Deuteronomy 7:16
in Deuteronomy 7You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And thou shalt consume all the peoples that Jehovah thy God shall deliver unto thee; thine eye shall not pity them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
KJV
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.
⋯
This verse in Deuteronomy 7
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
thine eye shall have no pity
on Deuteronomy 7:16-17
The command of verse 2 returns in shorter form and gains a clause that names what the chapter is guarding against, neither shalt thou serve their gods, for that will be a snare unto thee. Verse 17 then puts the objection in the hearer's own heart, these nations are more than I, how can I dispossess them, which is the report the spies brought back at Numbers 13:31. Chapter 1:26-33 has already told that story, so a reader meets the same fear twice in this book, once as history and once as a question waiting for an answer.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And thou shall consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee,.... All the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, which the Lord should deliver into their hands; them they were not to spare, but utterly destroy men, women, and children: thine eye shall have no pity upon them; See Gill on Deu 7:2, neither shall thou serve their gods, for that will be a snare unto thee; which will bring into utter ruin and destruction; see Exo 23:33.
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those that do those works. Here is also a repetition of the charge to destroy the images,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
That people accordingly were truly happy as a nation, and found every promise which the faithful God made to them amply fulfilled, so long as they adhered to that obedience which was required of them.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאָכַלְתָּ֣ | veakhalta | and you will consume | H398 → | 810 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָֽעַמִּ֗ים | haamim | the peoples | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יְהוָ֤ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| נֹתֵ֣ן | noten | [is] about to deliver up | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָ֔ךְ | lakh | to <the> you | ||
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תָחֹ֥ס | tachos | it will look with pity | H2347 → | 24 times |
| עֵֽינְךָ֖ | ʾeinekha | eye your | H5869 → | 887 times |
| עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם | ʾaleihem | on them | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְלֹ֤א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תַעֲבֹד֙ | taavod | you will serve | H5647 → | 288 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֱלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם | ʾeloheihem | gods their | H430 → | 2601 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מוֹקֵ֥שׁ | mokesh | [will be] a snare | H4170 → | |
| ה֖וּא | hu' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לָֽךְ׃ ס | lakh | to <the> you |
וְאָכַלְתָּ֣and you will consume
veakhaltaH398 →810 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָֽעַמִּ֗יםthe peoples
haamimH5971 →1873 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יְהוָ֤הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙God your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
נֹתֵ֣ן[is] about to deliver up
notenH5414 →2011 times
לָ֔ךְto <the> you
lakh
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תָחֹ֥סit will look with pity
tachosH2347 →24 times
עֵֽינְךָ֖eye your
ʾeinekhaH5869 →887 times
עֲלֵיהֶ֑םon them
ʾaleihemH5921 →5755 times
וְלֹ֤אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
תַעֲבֹד֙you will serve
taavodH5647 →288 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֱלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔םgods their
ʾeloheihemH430 →2601 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
מוֹקֵ֥שׁ[will be] a snare
mokeshH4170 →
ה֖וּאit
hu'H1931 →1879 times
לָֽךְ׃ סto <the> you
lakh
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Corinthians 15:33Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
it leads to
- Proverbs 13:20
He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
- Matthew 24:4
Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you.
- 1 Corinthians 5:6
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough?
- Proverbs 9:6
Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”
- Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
- Proverbs 13:20
Through
Exodus 23:33They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
it leads to
- Psalms 106:36
They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
- Psalms 106:36
Through
Deuteronomy 7:2and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:32–33
You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
- Judges 2:2
and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?
- Exodus 23:32–33
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.