Deuteronomy Chapter 7
Showing all 26 verses for Deuteronomy Chapter 7.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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 your God brings you into the land you're about to enter and take over, and clears away many nations ahead of you - the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations bigger and stronger than you -"
This verse describes a specific, one-time historical conquest of a particular land at a particular moment, not a template for how to treat people in general. Jesus later redefines how His followers engage the nations entirely - not through conquest, but through sharing good news with humility and love towards every people group.
"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: "
"and when the LORD your God hands them over to you and you defeat them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy."
This severe command belongs to a specific ancient conquest bound up with removing corrupting idol-worship from the land, not a pattern for how you should treat people today. Jesus flips the posture entirely, calling you to show mercy and make peace with others rather than treat anyone as an enemy to be destroyed.
"Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. "
"Do not intermarry with them - do not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons."
The concern behind this restriction on intermarriage was spiritual - protecting the community from being drawn into idolatry, not ethnic prejudice. Jesus welcomes people from every background into His family, showing that the real danger was never a person's origin but a divided heart's loyalty.
"For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. "
"Because they will turn your children away from following me, to serve other gods - and then the LORD's anger will burn against you and destroy you quickly."
The worry here is that compromised loyalties turn hearts away towards other gods - a real and understandable spiritual danger. Jesus wants your relationships to draw you closer to Him, and calls you to choose companions and influences that nurture your faith rather than quietly erode it.
"But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. "
"Instead, this is what you must do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred stone pillars, cut down their sacred poles, and burn their idols with fire."
Destroying altars and idols was about removing the objects of false worship from a land meant to belong wholly to God. Jesus calls you to a similar clearing-out today - not of physical objects necessarily, but of anything in your life competing for the devotion that belongs to Him alone.
"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. "
"For you are a people set apart, holy to the LORD your God - the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own treasured people, out of all the peoples on the face of the earth."
Being chosen as a special people wasn't about superiority but about calling - set apart to display God's character to the watching world. Jesus calls His followers the same way, a chosen people not to boast over others but to shine His love and truth into every corner of life.
"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 didn't set his love on you or choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples - you were actually the smallest of all peoples."
God's choice of Israel had nothing to do with size or strength - if anything, they were the least likely candidates. Jesus consistently chooses the humble and overlooked, reminding you that His love was never about your impressiveness but simply about His grace.
"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 bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. "
"But because the LORD loved you, and because he wanted to keep the oath he swore to your ancestors, the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand and rescued you from slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt."
God's love and faithfulness to His promises, not any merit of Israel's, drove their rescue from Egypt - grace preceded and produced the deliverance. Jesus rescues you on exactly the same basis, His love and faithfulness to His promise, not anything you've done to deserve it.
"Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; "
"Know then that the LORD your God is God - the faithful God, who keeps his covenant and his loyal love for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments,"
God is faithful, keeping covenant and mercy across a thousand generations for those who love Him - His reliability is the bedrock of hope. Jesus embodies this same unshakable faithfulness, a promise-keeper you can trust completely across every season of your life.
"And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. "
"but pays back those who hate him, to their face, by destroying them. He will not hesitate to repay anyone who hates him - he will pay it back to their face."
God's justice towards those who hate Him is described as certain and personal - He doesn't overlook persistent, unrepentant rebellion. Jesus, while offering endless mercy to the repentant, also takes sin with full seriousness, showing that grace never means indifference to evil.
"Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. "
"Therefore, keep the commandments, statutes, and laws that I am commanding you today, and put them into practice."
Keeping the commandments given this day is presented as an ongoing, present responsibility, not a one-time decision. Jesus calls you to this same daily faithfulness, choosing again each day to walk in step with what He has taught you.
"Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: "
"And it will happen that if you listen to these laws, and keep and do them, then the LORD your God will keep the covenant and the loyal love he swore to your ancestors, for you."
Obedience here is tied to God keeping His covenant promise and mercy - a relationship of trust flowing both ways. Jesus keeps every promise made to you, and He simply invites your faithful response as part of a living, ongoing relationship rather than a cold transaction.
"And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. "
"He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless your children, the produce of your land, your grain, new wine, and oil, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks, in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you."
