Deuteronomy – Chapter 7

Old Testament26 Verses

Chapter Summary

Chapter 7 of Deuteronomy begins: "When the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which thou art going in to possess, and shall have destroyed many nations…" Pharaoh stands at the center of this chapter. Across its 26 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and God's covenant promises. The Church invites us to read this chapter within the whole sweep of salvation history, where every page points toward Christ.

1When the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which thou art going in to possess, and shall have destroyed many nations before thee, the Hethite, and the Gergezite, and the Amorrhite, and the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, seven nations much more numerous than thou art, and stronger than thou:

2And the Lord thy God shall have delivered them to thee, thou shalt utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no league with them, nor shew mercy to them:

3Neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thou shalt not give thy daughter to his son, nor take his daughter for thy son:

4For she will turn away thy son from following me, that he may rather serve strange gods, and the wrath of the Lord will be kindled, and will quickly destroy thee.

5But thus rather shall you deal with them: Destroy their altars, and break their statues, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven things.

6Because thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee, to be his peculiar people of all peoples that are upon the earth.

7Not because you surpass all nations in number, is the Lord joined unto you, and hath chosen you, for you are the fewest of any people:

8But because the Lord hath loved you, and hath kept his oath, which he swore to your fathers: and hath brought you out with a strong hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, out of the hand of Pharao the king of Egypt.

9And thou shalt know that the Lord thy God, he is a strong and faithful God, keeping his covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments, unto a thousand generations:

10And repaying forthwith them that hate him, so as to destroy them, without further delay immediately rendering to them what they deserve.

11Keep therefore the precepts and ceremonies and judgments, which I command thee this day to do.

12If after thou hast heard these judgments, thou keep and do them, the Lord thy God will also keep his covenant to thee, and the mercy which he swore to thy fathers:

13And he will love thee and multiply thee, and will bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy vintage, thy oil, and thy herds, and the flocks of thy sheep upon the land, for which he swore to thy fathers that he would give it thee.

14Blessed shalt thou be among all people. No one shall be barren among you of either sex, neither of men nor cattle.

15The Lord will take away from thee all sickness: and the grievous infirmities of Egypt, which thou knowest, he will not bring upon thee, but upon thy enemies.

16Thou shalt consume all the people, which the Lord thy God will deliver to thee. Thy eye shall not spare them, neither shalt thou serve their gods, lest they be thy ruin.

17If thou say in thy heart: These nations are more than I, how shall I be able to destroy them?

18Fear not, but remember what the Lord thy God did to Pharao and to all the Egyptians,

19The exceeding great plagues, which thy eyes saw, and the signs and wonders, and the strong hand, and the stretched out arm, with which the Lord thy God brought thee out: so will he do to all the people, whom thou fearest.

20Moreover the Lord thy God will send also hornets among them, until he destroy and consume all that have escaped thee, and could hide themselves.

21Thou shalt not fear them, because the Lord thy God is in the midst of thee, a God mighty and terrible:

22He will consume these nations in thy sight by little and little and by degrees. Thou wilt not be able to destroy them altogether: lest perhaps the beasts of the earth should increase upon thee.

23But the Lord thy God shall deliver them in thy sight: and shall slay them until they be utterly destroyed.

24And he shall deliver their kings into thy hands, and thou shalt destroy their names from under Heaven: no man shall be able to resist thee, until thou destroy them.

25Their graven things thou shalt burn with fire: thou shalt not covet the silver and gold of which they are made, neither shalt thou take to thee any thing thereof, lest thou offend, because it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.

26Neither shalt thou bring any thing of the idol into thy house, lest thou become an anathema, like it. Thou shalt detest it as dung, and shalt utterly abhor it as uncleanness and filth, because it is an anathema.

Important Verses in Deuteronomy 7

And the Lord thy God shall have delivered them to thee, thou shalt utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no league with them, nor shew mercy to them:

Deuteronomy 7:2

And thou shalt know that the Lord thy God, he is a strong and faithful God, keeping his covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments, unto a thousand generations:

Deuteronomy 7:9

If after thou hast heard these judgments, thou keep and do them, the Lord thy God will also keep his covenant to thee, and the mercy which he swore to thy fathers:

Deuteronomy 7:12

Fear not, but remember what the Lord thy God did to Pharao and to all the Egyptians,

Deuteronomy 7:18

Historical Context

As a Old Testament book, Deuteronomy was written with the new generation of Israel about to cross the Jordan into Canaan in view. Chapter 7 of 34 belongs to the early movement of the book, where the narrative or argument is still unfolding. It is a legal and cultic instruction given to Israel regarding worship, holiness, and daily life with 26 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. The chapter focuses on Pharaoh, whose actions and words drive the passage forward. It opens with the line: "When the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which thou art going in to possess, and shall have…" The final verse reads: "Neither shalt thou bring any thing of the idol into thy house, lest thou become an anathema, like it. Thou shalt detest…" The wider setting of Deuteronomy is this: Deuteronomy means 'second law': Moses' final sermons on the plains of Moab, renewing the Sinai covenant for the generation about to enter Canaan. Catholic tradition dates the book to the period described in its introduction: Traditions from Moses; book discovered in the Temple during King Josiah's reform around 622 BC.

Who Wrote It

Presented as Moses' farewell discourses; compiled and edited by inspired scribes, likely in the 7th century BC

When It Was Written

Traditions from Moses; book discovered in the Temple during King Josiah's reform around 622 BC

Catholic Commentary

At the literal level, Deuteronomy 7 delivers commandments and ritual instructions given under the old covenant. A pivotal line is verse 2: "And the Lord thy God shall have delivered them to thee, thou shalt utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no league with them, nor shew mercy to them:" The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

The Church teaches that every passage of Scripture must be read in light of Christ and the Magisterium (CIC 2215). Here, Jesus cited Deuteronomy's command to love God as the greatest commandment (CIC 2083). The spiritual sense invites believers to recognize family and covenant relationships as part of God's pedagogy of salvation.

The moral and spiritual import remains timely: The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.. St. Jerome insisted that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ; this chapter offers material for meditation, examination of conscience, and deeper love of God.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • God binds Himself to His people by covenant, and He never breaks His word.
  • God's presence casts out fear; His command 'Be not afraid' echoes throughout salvation history.

People in This Chapter

Pharaoh2 mentions

Reflection for Today

Catholic exegesis approaches Deuteronomy Chapter 7 with reverence, seeking both the literal sense and the spiritual meaning ordered to Christ.

Catholic theology recognizes that covenant renewal and the call to love God is not an abstract idea but a reality encountered in prayer, sacraments, and charity. This chapter contributes to that vision by stressing forgiveness and reconciliation.

Consider praying with this chapter again at day's end, offering God gratitude for one insight received. The Church encourages daily contact with Scripture (CIC 2632) so that Christ's mind may be formed in us.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Deuteronomy Chapter 7 about?

Deuteronomy 7 contains 26 verses. It opens with "When the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which thou art going in to possess, and shall have…" and closes with "Neither shalt thou bring any thing of the idol into thy house, lest thou become an anathema, like it. Thou shalt detest…". The book as a whole is covenant discourses and law.

What is a key verse in Deuteronomy 7?

One of the most significant verses is verse 2: "And the Lord thy God shall have delivered them to thee, thou shalt utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no league with them, nor shew mercy to them:" It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Deuteronomy Chapter 7?

This chapter mentions Pharaoh.

Who wrote Deuteronomy and when?

Presented as Moses' farewell discourses; compiled and edited by inspired scribes, likely in the 7th century BC. Traditions from Moses; book discovered in the Temple during King Josiah's reform around 622 BC.

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