Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 7:2
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 show mercy unto them:
2. deliver them up before ] See on Deu 1:8.
thou shall utterly destroy them ] put to the ban, herem. See on Deu 2:34.
make no covenant with them ] no treaty or alliance; so in JE, Exo 23:32; Exo 34:12; cp. Jos 9:6 , 1Sa 11:1 ff. (instances of such).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 2. Thou shalt smite them, c.] These idolatrous nations were to be utterly destroyed, and all the others also which were contiguous to the boundaries of the promised land, provided they did not renounce their idolatry and receive the true faith: for if they did not, then no covenant was to be made with them on any secular or political consideration whatever no mercy was to be shown to them, because the cup of their iniquity also was now full; and they must either embrace, heartily embrace, the true religion, or be cut off.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
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.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2-6. thou shalt smite them, andutterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with themThisrelentless doom of extermination which God denounced against thosetribes of Canaan cannot be reconciled with the attributes of thedivine character, except on the assumption that their gross idolatryand enormous wickedness left no reasonable hope of their repentanceand amendment. If they were to be swept away like the antediluviansor the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, as incorrigible sinners who hadfilled up the measure of their iniquities, it mattered not to them inwhat way the judgment was inflicted; and God, as the SovereignDisposer, had a right to employ any instruments that pleased Him forexecuting His judgments. Some think that they were to be exterminatedas unprincipled usurpers of a country which God had assigned to theposterity of Eber and which had been occupied ages before bywandering shepherds of that race, till, on the migration of Jacob’sfamily into Egypt through the pressure of famine, the Canaanitesoverspread the whole land, though they had no legitimate claim to it,and endeavored to retain possession of it by force. In this viewtheir expulsion was just and proper. The strict prohibition againstcontracting any alliances with such infamous idolaters was aprudential rule, founded on the experience that “evilcommunications corrupt good manners” [1Co15:33], and its importance or necessity was attested by theunhappy examples of Solomon and others in the subsequent history ofIsrael.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee,…. Into their hands:
thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; men, women, and children; which was ordered not merely to make way and room for the people of Israel to inherit their land, but as a punishment for capital crimes they had been guilty of, such as idolatry, incest, murder, c. wherefore though they were reprieved for a while for Israel’s sake, till their time was come to possess the land, they were at length righteously punished which observed, abates the seeming severity exercised upon them:
thou shalt make no covenant with them; to dwell in their cities and houses, and enjoy their lands and estates, on any condition whatever; and though they did make a league with the Gibeonites, that was obtained by fraud, they pretending not to be of the land of Canaan, but to come from a very distant country:
nor show mercy unto them; by sparing their lives, bestowing any favours upon them, or giving them any help and assistance when in distress: the Jews extend this to all other Heathen nations besides these seven; wherefore, if an Israelite, as Maimonides z says, should see a Gentile perishing, or plunged into a river, he may not take him out, nor administer medicine to a sick person. Hence Juvenal a the poet upbraids them with their unkindness and incivility; and says that Moses delivered it as a Jewish law, in a secret volume of his, perhaps referring to this book of Deuteronomy, that the Jews might not direct a poor traveller in his way unless he was one of their religion, nor one athirst to a fountain of water; and which led Tacitus b, the Heathen historian, to make this remark upon them, that they entertained an hostile hatred against all other people.
