Exodus 33:2

2 And I shall send thy before-goer, an angel, that I cast out Canaanite, and Amorite, and Hittite, and Perizzite, and Hivite, and Jebusite; (And I shall send an angel before thee, and I shall throw out the Canaanites, and Amorites, and Hittites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites;)

Exodus 33:2 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 33:2

And I will send an angel before thee
Not the angel before promised, ( Exodus 23:20 ) the Angel of his presence, the eternal Word and Son of God, but a created angel; and so Aben Ezra observes, he does not say the Angel that was known, that his name was in him; though even this was to be looked upon as a favour, and showed that he had not utterly cast them off:

and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite,
the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite;
who were now the inhabitants of the land, and these he promises drive out, to make way for their possession of it; and that "by his hand", as the Targum of Jonathan interprets it, by the hand of the angel. Only six nations are mentioned, though there were seven; the Girgashite is omitted, but added in the Septuagint version.

Exodus 33:2 In-Context

1 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said, Go, and go up from this place (Get up, and go forth from this place), thou, and thy people, that thou hast led out of the land of Egypt, into the land, which I have sworn to Abraham, and to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, I shall give it to thy seed.

2 And I shall send thy before-goer, an angel, that I cast out Canaanite, and Amorite, and Hittite, and Perizzite, and Hivite, and Jebusite; (And I shall send an angel before thee, and I shall throw out the Canaanites, and Amorites, and Hittites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites;)

3 and that thou enter into the land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up with thee, for thou art a people of hard noll, lest peradventure I lose thee in the way. (and thou shalt enter into the land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up with thee, for thou art a hard-headed, or a stubborn, people, and I might destroy thee on the way.)

4 The people heard this worst word, and mourned, and none was clothed with his adorning, that is, (his) precious clothes, (as) by custom.

5 And the Lord said to Moses, Speak thou to the sons of Israel, (and say,) Thou art a people of hard noll; (at) once I shall go up in the midst of thee, and I shall do away thee; right now put thou away thine adorning, that is, crowns which they made in(to) receiving of the law, that I know, what I shall do to thee. (For the Lord had said to Moses, Speak thou to the Israelites, and say, Thou art a hard-headed, or a stubborn, people; and at once I shall go up into the midst of thee, and I shall do thee away; so right now, put away thy adornment, that is, the crowns which they had made to wear when they received the Law, and then I shall decide what I shall do to thee.)