Deuteronomy 7:7-8
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God didn't choose Israel because of their size or strength, but precisely because they were the fewest. This highlights that their election wasn't earned or based on any merit of their own, but was a deliberate act of God's sovereign love and faithfulness to His promises.
It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Moses is reminding Israel that their special relationship with God wasn't earned by their size or strength, but was a sovereign choice based on God's love and faithfulness to their ancestors. This immediately follows instructions to drive out the Canaanite nations, emphasizing that Israel’s victory and inheritance were not due to their own merit. The point is to prevent them from becoming arrogant in their new land, reinforcing that God's favor is a gift to be cherished and responded to with obedience.
Ever wondered why you were chosen by God? It's a question that echoes through history for believers. Israel was chosen, but the reason might surprise you.
Deuteronomy 7:7 makes it crystal clear: God's choice of Israel wasn't based on their impressive size or power.
Not About Quantity
The text explicitly states, 'It was not because you were more in number than any other people...' This directly challenges any idea that God picks favorites based on popularity or sheer numbers. It wasn't about Israel being the biggest or strongest nation around. In fact, the opposite is presented as the truth.
The Fewest of All
The verse continues, 'for you were the fewest of all peoples.' This is a radical statement! When God first called Abraham and established His covenant, Israel was a mere family, a tiny speck compared to the established nations of the world. Even as they were about to enter the Promised Land, they were fewer than the nations they were displacing.
This highlights a profound theological point: God's selection is not influenced by human merit, strength, or quantity. It is an act of His sovereign will and grace, independent of anything in us.
If numbers aren't the reason, what drives God's incredible act of choosing a people? The answer is simpler and more profound than we might imagine.
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While Deuteronomy 7:7 focuses on what wasn't the reason for Israel's election, the surrounding context and the language used point to the true motivation: God's own love.
An Affectionate Commitment
The phrase 'set his love on you' (Hebrew: 'ahav') signifies a deep, affectionate commitment. It's not a casual liking, but a strong attachment, a devotion that binds God to His people. This love is the wellspring from which His choosing flows.
Rooted in His Promise
This love wasn't just a spontaneous feeling. As Calvin points out, God's love was also tied to His oath sworn to the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He chose Israel because He loved them, and He loved them because of His promises to their ancestors. This shows God's faithfulness across generations, initiating and sustaining His relationship with humanity based on His character and His covenant, not on Israel's merit.
God's choice is an act of grace, an outflow of His own loving, covenant-keeping nature.
Understand the original words
ʾāhab · Hebrew Verb
The Hebrew word for love in this context often implies a covenantal, loyal, and volitional commitment, rather than mere emotional affection. It denotes a deliberate choice to set one's affection upon and commit to the well-being of another.
šebûʿâ · Hebrew Noun
A solemn promise or pledge, often made before God, binding the promiser to a course of action. Biblical oaths are irrevocable and form the basis of divine reliability.
pādâ · Hebrew Verb
To buy back or liberate from bondage through the payment of a price or by power. It signifies God's intervention to rescue His people from slavery or judgment.
This passage echoes the theme of God's sovereign choice, emphasizing that obedience and 'hearkening to the voice of the LORD' are more pleasing to Him than outward offerings, much like Israel's election was not based on their merit or size but on God's will.
John 15:16Jesus tells His disciples, 'You did not choose me, but I chose you,' which directly parallels the concept in Deuteronomy that God’s choice of Israel was not initiated by them but by His own sovereign love and purpose.
Romans 9:11-13Paul discusses God's sovereign election, using the example of Jacob and Esau, to show that God's purpose in choosing a people is not based on works but on His own calling, reinforcing the idea that Israel's selection was an act of pure grace.
Ephesians 1:4-5This passage highlights that God chose believers in Christ before the foundation of the world, not because of anything they had done, but according to the purpose of His will and His abundant grace, mirroring the unconditional nature of God's choice of Israel.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29The Apostle Paul points out that God often chooses those who are considered weak, foolish, or lowly by worldly standards, underscoring the principle that God's selection of Israel, the 'fewest of all peoples,' was intended to demonstrate that salvation comes through Him alone, not human strength or status.
gillDeuteronomy 7:7: "The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:"
The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you,.... He had done both, and the one as the effect and evidence of the other; he loved them, and therefore he chose them; but neither of them: because ye were more in number than any people; not for the quantity of them, nor even for the quality of them: for ye were the fewest of all…
calvinDeuteronomy 7:6-8: "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth."
But because the Lord loved you-- and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers-- hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand-- and redeemed you out of the house of bond-men-- from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Sed quia diligebat vos Jehova-- et custodire vole…
God didn't choose Israel because of their size or strength, but precisely because they were the fewest. This highlights that their election wasn't earned or based on any merit of their own, but was a deliberate act of God's sovereign love and faithfulness to His promises.
Moses is reminding Israel that their special relationship with God wasn't earned by their size or strength, but was a sovereign choice based on God's love and faithfulness to their ancestors. This immediately follows instructions to drive out the Canaanite nations, emphasizing that Israel’s victory and inheritance were not due to their own merit. The point is to prevent them from becoming arrogant in their new land, reinforcing that God's favor is a gift to be cherished and responded to with obedience.
Moses is reminding Israel that their special relationship with God wasn't earned by their size or strength, but was a sovereign choice based on God's love and faithfulness to their ancestors. This immediately follows instructions to drive out the Canaanite nations, emphasizing that Israel’s victory and inheritance were not due to their own merit. The point is to prevent them from becoming arrogant in their new land, reinforcing that God's favor is a gift to be cherished and responded to with obedience.
"It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fa…" — God didn't choose Israel because of their size or strength, but precisely because they were the fewest. This highlights that their election wasn't earned or based on any merit of their own, but was…
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Last reviewed October 2026