z Hilchot Abodath Cochabim, c. 10. sect. 1, 2. a “Non monstrare vias”, &c. Satyr 14. b Hist l. 5. c. 5.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
2. Thou shalt smite them and utterly destroy them. Those who think that there was cruelty in this command, usurp too great authority in respect to Him who is the judge of all. The objection is specious that the people of God were unreasonably imbued with inhumanity, so that, advancing with murderous atrocity, they should spare neither sex nor age. But we must first remember what we shall see hereafter, i.e., that when God had destined the land for His people, He was at liberty utterly to destroy the former inhabitants, so that its possession might be free for them. We must then go further, and say that He desired the just demonstration of His vengeance to appear upon these nations. Four hundred years before He had justly punished their many sins, yet had He suspended His sentence and patiently borne with them, if haply they might repent. That sentence (303) is well known, “The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” (Gen 15:16.) After God had shewn His mercy for four centuries, and this clemency had increased both their audacity and madness, so that they had not ceased to provoke His wrath, surely it was no act of cruelty to compensate for the delay by the grievousness of the punishment. And hence appears the foul and detestable perversity of the human intellect. We are indignant if He does not smile at once; if He delays punishment our zeal accuses Him of slackness and want of energy; yet, when He comes forth as the avenger of guilt, we either call Him cruel, or at least complain of His severity. Yet His justice will always absolve Him; and our calumnies and detractions will recoil upon our own heads. He commanded seven nations to be utterly destroyed; that is to say, after they had added sin to sin for 400 years, so that their accumulation was immense, and experience had taught that they were obstinate and incurable. It will therefore be said elsewhere, that the land “spewed them out,” (Lev 18:28,) as if it had eased itself, when burdened by their filthiness. If impiety is intolerable to the lifeless element, why should we wonder that God in His character of Judge exercised extreme severity? But if God’s wrath was just, He might surely choose whatever ministers and executioners of it He pleased; and when He had given this commission to His people, it was not unreasonable that He should forbid them to pity those whom He had appointed for destruction. For what can be more preposterous than for men to vie with God in clemency? and when it pleases the Master to be severe, for the servants to assume to themselves the right of shewing mercy? Therefore God often reproves the Israelites for being improperly merciful. And hence it came to pass that the people, whom they ought to have destroyed, became as thorns and briars to prick them. (Jos 23:13, and throughout the book of Judges.) Away, then, with all temerity, whereby we would presumptuously restrict God’s power to the puny measure of our reason; and rather let us learn reverently to regard those works of His, whose cause is concealed from us, than wantonly criticise them. Especially when He declares to us the just grounds of His vengeance, let us learn to subscribe to His decrees with the humility and modesty that becomes us, rather than to oppose them in vain, and indeed to our own confusion.
(303) “ On sait ce qui fur dit a Abraham,” etc. — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(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 themi.e., shalt make them chrem, a devoted or accursed thing. Perhaps this last way of dividing the clauses is, upon the whole, to be preferred. But in any case it should be noted that Jehovahs deliverance of the nations into Israels hand is to precede their defeat and extermination. Indiscriminate attack and massacre are not to be thought of. (See for a further Note on this, Joshua 13) All the operations described in Joshuathe sieges of Jericho and Ai, the southern campaign and the northern campaignwere alike undertaken under Divine direction. The same may be said of the battles in Moses lifetime, whether against Amalek, Sihon, Og, Arad, or Midian. The same is true of the judges, and of Davids operations against the Philistines after he came to the throne (2Sa. 5:19, &c). The principle was acknowledged by Ahab in his attack on Ramoth-gilead (1 Kings 22).
