Deuteronomy 7

Deuteronomy · Chapter 7

Deuteronomy 7:17

1When 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;2And 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:3Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.4For 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.5But 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.6For 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.7The 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:8But 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.9Know 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;10And 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.11Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.12Wherefore 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:13And 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.14Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.15And 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.16And 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.17If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?18Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;19The 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.20Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.21Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.22And 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.23But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.24And 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.25The 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.26Neither 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.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
17If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?You may say in your heart, “These nations are greater than we are; how can we drive them out?”If thou shalt say in thy heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
forכִּ֤יkiH3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

you will sayתֹאמַר֙to-MARH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

in heart yourבִּלְבָ֣בְךָ֔bil-VA-ve-khaH3824
heart

לֵבָב (le.vav) 1) inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding 1a) inner part, midst 1a1) midst (of things) 1a2) heart (of man) 1a3) soul, heart (of man) 1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory 1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will) 1a6) conscience 1a7) heart (of moral character) 1a8) as seat of appetites 1a9) as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage Aramaic equivalent: le.vav (לְבַב "heart" H3825)

[are] greatרַבִּ֛יםra-BIMH7227A
many

רַב (rav) adj 1) much, many, great 1a) much 1b) many 1c) abounding in 1d) more numerous than 1e) abundant, enough 1f) great 1g) strong 1h) greater than adv 1i) much, exceedingly

the nationsהַגּוֹיִ֥םha-go-YIMH1471A
nation

גּוֹי (goy) 1) nation, people 1a) nation, people 1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people 1a2) of descendants of Abraham 1a3) of Israel 1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.)

the theseהָאֵ֖לֶּהha-'E-lehH0428
these

אֵ֫לֶּה (el.leh) 1) these 1a) used before antecedent 1b) used following antecedent Aramaic equivalent: el.leh (אֵלֶּה "these" H0429)

more than Iמִמֶּ֑נִּיmi-ME-niH4480A
from

מִן־ (min) prep 1) from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than 1a) from (expressing separation), off, on the side of 1b) out of 1b1) (with verbs of proceeding, removing, expelling) 1b2) (of material from which something is made) 1b3) (of source or origin) 1c) out of, some of, from (partitively) 1d) from, since, after (of time) 1e) than, more than (in comparison) 1f) from...even to, both...and, either...or 1g) than, more than, too much for (in comparisons) 1h) from, on account of, through, because (with infinitive) conj 2) that …

how?אֵיכָ֥ה'ei-KHAHH0349B
how?

אֵיכָה (e.khah) interrog adv 1) how? interj 2) how! (in lamentation) 3) expression of satisfaction

will I be ableאוּכַ֖ל'u-KHALH3201
be able

יָכֹל (ya.khol) 1) to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be able, be able to gain or accomplish, be able to endure, be able to reach 1a2) to prevail, prevail over or against, overcome, be victor 1a3) to have ability, have strength Aramaic equivalent: ye.khel (יְכִל "be able" H3202)

to dispossess themלְהוֹרִישָֽׁם׃le-ho-ri-SHAMH3423H
to possess: possess

יָרַשׁ (ya.rash) : possess/inherit 1) to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take possession of 1a2) to inherit 1a3) to impoverish, come to poverty, be poor 1b) (Niphal) to be dispossessed, be impoverished, come to poverty 1c) (Piel) to devour 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to possess or inherit 1d2) to cause others to possess or inherit 1d3) to impoverish 1d4) to dispossess 1d5) to destroy, bring to ruin, disinherit

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.