Commentators are divided on the meaning of הַצִּרְעָה in Exodus 23:28, Deuteronomy 7:20, and Joshua 24:12.(1) The term has been taken literally for the flying insect.(2) Other commentators have suggested a representative usage, where the hornet stands for the Egyptian Pharoah and is iconic of Lower Egypt.(3) Still others suggest a psychological interpretation, where “hornet” is synonymous with fear or terror.(4) A variety of other, less popular, suggestions have been proposed.(5) This paper will first summarize, categorize, and critically evaluate modern interpretations of הַצִּרְעָה in its biblical usage. Next, the paper will examine and compare the grammatical and syntactical usage of the term in Exodus and Deuteronomy prior to the conquest. The paper will then discuss grammatical and syntactical use of the term in Joshua 24:12 after the conquest, demonstrating that Joshua viewed the sending of הַצִּרְעָה as a past event that had already transpired. The paper will conclude by offering an identification of הַצִּרְעָה based on grammatical, syntactical, historical, and archaeological data. This study will advance scholarship on this topic by surveying and categorizing interpretations of “the hornet” among commentators and critically evaluating those interpretations in light of grammatical and syntactical considerations.
1 See discussion in David G. Firth, Joshua EBTC (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2021), 391–392; Adolph L. Harstad, Joshua, Concordia Commentary (Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2004), 762, 772–773.
2 Hubbard seeds this as a possibility but argues more for fear or terror. Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. Joshua in The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), 553–554.
3 John Garstang, Joshua-Judges (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1978), 258–260.
4 Probably the favored position today. See Richard S. Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1996), 303–304; Hubbard, Joshua, 553–554; Lissa M. Wray Beal, Joshua in The Story of God Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2019), 415; David M. Howard, Jr., Joshua NAC 5 (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing, 1998), 432–433.
5 Goldingay, for example notes the etymological connection to a word for a skin disease akin to leprosy. John Goldingay, Joshua in Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Historical Books (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2023), 421. Pitkänen takes the concept of hornet as “a figurative way of stating that Yahweh caused the inhabitants to flee from the Israelites.” Pekka M. A. Pitkänen, Joshua in Apollos Old Testament Commentary 6 (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2010), 395.