King James Version
Deuteronomy 7
26 verses with commentary
Destroying the Nations
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;
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
God's command to conquer Canaan establishes His sovereignty over nations and judgment upon wickedness. The seven nations—Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—represent complete and comprehensive opposition to God's holy purposes. The phrase 'greater and mightier than thou' emphasizes that victory depends on God's power, not Israel's strength. The Hebrew <...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
VII.
(1) **When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land. . . .**—The former chapter applies the Decalogue to the love of Jehovah and of His word, and to faith in Him as the God of Israel; and thus it may be regarded as an expansion of the first commandment. The exhortation in this chapter concerns the treatment of idolaters in the conquest of Canaan, and the avoidance of all such intercour...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-18. we passed ... through the way of the plain--**the Arabah or great valley, from Elath ("trees") (the Ailah of the Greeks and Romans). The site of it is marked by extensive mounds of rubbish.
**Ezion-geber--**now Akaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moab on the southeast of the Salt Sea....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The command to 'utterly destroy' (<em>herem</em>) and 'make no covenant' establishes absolute separation from idolatry. This wasn't ethnic hatred but theological necessity—compromise with wickedness inevitably leads to corruption. The prohibition against showing mercy (<em>lo techonnem</em>) doesn't contradict God's merciful character but reflects the severity required when confronting systemic ev...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee. . . .**—It would be possible to read, “*Then *the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, and thou shalt smite.” Or the sentence might also be divided thus: *“*When the Lord thy God shall bring thee in, and shall have delivered the nations from before thee, and thou hast smitten them, *then *thou shalt utterly destroy them”—i.e.,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-18. we passed ... through the way of the plain--**the Arabah or great valley, from Elath ("trees") (the Ailah of the Greeks and Romans). The site of it is marked by extensive mounds of rubbish.
**Ezion-geber--**now Akaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moab on the southeast of the Salt Sea....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The prohibition against intermarriage with pagan nations addresses covenant purity and spiritual protection. This wasn't racial prejudice but theological preservation—marriage creates the most intimate covenant bond, and spiritual unity is foundational (Amos 3:3, 'Can two walk together except they be agreed?'). The command recognizes marriage's formative power in shaping religious identity and pra...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-18. we passed ... through the way of the plain--**the Arabah or great valley, from Elath ("trees") (the Ailah of the Greeks and Romans). The site of it is marked by extensive mounds of rubbish.
**Ezion-geber--**now Akaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moab on the southeast of the Salt Sea....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals the spiritual trajectory of compromise—it 'will turn away thy son from following me.' The Hebrew <em>yasur</em> (turn away) describes apostasy, not minor deviation. One generation's compromise becomes the next generation's captivity. God's 'anger' (<em>aph</em>, literally 'nostril,' indicating flared nostrils) is His holy response to covenant violation. The phrase 'destroy thee ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-18. we passed ... through the way of the plain--**the Arabah or great valley, from Elath ("trees") (the Ailah of the Greeks and Romans). The site of it is marked by extensive mounds of rubbish.
**Ezion-geber--**now Akaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moab on the southeast of the Salt Sea....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →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. their images: Heb. their statues, or, pillars
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The command to destroy altars, images, groves (Asherah poles), and graven images reflects total war against idolatry. This wasn't cultural vandalism but spiritual surgery—removing cancer before it metastasizes. Each element represented different aspects of Canaanite worship: altars (sacrificial systems), images (<em>matstsebah</em>, stone pillars), groves (<em>asherah</em>, wooden cult objects), a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Ye shall destroy their altars. . . .—**This course, if adopted in a conquered territory, would be certain to bring matters to a crisis. The inhabitants must rise in defence of the objects of their worship—a course which would end in their extermination—or they must adopt the worship of Jehovah.
**Their groves.**—Here the grove itself in which the idol was worshipped, and so in Deuteronomy 16...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-18. we passed ... through the way of the plain--**the Arabah or great valley, from Elath ("trees") (the Ailah of the Greeks and Romans). The site of it is marked by extensive mounds of rubbish.
