Psalms 106:34

34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them,

Psalms 106:34 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 106:34

They did not destroy the nations
Here begins an account of their sins and provocations, after they were settled in the land of Canaan. They did not destroy the inhabitants of the land, of the seven nations; whose land was given to them as an inheritance, and of which the Canaanites were dispossessed for their sins, and to be destroyed.

Concerning whom the Lord commanded them;
that they should destroy them; the command is in ( Deuteronomy 7:1 Deuteronomy 7:2 ) . God's commands are to be obeyed; they are neither to be added to, nor diminished from; his commands are transgressed and violated by sins of omission or commission; the Israelites might plead mercy, but this was no excuse to an express command: the same sin Saul was afterwards guilty of, with respect to one of these nations, ( 1 Samuel 15:2 1 Samuel 15:8 1 Samuel 15:9 ) . Those spiritual Canaanites, the sinful deeds of the body, are to be mortified, and not indulged and spared, ( Colossians 3:5 ) ( Romans 8:13 ) .

Psalms 106:34 In-Context

32 They angered the Lord at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account;
33 for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke words that were rash.
34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them,
35 but they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did.
36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.