Deuteronomy 7:17-26

17 If thou sayest in thine heart, These folks be more than I, how may I do away them? (If thou sayest in thy heart, These nations, or these peoples, be more than I, how can I do them away?)

18 do not thou dread, but have thou mind, what things thy Lord God did to Pharaoh, and all the Egyptians; (do not thou fear, but remember, what things the Lord thy God did to Pharaoh, and to all the Egyptians;)

19 he did to them the greatest vengeances, which thine eyes saw, and miracles, and great wonders, and the strong hand, and an arm stretched out, that thy Lord God should lead thee out (from) thence; so he shall do to all peoples which thou dreadest. (he did to them the greatest vengeances, which thine eyes saw, and miracles, and great wonders, with a strong hand, and an outstretched arm, so that the Lord thy God could lead thee out from there; so shall he do to all the peoples whom thou fearest.)

20 Furthermore and thy Lord God shall send venomous flies into them, till he do away, and destroy all men, that fled (from) thee, and they shall not be able to be hid. (And furthermore, the Lord thy God shall send venomous flies into them, until he do away, and destroy, all those who fled from thee, and they shall not be able to hide from them.)

21 Thou shalt not dread them, for thy Lord God is in the midst of thee, a great God, and fearful. (Thou shalt not fear them, for the Lord thy God is in the midst of thee, yea, a great and fearful God.)

22 He himself shall waste these nations in thy sight, (by) little and little, and by parts; thou shalt not be able to do away them (al)together (but thou shalt not be able to completely do them away), lest peradventure [the] beasts of the earth be multiplied against thee;

23 and thy Lord God shall give them to thee in thy sight, and he shall slay them, till they be done away utterly. (and the Lord thy God shall give them over to thee, and he shall kill them, until they be utterly done away.)

24 And he shall betake their kings into thine hands, and thou shalt destroy their names under heaven; none shall be able to against-stand thee, till thou all-break them.

25 Thou shalt burn in fire their graven images; thou shalt not covet the silver and gold, of which those images be made, neither thou shalt take of those anything to thee, lest thou offend therefore, for it is abomination of thy Lord God. (Thou shalt burn their carved images with fire; thou shalt not covet the silver and gold, which be on those idols, nor shalt thou take it for thyself, lest thou be caused to stumble because of it, for they be abominations to the Lord thy God.)

26 Neither thou shalt bring anything of the idol into thine house, lest thou be made cursed, as also that idol is; thou shalt loathe it as filth, and thou shalt have it as defouling, and as filths of abomination, for it is cursed. (Nor shalt thou bring any idol into thy house, lest thou be cursed, like that idol is cursed; thou shalt loathe it like filth, and thou shalt see it as defiled, and like the filths of abominations, for it is cursed.)

Deuteronomy 7:17-26 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.