**Ezion-geber--**now Akaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moab on the southeast of the Salt Sea....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Israel's Holiness and Election:</strong> This verse declares Israel's unique identity and calling as God's chosen people. The Hebrew phrase "<em>ki am kadosh atah l'YHWH Elohekha</em>" (כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ) means "for a holy people you are to the LORD your God." The adjective "<em>kadosh</em>" (קָדוֹשׁ, holy) fundamentally means "set apart, consecrated, different"—not...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **An holy people.**—Not merely “a holy nation” (as in Exodus 19:6), but “a holy *people” i.e., *a *state *of which holiness to Jehovah was the very constitution. If God pleased to establish such a state, manifestly its laws could allow no toleration of anything displeasing to Him. And it is also manifest that nothing but Divine revelation would authorise the establishment of such a constitutio...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-18. we passed ... through the way of the plain--**the Arabah or great valley, from Elath ("trees") (the Ailah of the Greeks and Romans). The site of it is marked by extensive mounds of rubbish.
**Ezion-geber--**now Akaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moab on the southeast of the Salt Sea....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse establishes divine election as the foundation of Israel's special status. The Lord's love and choice were not based on Israel's size, strength, or merit—'ye were the fewest of all people.' The Hebrew <em>chashaq</em> (set his love) denotes strong attachment and desire, emphasizing God's sovereign affection. This is pure grace, not earned favor. The doctrine of unconditional election per...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **The Lord did not . . . choose you, because ye were more.**—The danger lest Israel’s peculiar relation to the Most High should beget national pride is so obvious, that Moses takes special pains to counteract it by asserting God’s sovereignty in the choice.
**Ye were the fewest of all people.**—It may be observed that the development of the Moabites, Ammonites, Ishmaelites, and Edomites (all, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-18. we passed ... through the way of the plain--**the Arabah or great valley, from Elath ("trees") (the Ailah of the Greeks and Romans). The site of it is marked by extensive mounds of rubbish.
**Ezion-geber--**now Akaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moab on the southeast of the Salt Sea....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse grounds Israel's election in God's love and covenant faithfulness. The phrase 'because the LORD loved you' (<em>me'ahavat YHWH</em>) makes divine love the ultimate explanation. God's love is uncaused, flowing from His nature not Israel's attractiveness. The 'oath to your fathers' refers to the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 22:16-18), demonstrating God's covenant immutabi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **But because the Lord loved you.**—And this, again, was not due to themselves, as he points out fully in Deuteronomy 9:4, &c.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →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;
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The command 'Know therefore' (<em>yada'ta</em>) means experiential, intimate knowledge, not mere intellectual assent. God's faithfulness (<em>ne'eman</em>) means He is trustworthy, reliable, unchanging. 'Keepeth covenant and mercy' shows God's commitment to both justice (covenant) and compassion (mercy, <em>chesed</em>). The promise extends 'to a thousand generations'—hyperbolic language indicatin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9-11) These verses are a direct comment upon the second commandment. The “thousands of them that love Him” are here expanded into a “thousand generations.” The “hatred,” too, is the same thing denoted there: “Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
God's righteous judgment balances His covenant mercy. 'Repayeth them that hate him to their face' (<em>meshalleim leson'av el-panav</em>) means swift, direct, personal judgment. The phrase 'to their face' emphasizes that God's justice is neither delayed nor indirect—He confronts rebellion openly. 'He will not be slack' (<em>lo ye'acher</em>) means God doesn't procrastinate in judgment. This vindic...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The word 'Therefore' (<em>shamarta</em>, 'keep, guard, observe') connects doctrine to duty. Because God is faithful (v. 9) and just (v. 10), Israel must obey. The triad 'commandments, statutes, and judgments' (<em>mitzvah, chuqqim, mishpatim</em>) encompasses all aspects of covenant law: moral commands, ceremonial regulations, and civil ordinances. 'This day' emphasizes immediate, present obedienc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
Intercourse with the Canaanites forbidden.(1-11)
Promises if they were obedient.(12-26)
**Verses 1-11**
Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentione...
Read full commentary →Blessings for Obedience
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: if: Heb. because
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The conditional 'if ye hearken... and keep... and do' establishes covenant blessing as responsive to obedience. This isn't works-salvation but covenant relationship—God promises blessing to those who walk in His ways. The threefold structure (hearken, keep, do) emphasizes progression: hearing leads to guarding (treasuring) which results in doing. The promise that 'the LORD thy God shall keep unto ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) At this point begins the third of the Hebrew divisions of the book.
