Deuteronomy 7:2
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What's striking here is that Israel isn't to initiate this judgment; they must wait until God delivers these nations into their hand. This highlights that the command for destruction wasn't about Israel's aggression but about God executing His righteous judgment through them, acting as agents for a justice that was long overdue for these deeply wicked nations.
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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Israel is on the verge of entering the Promised Land, a land inhabited by several powerful nations. God has just commanded them to utterly destroy these peoples, making no treaties or showing them any mercy. This rigorous command is presented as a necessary step to ensure Israel's faithfulness to God and to cleanse the land itself from the deep-seated wickedness of its inhabitants.
Imagine receiving a command to utterly destroy an entire people. How do we grapple with such a stark directive in God's Word?
The command in Deuteronomy 7:2 to 'utterly destroy' (Hebrew: cherem) these nations was not a call to wanton violence. It was a specific act of devotion to God, setting these people and their possessions apart for destruction as a judgment for their extreme wickedness.
A Devoted Thing
Why such a harsh prohibition against making any agreements or showing compassion?
The command 'You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them' was essential for Israel's spiritual survival and purity. It was a protective measure against the pervasive idolatry and corrupt practices of the Canaanite nations.
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Preserving Purity
Understand the original words
berit · Hebrew Noun
A formal, binding agreement between two parties, often involving promises, obligations, and consequences, frequently used in Scripture to describe God's relationship with His people.
charam · Hebrew Verb
A specialized Hebrew term (cherem) referring to something set apart exclusively for God, often implying total destruction or dedication to judgment, ensuring the purity of Israel from idolatrous influence.
This passage echoes the command for 'complete destruction' (herem) given in Deuteronomy, highlighting that Jericho was devoted to destruction as an act of obedience and judgment.
Exodus 23:32-33This earlier instruction warns against making covenants with the inhabitants of the land, directly foreshadowing the prohibition in Deuteronomy 7:2 and explaining the danger of their influence.
Judges 2:2-3This passage shows the consequence of Israel's failure to obey the command from Deuteronomy, illustrating how the nations left among them became 'thorns in your sides' and led to further sin.
1 Samuel 15:3King Saul's disobedience in failing to utterly destroy the Amalekites, contrary to God's command, demonstrates the seriousness of the prohibition against showing mercy and making covenants, with severe consequences.
calvinDeuteronomy 7:1-4: "When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;"
- When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and…
clarkeDeuteronomy 7:2: "And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:"
Thou shalt smite them, etc. - These idolatrous nations were to be utterly destroyed, and all the others also which were contiguous to the boundaries of the promised land, provided they did not renounce their idolatry and receive the true faith: for if they did not, then no covenant was to be made with them…
What's striking here is that Israel isn't to initiate this judgment; they must wait until God delivers these nations into their hand. This highlights that the command for destruction wasn't about Israel's aggression but about God executing His righteous judgment through them, acting as agents for a justice that was long overdue for these deeply wicked nations.
Israel is on the verge of entering the Promised Land, a land inhabited by several powerful nations. God has just commanded them to utterly destroy these peoples, making no treaties or showing them any mercy. This rigorous command is presented as a necessary step to ensure Israel's faithfulness to God and to cleanse the land itself from the deep-seated wickedness of its inhabitants.
Israel is on the verge of entering the Promised Land, a land inhabited by several powerful nations. God has just commanded them to utterly destroy these peoples, making no treaties or showing them any mercy. This rigorous command is presented as a necessary step to ensure Israel's faithfulness to God and to cleanse the land itself from the deep-seated wickedness of its inhabitants.
"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." — What's striking here is that Israel isn't to initiate this judgment; they must wait until God delivers these nations into their hand. This highlights that the command for destruction wasn't about I…
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Last reviewed October 2026