The blessings promised here - fruitfulness in family, land, and flock - picture a holistic flourishing that touches every area of life. Jesus offers this same abundant life today, blessing that reaches into relationships, work, and wellbeing, not just spiritual matters narrowly defined.
"Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. "
"You will be blessed above all peoples - there will be no infertility among your men or women, or among your livestock."
Being blessed above all people, with fruitfulness rather than barrenness, speaks to God's generous provision for those who love Him. Jesus wants you to trust that same generous heart, believing He delights in your flourishing rather than begrudging you good things.
"And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. "
"And the LORD will take away all sickness from you, and he will not put any of the terrible diseases of Egypt that you know about on you - instead he will put them on all those who hate you."
God's promise to remove sickness reflects His deep concern for physical wellbeing, not just spiritual matters. Jesus demonstrated this same compassion constantly, healing the sick wherever He went, showing that God cares about your body and its suffering, not just your soul.
"And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. "
"You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God hands over to you - do not pity them, and do not serve their gods, because that would be a trap for you."
This command belongs to a specific, ancient military context aimed at removing corrupting idolatry from the land - it isn't a template for how to treat people generally. Jesus calls His followers instead towards compassion and pity for every person, even those who oppose Him, since He came to save rather than destroy.
"If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? "
"If you say to yourself: These nations are more numerous than I am - how can I possibly drive them out? -"
This honest fear - facing nations more numerous and powerful - names a real, natural human anxiety in the face of overwhelming odds. Jesus meets you in that same honest fear, not condemning you for feeling small before big challenges, but inviting you to bring that fear to Him.
"Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; "
"Do not be afraid of them. Remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all of Egypt."
Remembering what God has already done is the antidote offered here for fear - looking back at past faithfulness to find courage for what lies ahead. Jesus wants you to do the same, recalling His past faithfulness in your life whenever new fears try to take hold.
"The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid. "
"The great trials your own eyes saw, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm the LORD your God used to bring you out - the LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you're afraid of."
The great works God did in Egypt become the basis for confident hope in facing new, similarly overwhelming challenges. Jesus is that same God at work in your life, and the evidence of His past power is meant to steady your heart for whatever you face now.
"Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed. "
"What's more, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them, until even those who survive and hide from you are wiped out."
God sending the hornet ahead pictures His active, ongoing help clearing obstacles that human strength alone couldn't overcome. Jesus works the same way in your life, going ahead of you and preparing the way, so you're never facing life's challenges purely on your own strength.
"Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. "
"Do not be terrified of them, because the LORD your God is among you - a great and awesome God."
The command not to be afraid rests entirely on God's presence among them - a mighty and awesome God who is with them, not against them. Jesus gives you that same reassurance, His presence going with you as the true ground for courage in every fearful situation.
"And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. "
"The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little - you will not be able to destroy them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply and become a danger to you."
God's plan to work gradually, little by little, shows His wisdom often unfolds in patient stages rather than instant, overwhelming change. Jesus works this same way in your own growth, transforming your character patiently over time rather than all at once, so you can genuinely mature along the way.
"But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. "
"But the LORD your God will hand them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed."
This verse describes God's decisive intervention within a specific ancient conflict, assuring the people that their victory would ultimately come from Him. Jesus assures you of that same kind of decisive help in your own struggles, that final victory in the battles you face rests in His hands, not your own strength alone.
"And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. "
"He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them."
This describes a specific historical military outcome, not an ongoing template for conflict - the emphasis is on God's power to overcome overwhelming opposition. Jesus assures His followers that no earthly power can ultimately stand against what God has purposed, giving quiet confidence rather than fostering hostility towards others.
"The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. "
"You must burn the carved images of their gods with fire. Do not covet the silver or gold on them and take it for yourself, or you will be trapped by it - because it is detestable to the LORD your God."
The warning against being ensnared by silver or gold taken from idols shows how material temptation can quietly compromise spiritual devotion. Jesus warns you the same way, that even good things like wealth can become a snare if they capture the loyalty that belongs to Him alone.
"Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. "
"Do not bring a detestable thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it is. You must utterly detest it and utterly despise it, because it is set apart for destruction."
Refusing to bring an abomination into the house pictures the wisdom of not letting corrupting influences take up residence in your own life and home. Jesus calls you to guard your heart and home with that same care, keeping out whatever would quietly compromise your devotion to Him.