**If ye hearken.**—Literally, *as a return for your hearkening. *(See Note on Deuteronomy 8:19.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
God's blessing encompasses comprehensive flourishing: relational ('love thee'), spiritual ('bless thee'), numerical ('multiply thee'), and material prosperity (agricultural abundance). The Hebrew <em>barak</em> ('bless') means to endue with power for success and prosperity. The detailed list—womb, land, corn, wine, oil, cattle, sheep—shows God's care extends to every area of life. This is covenant...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **The flocks.**—The word here employed for flocks is peculiar to Deuteronomy in this sense. It occurs in Deuteronomy 28:4; Deuteronomy 28:18; Deuteronomy 28:51. It is in form identical with Ashtaroth, and signifies “increase,” or progeny.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The promise 'blessed above all people' establishes Israel's unique status as recipients of God's covenant favor. The absence of barrenness (in humans and livestock) signifies divine blessing and fulfilled purpose. In ancient culture, barrenness was considered curse or divine disfavor (Genesis 30:1-2; 1 Samuel 1:5-8). This promise reverses that curse, showing God's blessing brings fruitfulness. The...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **All people.**—Literally, *all the peoples: i.e., *all other states and communities.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
God promises to remove sickness and reverse the plagues of Egypt upon Israel's enemies. The 'evil diseases of Egypt' likely refers to plagues experienced during the Exodus and endemic diseases in Egypt (dysentery, ophthalmia, skin diseases). This demonstrates God's sovereign control over health and disease—both blessing and curse flow from His hand. The promise is covenant-conditional: obedience b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Evil diseases.**—The word for diseases here used is found only in Deuteronomy (see Deuteronomy 28:60). It must not be forgotten that the law of Moses was in many of its details a sanitary quite as much as a moral code. Some of the associations of this word and the root from which it is derived would seem to point to those “languors” and “infirmities” which arise from neglect and violation o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The command to 'consume' (<em>akal</em>, 'devour, destroy') the Canaanite peoples continues the <em>herem</em> (devoted destruction) theme. 'Thine eye shall have no pity' prohibits sentimental mercy that enables evil. This is judicial hardness, not personal cruelty—executing God's judgment requires overcoming natural compassion that would spare the guilty. The warning 'that will be a snare unto th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Thou shalt consume (literally, *eat up**) all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee.*—When delivered to Israel, they are delivered for execution; but the time of delivery is in the hand of Jehovah. (Comp. the words of Caleb and Joshua in Numbers 14:9 : “*They are bread for us: *their shadow is departed from them, and the Lord is with us.”)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse anticipates Israel's fear when facing militarily superior enemies. 'If thou shalt say in thine heart' addresses internal doubt and discouragement. The nations are 'more than I'—numerically and militarily superior. The question 'how can I dispossess them?' is human reason calculating impossibility. Faith, however, calculates based on God's power and promises, not visible circumstances. T...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The command 'Thou shalt not be afraid' addresses the fear anticipated in verse 17. Fear is conquered by remembrance: 'shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh.' The Hebrew <em>zakar tizkor</em> (emphatic remembrance) means to recall with full attention and application. Past redemption provides confidence for present challenges. Pharaoh and Egypt were the ancient world's superpowe...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember . . . Egypt.**—No free nation could ever have the same ground for terror as a nation of slaves rising up against its masters. If Israel had been delivered by Jehovah in *that *position, it was a security for all time that He would give them the victory in every enterprise He called them to undertake.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →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 .
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse expands on 'remembering' by listing specific evidences of God's power: 'temptations' (tests/trials), 'signs' (<em>otot</em>, miraculous signs), 'wonders' (<em>mophetim</em>, extraordinary displays), 'mighty hand,' and 'stretched out arm.' The cumulative effect is overwhelming proof of God's power. The phrase 'which thine eyes saw' emphasizes eyewitness testimony—this isn't hearsay but p...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **The great temptations.**—The several repetitions of the summons to Pharaoh that he should let Israel go, accompanied and enforced by plagues, may well be called “temptations” in the sense of *trials *of his character. The word “temptation” in the sense of “inducement to sin” is very rare, if not absolutely wanting, in the Old Testament.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.
