Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 23:31
And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
In Exo 23:23, the limits of the Land of Canaan, strictly so called, are indicated; to this, when the Israelites were about to take possession of it, were added the regions of Gilead and Bashan on the left side of the Jordan Num 32:33-42; Jos 13:29-32. These two portions made up the holy land, of which the limits were recognized, with inconsiderable variations, until the final overthrow of the Jewish polity. But in this verse the utmost extent of Hebrew dominion, as it existed in the time of David and Solomon, is set forth. The kingdom then reached to Eloth and Ezion-geber on the AElanitic Gulf of the Red Sea 1Ki 9:26, and to Tiphsah on the River, that is, the River Euphrates 1Ki 4:24, having for its western boundary the Sea of the Philistines, that is, the Mediterranean, and for its southern boundary the desert, that is, the wildernesses of Shur and Paran (compare Gen 15:18; Deu 1:7; Deu 11:24; Jos 1:4).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Exo 23:31-33
They shall not dwell in thy land.
Lessons
1. God is the sovereign boundmaker to all nations on the earth.
2. Among all God hath promised to set the bounds of His Church on earth.
3. Gods suppression of His adversaries is a token of His settling His Churchs habitation (Exo 23:31).
4. No covenant with idolatrous adversaries must be made by the Church against Gods will.
5. No covenant can be made with idolaters, but it will be with their idols, viz., devils (Exo 23:32).
6. Converse with idolaters is very dangerous to make men such sinners against God.
7. Such sinning with idolaters is a snare, which will keep souls to destruction.
8. All such sins must be avoided, that Gods promise of good may be obtained (Exo 23:33). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Associating with the ungodly
Those who willingly associate with the sinful are like the river Thames, which is a sweet and pretty river enough near its source; but in the great metropolis it has kept company with drains and sewers under the belief that its current was too powerful and too pure to be injured by them. It was meant that the river should purify the sewer; but, instead of that, the sewer has corrupted the river. (Union Magazine.)
The snare of worldliness
Serious people often complain of the snares they meet with from worldly people, and yet they must mix with them to get a livelihood. I advise them, if they can, to do their business with the world as they do it in the rain. If their business calls them abroad, they will not leave it undone for fear of being a little wet; but then, when it is done, they presently seek shelter, and will not stand in the rain for pleasure. So, providential and necessary calls of duty, that lead us into the world, will not hurt us, if we find the spirit of the world unpleasant, and are glad to retire from it, and keep out of it, as much as our relative duties will permit. That which is our cross is not so likely to be our snare; but if that spirit which we should always watch and pray against, infects and assimilates our minds to itself, then we are sure to suffer loss, and act below the dignity of our profession. (Newtons Letters to a Nobleman.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 31. I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea] On the south-east, even unto the sea of the Philistines – the Mediterranean, on the north-west; and from the desert – of Arabia, or the wilderness of Shur, on the west, to the river – the Euphrates, on the north-east. Or in general terms, from the Euphrates on the east, to the Mediterranean Sea on the west; and from Mount Libanus on the north, to the Red Sea and the Nile on the south. This promise was not completely fulfilled till the days of David and Solomon. The general disobedience of the people before this time prevented a more speedy accomplishment; and their disobedience afterwards caused them to lose the possession. So, though all the promises of God are YEA and AMEN, yet they are fulfilled but to a few, because men are slow of heart to believe; and the blessings of providence and grace are taken away from several because of their unfaithfulness.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Compare this place with Gen 15:18; Num 34:3. The sea of the Philistines, i.e. the Mediterranean or midland sea, upon whose coast the land of the Philistines lay. The desert, of Egypt or Arabia; whereof see Gen 16:7; Exo 15:22. The river, to wit, Euphrates, as it is expressed Deu 1:7; 11:24, which is oft called the river by way of eminency. All within these bounds were given them by God, but upon conditions, which they manifestly broke, and therefore were for the most part confined to a much narrower compass.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And I will set thy bounds,…. The bounds of the land of Canaan, which in process of time it should reach unto, though not at once, not until the times of David and Solomon, 2Sa 8:1 which bounds were as follow:
from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines: the Red sea was the boundary eastward, as the sea of the Philistines, or the Mediterranean sea, was the boundary westward:
and from the desert unto the river; the desert of Shur or Arabia, towards Egypt, was the boundary southward, as the river Euphrates was the boundary northward, and is the river here meant, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it; and so Jarchi interprets it, and generally others:
for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; the greater part upon their entrance into it, and settlement in it, and the rest afterwards:
and thou shalt drive them out before thee; not all at once, but by degrees, as before observed.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
31. And I will set thy bounds. There is no question that He confirms here the covenant which he had made with Abraham in somewhat different words. More briefly had it been said to Abraham,
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Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.” (Gen 15:18.)