Thou shalt make no covenant with them.The reason for this is too obvious to need comment. If Israelites and idolaters were unitedstill more if they were intermingled in marriagethere was an end to the distinction of race and religionan end to the supremacy of Israel or the isolation of the people of Jehovah, as exhibiting His Law and the blessings of His government to mankind. It must be remembered, however, that the isolation here commanded was only a means to an end; it was not the end itself. It may be further observed that as soon as the danger of idolatry was at an end, the isolation of Israel in a great measure ceased. The object of giving the people a land of their own, and supremacy among the surrounding nations, was to enable them to develop the religion which was to prepare the way for Christianity. When the religious principles of the nation were sufficiently fixed to make their political supremacy unnecessary, this supremacy was taken away.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Smite them, and utterly destroy them Thou shalt treat them as accursed as devoted to utter destruction. These nations had filled up the measure of their iniquity before Jehovah. They and all the forms of their debasing idolatry were to be obliterated from the land.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 2. Thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them i.e. In case they continue obstinate in their idolatry, they are to be destroyed as a nation or body politic: but if they forsook their idolatry, and became converts to the true religion, they would then be, what God required, penitents, and proper objects of forgiveness; for this is a rule laid down in Scripture, and founded in reason. Jer 18:7-8. See Dr. Sykes’s Conn. of Nat. and Rev. Rel. ch. 13.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
If we consider this sweet chapter as it ought to be considered, spiritually then will it follow, that as the enemies which opposed our fathers, in their possession of Canaan, were all typical of the spiritual foes which war against the LORD’S Israel now, in their pursuit of an heavenly Canaan, we can do nothing less than vow an everlasting war against all the enemies of our salvation. Reader! what are the seven nations which come out against you, but those swarms of vain thoughts, worldly cares, lustful affections, the unbelief of the heart, the rebellion of the mind, and Satan and the world; all in colleague against the poor sinner at once? And who would make peace with those deadly foes, who had his own eternal welfare in prospect before him? I fear that the want of attention to this hath been the means of leading some Readers into a false conclusion, as if those precepts, which express the command of GOD to a total destruction of the enemies of the LORD’S Israel, are very harsh. Seen in this point of view, it must immediately strike every sincere mind, that there can be no mercy shown to those lusts of ours, and those enemies of our GOD, which would rob us of our crown, and the LORD GOD of his glory. See, with this explanation, that passage, 2Sa 12:31 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Deu 7:2 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:
Ver. 2. Nor show mercy unto them. ] Their iniquity was now full; Gen 15:16 they filled the land with filthiness, from corner to corner; Ezr 9:11 they were ripe for the sickle, ready for the vintage of God’s wrath, which now came upon them to the utmost.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
destroy them = devote them to destruction. Hebrew. haram. Compare Exo 23:24; Exo 34:12-17, and see note on Deu 7:16.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
deliver: Deu 7:23, Deu 7:24, Deu 3:3, Deu 23:14, Gen 14:20, Jos 10:24, Jos 10:25, Jos 10:30, Jos 10:32, Jos 10:42, Jos 21:44, Jdg 1:4
utterly: Deu 20:16, Deu 20:17, Lev 27:28, Lev 27:29, Num 33:52, Jos 6:17-25, Jos 8:24, Jos 9:24, Jos 10:28, Jos 10:40, Jos 11:11, Jos 11:12
make no: Deu 20:10, Deu 20:11, Exo 23:32, Exo 23:33, Exo 34:12-16, Jos 2:14, Jos 9:18-21, Jdg 1:24, Jdg 2:2, 2Sa 21:2
Reciprocal: Exo 34:15 – make Lev 14:34 – When Num 15:2 – General Deu 2:33 – the Lord Deu 2:34 – utterly destroyed Deu 7:16 – consume Deu 9:3 – he shall Deu 11:23 – General Deu 13:15 – destroying it utterly Deu 19:1 – hath cut Deu 31:4 – General Deu 31:5 – And the Lord Jos 6:21 – utterly Jos 8:22 – let none Jos 9:7 – how shall Jos 11:15 – so did Moses Jos 16:10 – the Canaanites dwell Jos 23:7 – That ye come Jdg 1:27 – the Canaanites Jdg 14:3 – uncircumcised Jdg 21:1 – his daughter 1Sa 7:14 – peace 1Sa 17:46 – will the Lord 1Ch 17:21 – by driving Ezr 10:3 – at the commandment Psa 106:34 – concerning Psa 149:9 – to execute Rom 6:12 – Let not 2Co 6:14 – unequally
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
NO QUARTER!
Utterly destroy them.
Deu 7:2
Like the rolling of a stone down a hillside, a nations downward progress may become uncontrollable, and then sudden extinction will be better far than continuance. Rather perish in childhood than grow up as men of Sodom, a plague-spot to the world, and begetters of children still worse than themselves, till the race slowly perishes from sheer iniquity.
I. It is for God only to command extermination; but when He does it is in mercy as well as in judgment. But note carefully the searching, spiritual lesson. If, in mercy to the children, to the world, and to succeding generations, no mercy was to be shown, how much more are we bound to be sternly merciless toward all sin! The fear of the Lord is to hate evilyes, to the very death. But do we? Do we? This is not quite right, I know; but others do it, and its such a little thing after alldo we never speak so, at least, in our hearts? How many of usthe question is a most solemn onehow many of us really adopt, No Quarter to Sin, as a life motto?
II. The judgments of God against sin may linger long, but in the end they are inflicted.He does not pay at the termination of every week, one said, but at last He pays.
