Deuteronomy 7:20

20 And then the LORD your God will send terror to drive out the few survivors still hiding from you!

Deuteronomy 7:20 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 7:20

Moreover, the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them,
&c.] Not a single one, but several of them, and which may be understood of creatures so called, which resemble wasps, only twice as large, an insect very bold and venomous; see ( Exodus 23:28 ) . Aben Ezra interprets it of the leprosy:

until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed;
such of the Canaanites who escaped the sword of the Israelites, and hid themselves in holes and caverns of the earth; these the hornets would find out and sting them to death, until they were all destroyed. Thus God can make use of small creatures, even insects, to destroy nations the most populous and mighty.

Deuteronomy 7:20 In-Context

18 But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt.

19 Remember the great terrors the LORD your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The LORD your God will use this same power against all the people you fear.

20 And then the LORD your God will send terror to drive out the few survivors still hiding from you!

21 “No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the LORD your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God.

22 The LORD your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you.

Footnotes

• [a]. Often rendered the hornet. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.