Deuteronomy 7:1-6

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,
2 4and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must 5devote them to complete destruction.[a]6You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.
3 7You 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. 8Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you 9quickly.
5 But thus shall you deal with them: 10you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their 11pillars and chop down their 12Asherim and 13burn their carved images with fire.
6 "For 14you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be 15a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 7:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 7

In this chapter the Israelites are exhorted to destroy the seven nations of the land of Canaan, when they entered into it, and to make no alliances with them of any kind, nor suffer any remains of idolatry to continue, De 7:1-5 to observe which, and other commands of God, they are urged from the consideration of their being freely chosen of God above all other people, and of their being redeemed out of the house of bondage, and of the Lord's being a covenant keeping God to them, De 7:6-11 and it is promised them, for their further encouragement to keep the commands of God, that they should have an increase of all temporal good things, and no evils and calamities should come upon them, De 6:12-16, and, lest they should be disheartened at the numbers and might of their enemies, they are put in mind of what God had done for them in Egypt, and of what he had promised to do for them now, De 7:17-20 and they are assured that the nations should be cast out before them by little and little, until they were utterly destroyed, De 7:21-24 and the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to destroy their images, and not admit anything of that sort to be brought into their houses, De 7:25,26.

Cross References 15

  • 1. Deuteronomy 31:3; Psalms 44:2, 3
  • 2. See Exodus 23:23
  • 3. Deuteronomy 4:38; Deuteronomy 9:1; Deuteronomy 11:23
  • 4. ver. 23; Deuteronomy 23:14
  • 5. Deuteronomy 20:17; Exodus 22:20; Leviticus 27:29; Numbers 21:2, 3
  • 6. Exodus 23:32; Exodus 34:12; Judges 2:2; [Deuteronomy 20:10; Joshua 2:14; Joshua 9:18; Judges 1:24]
  • 7. Exodus 34:16; Joshua 23:12, 13; 1 Kings 11:2; [Ezra 9:2]
  • 8. Deuteronomy 6:15
  • 9. [Deuteronomy 4:26; Deuteronomy 28:20]
  • 10. See Exodus 34:13
  • 11. See Exodus 34:13
  • 12. See Exodus 34:13
  • 13. ver. 25
  • 14. Deuteronomy 14:2; Deuteronomy 26:19; Deuteronomy 28:9; Exodus 19:6; Exodus 22:31; Jeremiah 2:3; Amos 3:2; 1 Peter 2:9; See Exodus 19:5
  • 15. Deuteronomy 14:2; Deuteronomy 26:19; Deuteronomy 28:9; Exodus 19:6; Exodus 22:31; Jeremiah 2:3; Amos 3:2; 1 Peter 2:9; See Exodus 19:5

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.