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New Century Version

Exodus 34:12

Be careful that you don't make an agreement with the people who live in the land where you are going, because it will bring you trouble.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Alliances;   Company;   Fellowship;   Miscegenation;   Temptation;   Treaty;   Watchfulness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Association-Separation;   Associations;   Evil;   Snares, Worldly;   Temptation;   The Topic Concordance - Alertness;   Covenant;   Idolatry;   Marriage;   Obedience;   Snares;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Alliance and Society with the Enemies of God;   Idolatry;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Treaty;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Destroy, Destruction;   Israel;   War, Holy War;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Baal-Berith;   Gibeon;   League;   Samson;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jehoiakim;   Zipporah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Covenant;   Exodus, Book of;   Ingathering, Feast of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Covenant;   Hexateuch;   Idolatry;   Law;   Moses;   Ten Commandments;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Israel, Israelite;   Numbers (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Sinai;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Snare;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Events of the Encampment;   Other Laws;   On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Alliance;   Covenant, in the Old Testament;   Hunting;   Law in the Old Testament;   Ten Commandments, the;   Treaty;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Covenant;   Deuteronomy;   Law, Reading from the;   Sidra;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Be careful, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be for a snare in the midst of you:
King James Version
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
Lexham English Bible
Be careful for yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, lest it be a snare among you.
New English Translation
Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snare among you.
Amplified Bible
"Watch yourself so that you do not make a covenant (solemn agreement, treaty) with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a [dangerous] trap among you.
New American Standard Bible
"Be careful that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Take heede to thy selfe, that thou make no compact with ye inhabitantes of the land whither thou goest, least they be the cause of ruine among you:
Legacy Standard Bible
Beware lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst.
Contemporary English Version
Don't make treaties with any of those people. If you do, it will be like falling into a trap.
Complete Jewish Bible
Be careful not to make a covenant with the people living in the land where you are going, so that they won't become a snare within your own borders.
Darby Translation
Take heed to thyself, that thou make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which thou shalt come, lest it be a snare in the midst of thee;
Easy-to-Read Version
Be careful! Don't make any agreement with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you make an agreement with them, it will bring you trouble.
English Standard Version
Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst.
George Lamsa Translation
Take heed to yourself lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither you go, lest they become a stumbling block to you.
Good News Translation
Do not make any treaties with the people of the country into which you are going, because this could be a fatal trap for you.
Christian Standard Bible®
Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land that you are going to enter; otherwise, they will become a snare among you.
Literal Translation
Take heed to yourself, that you not cut a covenant with the people of the land to which you are going in, that it not be a snare in your midst.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Bewarre, that thou make no couenaunt with the indwellers of the lande yt thou commest in to, lest they be cause of yi ruyne in the myddest of the:
American Standard Version
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
Bible in Basic English
But take care, and do not make any agreement with the people of the land where you are going, for it will be a cause of sin to you.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take heede to thy self, lest thou make any compact with the inhabitours of the lande whyther thou goest, lest they be cause of ruine amongest you:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest they be for a snare in the midst of thee.
King James Version (1611)
Take heed to thy selfe, lest thou make a couenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
take heed to thyself, lest at any time thou make a covenant with the dwellers on the land, into which thou art entering, lest it be to thee a stumbling-block among you.
English Revised Version
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
Berean Standard Bible
Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Be war, lest ony tyme thou ioyne frendschipis with the dwelleris of that lond, whiche frenschipis be in to fallyng to thee.
Young's Literal Translation
take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitant of the land into which thou art going, lest it become a snare in thy midst;
Update Bible Version
You be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you go, or else it will be for a snare in the midst of you.
Webster's Bible Translation
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
World English Bible
Be careful, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be for a snare in the midst of you:
New King James Version
Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst.
New Living Translation
"Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped.
New Life Bible
Take care to make no agreement with the people of the land where you are going. It would be a trap to you.
New Revised Standard
Take care not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, or it will become a snare among you.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Take heed to thyself, Lest thou solemnise a covenant with the inhabitant of the land, whereupon, thou, art about to enter, - Lest he become a snare in thy midst;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Beware thou never join in friendship with the inhabitants of that land, which may be thy ruin:
Revised Standard Version
Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither you go, lest it become a snare in the midst of you.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst.

