And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
Lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee - (see the notes at Exodus 23:28-30.) The omnipotence of their Almighty Ruler could have given them possession of the promised land at once; but the unburied corpses of the enemy, and the portions of the country that might have been left desolate for a while, would have drawn an influx of dangerous beasts (see the notes at Exodus 23:29-30). This evil would be prevented by a progressive conquest, and by the use of ordinary means which God would bless.