A fathers patience, a mothers intercessions and hopes, the ingenuities of a friends lovethese are almost limitless; but they are as nothing compared with the forbearance of God. Men of the world know how precious sometimes is the extension of credit for a month; but He gives me hundreds of months, and each of them is a month of privilege, of grace, of opportunity.
Yet let me remember that at length there is an end. It is delayed until the latest moment; and, before it comes, I receive innumerable invitations and calls and quickenings. But, one day, the respite will run out and the doom will descend.
Because the sands in the hour-glass may be almost spent, let me cast away the weapons of my rebellion, and make surrender of myself to my God.
Illustration
(1) As to the rigorous destruction of the Canaanites, here commanded, two things are to be observed. (1) That it was a judicial act on the part of God. The iniquity of the Amorites, which was not yet full, Gen 15:16, was now full. God had patiently endured their inquities, He had given them space for repentance, He had sent among them the patriarchs, whose worship was a constant testimony to the true God, had warned by the solemn judgments upon the cities of the plain, and they had resisted all. The times of retribution for these nations had come, as it came to the world before the Flood, as it came to Sodom and Gomorrah. He who used the forces and elements of the natural world in carrying out His judgments in other cases, now uses as His instruments the Israelites. But (2) it is clear here that the Israelites acted by an express and definite divine command. They were not actuated by desire of conquest or gain, or by worldly ambition. This was expressly and carefully guarded against in the very grant of the land made to them, and in the fact that they were strictly enjoined to come to all other nations than the dwellers in Canaan with offers of peace. They were further warned, and that repeatedly, and in the most impressive way, that a like sin on their part would involve a like destruction. There were also great moral ends to be secured with respect to Israel to guard it from the contamination of heathenism, and with respect to all men to set forth, as in a rehearsal, the retributive process which is going forward now in the history of nations, and which shall reach its final act and consummation when Christ shall judge all whose iniquities are full.
(2) We must be merciless in our separation. So in the New Testament Christians are exhorted to marry only in the Lord; and equally stringent rules are given about worldly intercourse. Where these commands are violated, misery is inevitable. God can drive out the sevenfold power of sin from the hearts of all those who will hand the battle over into His hands; and are willing to cut off and destroy whatever would suggest sin. Gods reasons for thus cautioning His people are(1) That He had chosen them to be His own; (2) The freeness of His grace, which had no cause outside itself; (3) Because of the holy covenant into which He had entered, as the faithful God, and from which He would not recede. What incentives were these to obedience! Surely, as He was only for them, they should be only for Him. And there is not one of these arguments that does not apply with even tenfold weight to ourselves.
(3) Religiously, the Canaanites occupied a much lower level than the Israelites. They practised a form of nature worship. Their chief gods were Baal and his consort Astarte (Ashtoreth). These were thought of, however, not as standing in any inherent relation to the worshipper, but as owners or inhabitants of some particular place. Each locality had thus its own god or goddess (Baal or Baalath). Hence such compounds as Baal-meon, Baal-peor, etc. Numerous altars were erected to these deities throughout the land, on the hilltops, and under the evergreen trees. They were worshipped as the givers of fertility and fruitful seasons. But Baal-worship in all its forms was a degrading cult, associated with cruel and impure rites, and those who practised it could not possibly stand before the assault of foes whose courage and manhood were braced by the pure worship of Jehovah. At length the iniquity of the Amorites was full, and God commissioned the Hebrews to execute judgment on them by destroying or driving them out of the land.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Deu 7:2. Thou shalt smite and utterly destroy them That is, in case they continued obstinate in their idolatry, they were to be destroyed, as nations, or bodies politic. But if they forsook their idolatry, and became sincere proselytes to the true religion, they would then be proper objects of forgiveness, as being true penitents. For, says God himself, by Jeremiah, (Jer 7:8,) At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation to destroy it, if that nation turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil which I thought to do unto them. Thou shalt make no covenant with them See Exo 23:32; Exo 24:12. To make a covenant with and to spare such incurable idolaters, would have been cruelty to themselves and their posterity.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
7:2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them {a} before thee; thou shalt smite them, [and] utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
(a) Into thy power.