Deuteronomy 7:16

Verse

You 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.

American Standard Version (1901)

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.

Bible in Basic English

And you are to send destruction on all the peoples which the Lord your God gives into your hands; have no pity on them, and do not give worship to their gods; for that will be a cause of sin to you.

Douay-Rheims 1899

Thou 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.

Free Bible Version

You are to destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Don't look on them with sympathy. Don't worship their gods, for that will end up being a trap to you.

Geneva Bible 1599

Thou shalt therefore consume all people which the Lord thy God shall giue thee: thine eye shall not spare them, neither shalt thou serue their gods, for that shalbe thy destruction.

King James (Authorized) Version

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.

One Unity Resource Bible

You shall consume all the peoples whom Adonai your God shall deliver to you. Your eye shall not pity them: neither shall you abad ·serve· their deities; for that would be a snare to you.

Translation for Translators

You must get rid of all the people-groups that Yahweh our God will enable you to conquer. Do not [SYN] act mercifully toward any of them. And do not worship their gods, because if you do that, it would be like falling into a trap from which you will never be able to escape.

Unlocked Literal Bible

You will consume all the peoples whom Yahweh your God will give over to you, and your eye will not pity them. You will not worship their gods, for that will be a trap for you.

Noah Webster Bible

And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver to thee; thy eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare to thee.

World English Bible

You shall consume all the peoples whom Yahweh your God shall deliver to you. Your eye shall not pity them. You shall not serve their gods; for that would be a snare to you.

Young's Literal Translation

'And thou hast consumed all the peoples whom Jehovah thy God is giving to thee; thine eye hath no pity on them, and thou dost not serve their gods, for a snare it [is] to thee.

Context

The Promises of God

¹⁵And the LORD will remove from you all sickness. He will not lay upon you any of the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but He will inflict them on all who hate you.¹⁶You 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.

Summary

In this verse, God instructs the Israelites to destroy all the nations that currently inhabit the land He is giving them. This command is not due to the righteousness of the Israelites but because of the wickedness of those nations. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the importance of following God's commands completely. The destruction of these nations is not an act of cruelty but a necessary step to prevent the Israelites from being led astray by the idolatry and immorality of the inhabitants.

Commentary

John Gill

John Gill Bible Commentary

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.