Deuteronomy 7:1

A Chosen People

1 "When the 1LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, 2the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations 3more numerous and mightier than yourselves,

Deuteronomy 7:1 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 7:1

When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither
thou goest to possess it
The land of Canaan they were just now going into to take possession of; their introduction into which is here, as in many other places, ascribed not to themselves, or their leaders, but to the Lord as their covenant God:

and hath cast out many nations before thee;
even all that were in it, the seven following:

the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the
Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites;
the Canaanites were a particular nation in the land of Canaan, which had their name from Canaan himself; the rest were called from different sons of his; see ( Genesis 10:15-17 ) , the country of the Gergesenes, the same with the Girgashites, continued its name unto the times of Christ, ( Matthew 8:28 ) ,

seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
more in number, and more robust in body, some being of a gigantic stature; there were ten of these nations in Abraham's time, three of them were since sunk or swallowed up among the rest, the Kenites, and Kenizires, and the Rephaim; for instead of the Kadmonites the Hivites are here put, which seem to be the same.

Deuteronomy 7:1 In-Context

1 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves,
2 and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction.You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.
3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,
4 for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.
5 But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.

Cross References 3

  • 1. Deuteronomy 31:3; Psalms 44:2, 3
  • 2. See Exodus 23:23
  • 3. Deuteronomy 4:38; Deuteronomy 9:1; Deuteronomy 11:23
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.