“the living God.” The Hebrew is el hai (אֵ֥ל חַ֖י), and the el, “God” is singular. (cp. Hos. 1:10; Ps. 42:3; 84:3). The Hebrews did not see “God” as a plurality of “Persons.” Also, Yahweh is active and alive; He intervenes in human affairs. In this case, He is going to intervene by driving the Canaanites out from before Israel.

“drive out, yes, drive out.” God uses the figure polyptoton for emphasis (see commentary on Gen. 2:16).

“the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Hivite and the Perizzite and the Girgashite and the Amorite and the Jebusite.” These are seven nations spoken of in the Mosaic Law (Deut. 7:1). The fact that the people groups were not a unified front helped Israel fight these nations. The geography of Israel is such that it divides people into people groups. The groups are all connected by “and,” the figure polysyndeton, to emphasize each individual group and not lump them together.

[See figure of speech “syndeton.”]