Deuteronomy 7:16-26

16 "You shall consume all the peoples whom the LORD your God will deliver to you; 1your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be 2a snare to you.
17 "If you should say in your heart, 'These nations are greater than I; how can I 3dispossess them?'
18 you shall not be afraid of them; you shall well 4remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:
19 5the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.
20 "Moreover, the LORD your God will send 6the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish.
21 "You shall not dread them, for 7the LORD your God is in your midst, 8a great and awesome God.
22 "9The LORD your God will clear away these nations before * you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you.
23 "10But the LORD your God will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.
24 "11He will deliver their kings into your hand so that you will make their name perish from under heaven; 12no man will be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them.
25 "The graven images of their gods you are to 13burn with fire; you shall 14not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be 15snared by it, for it is an 16abomination to the LORD your God.
26 "You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it come under the 17ban; you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned.

Deuteronomy 7:16-26 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 17

  • 1. Deuteronomy 7:2
  • 2. Exodus 23:33; Judges 8:27; Psalms 106:36
  • 3. Numbers 33:53
  • 4. Psalms 105:5
  • 5. Deuteronomy 4:34
  • 6. Exodus 23:28; Joshua 24:12
  • 7. Exodus 29:45; Joshua 3:10
  • 8. Deuteronomy 10:17; Nehemiah 1:5; Nehemiah 9:32
  • 9. Exodus 23:29, 30
  • 10. Exodus 23:27; Joshua 10:10
  • 11. Joshua 6:2; Joshua 10:23-25
  • 12. Deuteronomy 11:25; Joshua 1:5; Joshua 10:8; Joshua 23:9
  • 13. Exodus 32:20; Deuteronomy 12:3; 1 Chronicles 14:12
  • 14. Exodus 20:17
  • 15. Deuteronomy 7:16; Judges 8:27
  • 16. Deuteronomy 17:1
  • 17. Leviticus 27:28

Footnotes 3

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