Shemot 34:11

11 Be thou shomer over that which I command thee this day; hinei, I drive out before thee the Emori, and the Kena’ani, and the Chitti, and the Perizzi, and the Chivi, and the Yevusi.

Shemot 34:11 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 34:11

Observe thou that which I command thee this day
Which words are either said to Moses personally, as Aben Ezra thinks, as a direction to him to observe what had been said to him, and declare them to the children of Israel; or rather to the children of Israel, and respect the commands which are afterwards delivered out to be observed by them in the following verses; and what is expressed in the next clause is such as was not done by the ministry of Moses, nor in his time:

behold, I drive out before thee;
not before Moses, but the people of Israel,

the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the
Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite;
six nations are only mentioned, though there were seven, the Girgashites being omitted, because either they left the land before, as some think, or because they at once submitted; they are added in the Septuagint version.

Shemot 34:11 In-Context

9 And he said, If now I have found chen in Thy sight, Adonoi, let Adonoi, now, go among us; although it is an Am Kesheh Oref; and forgive avoneinu and chattateinu, and take us for Thine nachalah.

10 And He said, Hinei, I cut a brit; before all thy people I will do nifla’ot, such as have not been done in kol ha’aretz, nor in kol HaGoyim; and kol HaAm among which thou art shall see the ma’aseh Hashem; for it is a norah that I will do with thee.

11 Be thou shomer over that which I command thee this day; hinei, I drive out before thee the Emori, and the Kena’ani, and the Chitti, and the Perizzi, and the Chivi, and the Yevusi.

12 Be shomer over thyself, lest thou make a brit with the inhabitants of HaAretz whither thou goest, lest it be for a mokesh (snare) in the midst of thee;

13 But ye shall destroy their mizbechot, break their matzebot, and cut down their asherah (sacred trees, poles);