Here the four cardinal points of the compass are enumerated, and, instead of the Nile, the other sea is mentioned, which is opposite to the sea of Tarshish. (271) Nor is it anything new which the Israelites are commanded to expect; but they are reminded of what they had heard of by tradition even from the time of Abraham. Hence what I have already said is more clearly perceived, viz., that the ancient covenant is set before them, in order that they may respond to God’s gratuitous favor, and on their part honor and worship Him, who had already anticipated them with His mercy. Furthermore, when they had robbed themselves of this blessing, God applied a remedy to their iniquity, by raising up a new condition of things under David, to whom this promise is repeated, as is seen in Psa 72:0 Therefore, although even up to that time their inheritance was in a measure incomplete (truncata), (272) yet, under this renovated condition, they reached its full and solid enjoyment. But since that prosperity and extension of the kingdom was not lasting, but after Solomon’s death began to fail, and at last its dignity was destroyed; therefore Zechariah uses the same words in declaring its ultimate and perfect restoration. (Zec 9:10.) Thence we gather that by the coming of Christ this prophecy at length obtained its perfect accomplishment; not that the race of Abraham then began to bear rule within the bounds here laid down, but inasmuch as Christ embraced the four quarters of the globe under His dominion, from the east even to the west, and from the north even to the south. Meanwhile the power of David was the prototype of this boundless reign, when he acquired the sovereignty of the promised land. We ought not to think it unreasonable that the ancient people should be kept out of some portion of that inheritance which was to be expected by them in accordance with the covenant; but rather does God’s incredible goodness display itself, in that, when they had altogether disinherited themselves, He still combated their iniquity, and failed not to shew practically His faithfulness. We may see the same thing in the calling of the Gentiles; for, if the Jews had continued faithful, the Gentiles would have been joined with them, as it had been said,
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In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew,” (Zec 8:23😉
but their rebellion brought it about, that God only gathered from among them the first-fruits of His Church, and afterwards the Gentiles were substituted in the place which they had left empty. In this way neither did this people retain their right of primogeniture, neither did God’s truth cease to stand firm, as Paul more fully explains in the eleventh chapter of Romans.
(271) Corn. a Lapide thus explains these boundaries, — “God here gives the boundaries of the promised land with respect to the cardinal points; for it has the Red Sea as its southern limit; on the west, the sea of the Palestini, or the Mediterranean, whose shores are inhabited by the Philistines; (whence Scripture often speaks of ‘the Sea’ to express the west;) on the east, it has the Arabian Desert, lying between it and Egypt; and, finally, to the north it has the River Euphrates, which is called par excellence (autonomasian) the River.”