Contextual Overview

10 Then the Lord said, "I am making this agreement with you. I will do miracles in front of all your people—things that have never before been done for any other nation on earth—and the people with you will see my work. I, the Lord , will do wonderful things for you. 11 Obey the things I command you today, and I will force out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites ahead of you. 12 Be careful that you don't make an agreement with the people who live in the land where you are going, because it will bring you trouble. 13 Destroy their altars, break their stone pillars, and cut down their Asherah idols. 14 Don't worship any other god, because I, the Lord , the Jealous One, am a jealous God. 15 "Be careful that you don't make an agreement with the people who live in that land. When they worship their gods, they will invite you to join them. Then you will eat their sacrifices. 16 If you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters worship gods, they will lead your sons to do the same thing. 17 "Do not make gods of melted metal.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Take heed: Exodus 23:32, Exodus 23:33, Deuteronomy 7:2, Judges 2:2

lest: Deuteronomy 7:16, Joshua 23:12, Joshua 23:13, Judges 2:3, Judges 8:27, Psalms 106:36

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:12 - Take Exodus 34:15 - make Numbers 33:52 - General Deuteronomy 12:2 - utterly Deuteronomy 31:5 - according Joshua 9:7 - how shall Joshua 10:40 - as the Lord Judges 14:3 - uncircumcised Judges 21:1 - his daughter 1 Kings 9:20 - Amorites 2 Kings 17:35 - charged them Ezra 10:2 - We have trespassed Luke 17:3 - heed

Cross-References

Genesis 24:53
Then he gave Rebekah gold and silver jewelry and clothes. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and mother.
Genesis 29:18
Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, "Let me marry your younger daughter Rachel. If you will, I will work seven years for you."
Genesis 31:41
I worked like a slave for you for twenty years—the first fourteen to get your two daughters and the last six to earn your flocks. During that time you changed my pay ten times.
Genesis 34:16
Then your men can marry our women, and our men can marry your women, and we will live in your land and become one people.
Genesis 34:17
If you refuse to be circumcised, we will take Dinah and leave."
Genesis 34:25
Three days later the men who were circumcised were still in pain. Two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi (Dinah's brothers), took their swords and made a surprise attack on the city, killing all the men there.
Genesis 34:27
Jacob's sons came upon the dead bodies and stole everything that was in the city, to pay them back for what Shechem had done to their sister.
Genesis 34:28
So the brothers took the flocks, herds, and donkeys, and everything in the city and in the fields.
Genesis 34:29
They took every valuable thing the people owned, even their wives and children and everything in the houses.
2 Samuel 3:14
Then David sent messengers to Saul's son Ish-Bosheth, saying, "Give me my wife Michal. She was promised to me, and I killed a hundred Philistines to get her."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Take heed to thyself,.... This is said not to Moses, but to the people of Israel, as a caution to them when they should enter the land of Canaan, and possess it:

lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest: enter into a league and alliance, to live friendly and amicably, and support and assist each other against the common enemy; whereas they were to smite the seven nations and destroy them, and show them no mercy, Deuteronomy 7:1

lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee; be the means of drawing them into the same sinful practices with themselves, especially into idolatrous ones, and so of bringing ruin and destruction on them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The precepts contained in these verses are, for the most part, identical in substance with some of those which follow the Ten Commandments and are recorded in “the Book of the covenant” (Exo. 20–23; see Exodus 24:7).

Exodus 34:13

Cut down their groves - This is the first reference to what is commonly known as grove-worship. The original word for “grove” in this connection אשׁרה 'ăshêrāh is different from that so rendered in Genesis 21:33. Our translators supposed that what the law commands is the destruction of groves dedicated to the worship of false deities Judges 6:25; 2 Kings 18:4; but inasmuch as the worship of asherah is found associated with that of Astarte, or Ashtoreth Judges 2:13; Jdg 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:4, it seems probable that while Astarte was the personal name of the goddess, the asherah was a symbol of her, probably in some one of her characters, made in wood in some conventional form.

Exodus 34:15-16

An expansion of Exodus 34:12. The unfaithfulness of the nation to its covenant with Yahweh is here for the first time spoken of as a breach of the marriage bond. The metaphor is, in any case, a natural one, but it seems to gain point, if we suppose it to convey an allusion to the abominations connected with pagan worship, such as are spoken of in Numbers 25:1-3.

Exodus 34:21

See Exodus 20:9; Exodus 23:12. There is here added to the commandment a particular caution respecting those times of year when the land calls for most labor. The old verb “to ear” (i. e. to plow) is genuine English.

Exodus 34:24

Neither shall any man desire etc. - Intended to encourage such as might fear the consequences of obeying the divine law in attending to their religious duties. Compare Proverbs 16:7.


 
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