Deuteronomy 7:17

17 But if thou shouldest say in thine heart, This nation greater than I, how shall I be able to destroy them utterly?

Deuteronomy 7:17 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 7:17

If thou shall say in thine heart
Should have secret thoughts arise in the heart, misgivings of heart, fears and doubts there, which, though not outwardly expressed, might be inwardly retained:

these nations are more than I;
seven to one, and perhaps anyone of them as powerful as Israel:

how can I dispossess them?
of the land they inherit, and take possession of it.

Deuteronomy 7:17 In-Context

15 And the Lord thy God shall remove from thee all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou hast seen, and all that thou hast known, will he lay upon thee; but he will lay them upon all that hate thee.

16 And thou shalt eat all the spoils of the nations which the Lord thy God gives thee; thine eye shall not spare them, and thou shalt not serve their gods; for this is an offence to thee.

17 But if thou shouldest say in thine heart, This nation greater than I, how shall I be able to destroy them utterly?

18 thou shalt not fear them; thou shalt surely remember all that the Lord thy God did to Pharao and to all the Egyptians:

19 the great temptations which thine eyes have seen, those signs and great wonders, the strong hand, and the high arm; how the Lord thy God brought thee forth: so the Lord your God will do to all the nations, whom thou fearest in their presence.

Footnotes

• [a]. more.