Bible Commentaries
Deuteronomy 7

Introduction

DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 7

Israel is commanded to cast out the Hittites, the Perizzites, &c. Deuteronomy 7:1.

All communion with them forbidden, Deuteronomy 7:2,Deuteronomy 7:3, for fear of idolatry, Deuteronomy 7:4.

They must ruin the places of idolatry, Deuteronomy 7:5.

The Israelites’ holiness and relation to God, Deuteronomy 7:6.

His faithfulness to the obedient, Deuteronomy 7:9; and vengeance on them that hate him, Deuteronomy 7:10.

The advantages of obedience, Deuteronomy 7:12-16.

God encourages them, and promises to drive out the nations before there, Deuteronomy 7:17-24.

They are commanded to destroy their images, Deuteronomy 7:25; and keep themselves clean from their cursed things, Deuteronomy 7:26.

Verse 1

There were ten in Genesis 15:19-21; but this being some hundreds of years after that, it is not strange if three of them were either destroyed by foreign or domestic wars, or by cohabitation and marriage united with and swallowed up in some of the rest.

Verse 2

No covenant with them, to spare them, or permit them to dwell with thee in the land. Other nations had more favour, but these were for their great wickedness, and for the good of Israel, devoted to utter destruction.

Verse 4

i.e. There is manifest danger of apostacy and idolatry from such matches; which reason doth both limit the law to such of these as were unconverted, otherwise Salmon married Rahab, Matthew 1:5, and enlarge it to other idolatrous nations, as appears from 1 Kings 11:2; Ezra 9:2; Nehemiah 13:23.

Verse 5

Idolaters planted groves about the temples and altars of their gods. Hereby God designed to take away whatsoever might bring their idolatry to remembrance, or occasion the reviving of it.

Verse 7

To wit, at that time when God first declared his love to you, and choice of you for his peculiar people, which was done to Abraham. For Abraham had but one son concerned in this choice and covenant, to wit, Isaac, and that was in his hundredth year; and Isaac was sixty years old ere he had a child, and then they had only two children; and though Jacob had twelve sons, yet it was a long time ere they made any considerable increase. Nor do we read of any great multiplication of them till after Joseph’s death, Exodus 1:6,Exodus 1:7.

Verse 8

Because the Lord loved you, i.e. because it pleased him to love you; it was his free choice, without any cause or motive on your part. Compare Deuteronomy 10:15; 1 Samuel 12:22; Psalms 44:3.

Verse 9

The faithful God; true to his word, and constant in performing all his promises.

Verse 10

Them that hate him; not only those who hate him directly and properly, (for so did few or none of the Israelites, to whom he here speaks,) but those who hate him by construction and consequence; those who hate and oppose his people, and word, and image, those who presumptuously and wilfully persist in the breach of God’s commandments, as appears from Deuteronomy 7:9, where the love of God, to which this hatred is opposite, is described and expressed by the keeping of his commandments. To their face, i.e. openly, and so as they shall see it, and not be able to avoid it.

He will not be slack, to wit, so as some men count slackness, 2 Peter 3:9, so as to delay it beyond the fit time or season for vengeance; yet withal he is long-suffering, and slow to anger, as that and other places inform us.

Verse 12

i.e. The covenant of mercy or grace, which he out of his own mere grace made with them. A figure called hendiaduo.

Verse 13

He will love thee; he will continue to love thee, and to manifest his love to thee, he will not repent of his love to thee.

Verse 15

The evil diseases of Egypt; such as the Egyptians were infested with, either commonly, as that botch, Deuteronomy 28:27; or miraculously and extraordinarily, from the hand of the Lord, as Exodus 9:10,Exodus 9:15. Compare Exodus 23:25; Psalms 105:37.

Verse 16

An occasion of sin and utter destruction. See Exodus 23:33; Exodus 34:12; Judges 2:3.

Verse 18

Well remember, Heb. remembering remember, i.e. remember it frequently, considerately, practically, and for thy encouragement; for men are said to forget those things which they do not remember to good purpose.

Verse 19

The great temptations; the trials and exercises of thy faith and obedience to my call and commands.

So shall the Lord do; so as he did to Pharaoh and his people, mentioned Deuteronomy 7:18.

Verse 20

The hornet; of which see on Exodus 23:28.

Verse 22

Or, thou shalt not be able to consume them at once, i.e. in an instant. I will not assist thee with my omnipotency, to crush them in a moment, but will bless thee in the use of ordinary means, and destroy them successively by several battles.

Verse 24

This promise is made upon condition of their performance of their duty, which they neglecting, they justly lose the benefit of it, as we see, Judges 2:1-3.

Verse 25

That is on them, wherewith the idols are covered or adorned, nor consequently any other of their ornaments. This he commands to show his utter detestation of idolatry, and to cut off all occasions of it.

Verse 26

A cursed thing, i.e. devoted to utter destruction, as that was. See Joshua 7:11,Joshua 7:21,Joshua 7:24, &c.