Deuteronomy 7:2
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)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
{ "references": [ { "reference": "Joshua 6:17", "connection": "This passage describes the complete destruction of Jericho, illustrating the principle of 'devoting to destruction' (herem) that was commanded for the Canaanites." }, { "reference": "1 Samuel 15:3", "connection": "This account shows Saul failing to carry out God's command for complete destruction against the Amalekites, highlighting the severe consequences of disobedience and misplaced mercy." }, { "reference": "Leviticus 18:24-30", "connection": "This passage explains the moral corruption of the Canaanites, providing the underlying reason for God's judgment and the command for their removal to prevent Israel from being defiled." }, { "reference": "Exodus 34:12-16", "connection": "This passage reiterates the prohibition against making covenants and intermarrying with the inhabitants of the land, warning that their practices would lead Israel astray." } ] }
God is about to bring Israel into the Promised Land, a land inhabited by seven nations stronger than they. Before they enter, God commands Israel to completely destroy these nations, making no treaties or showing them any mercy. This stern instruction is rooted in the deep-seated idolatry and wickedness of these peoples, whose sin had reached its limit.
Why did God command such severe judgment on these nations? It wasn't arbitrary cruelty, but a deliberate act of divine justice.
The command to 'utterly destroy' (Hebrew: herem) these nations wasn't about indiscriminate violence. It was a targeted judgment against deeply ingrained wickedness and idolatry that had reached a point of no return.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Deuteronomy 7:2 is available in the Sola app.
This wasn't about 'God vs. people,' but about God's holy standard and the devastating consequences of rejecting Him.
Why was Israel forbidden to make any 'covenant' or show 'mercy' to these specific nations?
This command highlights a critical principle: there is no neutral ground when it comes to worship and allegiance to God. Compromise with deeply entrenched idolatry is spiritual poison.
The danger wasn't just physical defeat, but the spiritual corruption that would lead to ultimate destruction.
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 directly echoes Deuteronomy 7:2, warning Israel not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of Canaan or their gods, highlighting the persistent danger of idolatry and compromise.
Joshua 6:17The command to 'devote' or utterly destroy Jericho is a specific instance of the principle laid out in Deuteronomy 7:2, showing the application of 'herem' (complete destruction) as a judgment from God.
1 Samuel 15:3This passage shows King Saul failing to obey the command for complete destruction ('herem') against the Amalekites, which God had commanded centuries earlier, illustrating the severe consequences of disobedience and showing mercy where God commanded none.
Romans 12:1Paul's call for believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices is a spiritual application of 'devotion' or 'dedication.' This contrasts the outward, physical devotion commanded in Deuteronomy with the inward, spiritual devotion required of Christians today, urging us to offer our whole selves to God.
2 Corinthians 6:14This verse warns against being 'unequally yoked together with unbelievers,' directly paralleling the prohibition in Deuteronomy 7:2 against making covenants and alliances with idolaters, emphasizing the spiritual danger of close association with those who do not follow God.
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…
{ "references": [ { "reference": "Joshua 6:17", "connection": "This passage describes the complete destruction of Jericho, illustrating the principle of 'devoting to destruction' (herem) that was commanded for the Canaanites." }, { "reference": "1 Samuel 15:3", "connection": "This account shows Saul failing to carry out God's command for complete destruction against the Amalekites, highlighting the severe consequences of disobedience and misplaced mercy." }, { "reference": "Leviticus 18:24-30", "connection": "This passage explains the moral corruption of the Canaanites, providing the underlying reason for God's judgment and the command for their removal to prevent Israel from being defiled." }, { "reference": "Exodus 34:12-16", "connection": "This passage reiterates the prohibition against making covenants and intermarrying with the inhabitants of the land, warning that their practices would lead Israel astray." } ] }
God is about to bring Israel into the Promised Land, a land inhabited by seven nations stronger than they. Before they enter, God commands Israel to completely destroy these nations, making no treaties or showing them any mercy. This stern instruction is rooted in the deep-seated idolatry and wickedness of these peoples, whose sin had reached its limit.
God is about to bring Israel into the Promised Land, a land inhabited by seven nations stronger than they. Before they enter, God commands Israel to completely destroy these nations, making no treaties or showing them any mercy. This stern instruction is rooted in the deep-seated idolatry and wickedness of these peoples, whose sin had reached its limit.
"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." — { "references": [ { "reference": "Joshua 6:17", "connection": "This passage describes the complete destruction of Jericho, illustrating the principle of 'devoting to destruction' (h…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
