part of a pattern: the psalmist lists Israel’s repeated failures to keep their covenant with God, helping the reader see the cause-and-effect in their history.

Where else these words appear

“destroy” Hebrew H8045 · used in 86 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 31:3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
  • Esther 4:8 Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.