(272) “Quand Dieu a establi son Eglise;” when God established His (Church. — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(31) Thy bounds.Those whose highest notion of prophecy identifies it with advanced human foresight naturally object to Moses having foretold the vast extent of empire which did not take place till the days of David and Solomon. It is impossible, however, to understand this passage in any other way than as an assignment to Israel of the entire tract between the Desert, or Wilderness of the Wanderings, and the Euphrates on the one hand, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea on the other. The River (han-nahar) has no other meaning in the Pentateuch than the Euphrates. And this was exactly the extent to which the dominions of Israel reached under Solomon, as we see from the description in Kings and Chronicles (1Ki. 4:21; 1Ki. 4:24; 2Ch. 9:26). It had, according to Moses (Gen. 15:18), been already indicated with tolerable precision in the original promise made to Abraham.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
31. Thy bounds These boundaries indicate the entire extent of territory which any people supposed to be in complete possession of Canaan would naturally control. The Red sea they had left behind them; the sea of the Philistines, that is, the Mediterranean, which bordered on the Philistine territory, formed the western boundary, the Arabian desert lay on the south and south-east, and the river Euphrates formed the eastern limit. This extent of territory actually came under the dominion of Solomon. 1Ki 4:20-25; comp . Jos 1:4.
Thou shalt drive them out Israel’s conquest of Canaan was a mission of judgment as well as a fulfilment of promise and prophecy . They were sent into the land to destroy peoples ripe for judgment, rather than to convert those looking and waiting for redemption . See Gen 15:16, note .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 23:31. And I will set thy bounds The bounds of the land which they were to inherit, (Exo 23:30.) are here set down: they were to be from the Red Sea on the south-east, unto the sea of the Philistines or the Mediterranean sea on the north-west; and from the desert of Arabia, or the wilderness of Shur on the west, to the river of Euphrates, called the river by way of eminence, on the north-east. See Gen 15:18 and Shaw’s Travels, book 2 Chronicles 1; 2 Chronicles 2.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jos 1:3-4 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 23:31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
Ver. 31. The sea of the Philistines, ] i.e., The Mediterranean.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sea of the Philistines = the Mediterranean or “Great Sea”.
from the desert = the desert of Shur.
the river = the Euphrates.
the inhabitants. Some codices, with The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel and one early printed edition, read “all the inhabitants”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I will set: Gen 15:18, Num 34:3-15, Deu 11:24, Jos 1:4, 1Ki 4:21, 1Ki 4:24, Psa 72:8
deliver the: Num 21:34, Deu 3:2, Jos 8:7, Jos 8:18, Jos 10:8, Jos 10:19, Jos 21:44, Jos 23:14, Jos 24:8, Jdg 1:4, Jdg 11:21, 1Sa 23:4, 1Ki 20:13
Reciprocal: Exo 34:24 – enlarge Num 33:52 – General Deu 1:7 – the mount Deu 12:20 – as he hath Deu 12:30 – that thou Deu 14:24 – if the place Deu 19:8 – General Deu 34:2 – unto Jos 2:24 – Truly the Lord Jos 9:1 – Hittite Jos 9:7 – how shall Jos 9:24 – the Lord Jos 10:40 – as the Lord Jos 13:6 – them Jos 15:4 – river Jos 15:47 – the river Jos 23:5 – he shall Jdg 1:18 – Gaza 2Sa 8:3 – at the river 1Ki 8:65 – the river 1Ch 18:3 – by the river 2Ch 9:26 – river Psa 80:11 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
23:31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea {q} of the Philistines, and from the {r} desert unto the {s} river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
(q) Called the Sea of Syria.
(r) Of Arabia called desert.
(s) That is, Ephraim.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God further promised a wide land area. It stretched from the Red Sea (probably the Gulf of Aqabah, the southeastern boundary) to the Mediterranean Sea (the western boundary). It also ran from the wilderness (probably the northeast edge of the Sinai wilderness, the southwest boundary) to the Euphrates River (the northeastern boundary; cf. Gen 15:18). Some writers believed that this is a reference to the river that now forms the border between modern Lebanon and Syria. [Note: E.g., Kaiser, "Exodus," p. 447.] Yet in the Hebrew Bible "the river" usually refers to the Euphrates. Israel did not occupy all of this territory due to her disobedience to God.