"A scourge on your sides"

As noted before, for instance in my recent posts on inheritance (Hebr. yeresh), there are several parallels between the Old Testament exodus and entry into the promised land and the Book of Mormon. Here is another one:

Know assuredly that the LORD your God will not continue to drive out these nations before you; but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a scourge on your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you. (Joshua 23:13, NRSV)

The context of this verse is a warning of what will happen if Israel stray from the covenant and worship the idols of other nations. The other nations around the promised land would be scourges for Israel. Nephi uses the same metaphor when prophesying about the Jews

15 Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations; yea, and also Babylon shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations.

16 And after they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for the space of many generations, yea, even down from generation to generation until they shall be persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind (2 Nephi 25)

The scourging of Israel by other nations in Palestine is paralleled by the scourging of a branch of Israel in the Americas. Compare with these Book of Mormon verses:

And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance. (1 Nephi 2:24)

And the Lord God said unto me: They shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me; and inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto destruction. (2 Nephi 5:25)

But, wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent the land is cursed for your sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction. (Jacob 3:3)

Although not seen directly in the first two verses, we know from the context that "they" refer to the Lamanites. Just like the nations around Israel were a scourge to them, the Lamanites act in a similar role as a scourge to the Nephites. The interesting part is that God seems to deliberately set it up that way. To Joshua he clearly states that he will not drive out the other nations before Israel. They shall remain there as a scourge. Granted, this is the consequence of their sins, but Nephi expands on what seems like a divine plan. When "the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations" they will eventually be persuaded to believe in Christ. 

Similarly, God deliberately sets up the Lamanites as a scourge to the Nephites. This has at least two purposes, according to 2 Nephi 5:25: To stir them up to remembrance or to destroy if they are stirred up and still don't hearken. This is something we recognize from the Old Testament as well and the conditions for the land of inheritance. Either you must remember and hearken unto God or be destroyed. Living in the promised land in sin is not an option, at least not in the long term.

This shows how God creates a branch of Israel in a new promised land with the same conditions as their forefathers. The pattern also repeats later as prophesied by the Savior himself

27 And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed—unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which blessing upon the Gentiles shall make them mighty above all, unto the scattering of my people, O house of Israel.

28 And they shall be a scourge unto the people of this land. Nevertheless, when they shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their hearts against me I will return their iniquities upon their own heads, saith the Father.

29 And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father. (3 Nephi 20)

The Gentile nations around Israel being a scourge to them, repeats in the latter days. History repeats itself. Scribes after ancient Israelite tradition held a worldview where time ran in cycles and God's dealings with his children followed established recurring patterns. The ancient rabbis highlighted the repeating elements in biblical narrative, noting that “what happens to the fathers, happens to the sons.” The Book of Mormon seems to follow this pattern. 

We also see from the last quote how the scourge links to the Abrahamic covenant and lands of inheritance. Promised lands are a blessing of the Abrahamic covenant, granted as an inheritance (Hebr. yeresh) to God's covenant people. But it needs to be kept undefiled, either by stirring the covenant people to repentance or destroying the unrepentant people. The scourge serves both functions.