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KJV Study Commentary
The 'hornet' (<em>tsir'ah</em>) represents God's use of natural means and terror to accomplish His purposes. Some scholars debate whether this is literal (insects driving out inhabitants) or metaphorical (divinely-sent panic). Either way, it demonstrates God's comprehensive control over all creation—even small creatures serve His purposes. The phrase 'until they... be destroyed' shows God's thorou...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **The hornet.**—To be understood literally. (See on Deuteronomy 1:44, and Joshua 24:12.) The “land flowing with (milk and) honey” may well have swarmed with bees and hornets.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
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KJV Study Commentary
The command 'Thou shalt not be affrighted' (literally 'shattered with terror') is grounded in God's presence: 'the LORD thy God is among you.' Divine presence is the antidote to fear. God's character is described as 'mighty God and terrible'—<em>El gadol venora</em> (great and awesome God). This isn't terrifying in the sense of capricious danger but awe-inspiring in power and holiness. The same Go...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →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. put: Heb. pluck off
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KJV Study Commentary
God's gradual conquest strategy ('by little and little') serves wise purposes: preventing land desolation and wild beast proliferation. This shows divine wisdom in means as well as ends—God's purposes are accomplished at His pace, not ours. Immediate total conquest would have created ecological problems (abandoned farmland reverting to wilderness, dangerous animal populations). This teaches patien...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **The Lord thy God will put out.**—The word for “putting out” is illustrated by its use in Deuteronomy 19:5, of the axe-head flying off from the handle in the midst of a blow, and of the olive “casting” his fruit in Deuteronomy 28:40. (Comp. also 2Kings 16:6, and 1Samuel 25:29, for a similar thought.)
**By little and little.**—This confirms the view already expressed, that the expulsion of ea...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. unto: Heb. before thy face
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KJV Study Commentary
The Lord's 'mighty destruction' (<em>mehumah gedolah</em>, great confusion/panic) describes divine intervention causing disarray in enemy ranks. This isn't merely military victory but supernatural disruption. Similar language appears in Joshua 10:10 (Gibeon), Judges 4:15 (Sisera), and 1 Samuel 7:10 (Philistines)—God threw enemies into confusion, enabling Israel's victory. The phrase 'until they be...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The promise to deliver Canaanite kings and destroy their names signifies complete conquest and erasure of dynasties. In ancient culture, a king's name represented his dynasty and legacy—destroying the name meant ending the line. The phrase 'no man be able to stand before thee' echoes God's promise to Joshua (Joshua 1:5) and was fulfilled literally (Joshua 10:8; 11:6). This demonstrates God's power...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **He shall deliver their kings into thine hand.**—In the summary of Joshua’s conquest (Joshua 12) the kings are reckoned for the cities. Special mention is made of seven of them, who were hanged.
**There shall no man be able to stand before thee.**—A promise personally renewed to Joshua (Joshua 1:5), and fulfilled to Israel under his command (Josh. 20:44).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The command to burn graven images and reject the precious metals adorning them addresses the temptation of materialism in spiritual warfare. The silver and gold on idols could rationalize preserving them ('just for the valuable material'), but God prohibits this. 'Lest thou be snared therein' shows how greed creates spiritual compromise. The language 'abomination to the LORD' (<em>to'evat YHWH</em...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25, 26) These words are a special warning against the sin which Achan committed (Joshua 7:21): “I coveted them, and took them.” They also describe the consequences which he experienced, together with his whole household, being made *chêrem. *devoted or accursed by the spoil which he took from Jericho. (See on Joshua 7)
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The prohibition against bringing 'an abomination into thine house' extends the principle of total separation from idolatry into personal and domestic space. Your house becomes defiled by association with cursed objects. The warning 'lest thou be a cursed thing like it' shows that contamination works by contact—touching what God curses brings you under curse. The emphatic language 'utterly detest.....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19-37. when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--**The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-26**
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good fo...
Read full commentary →