Deuteronomy 7:2 is a command Moses gave Israel about how to deal with the nations living in Canaan before they took possession of the land. When God handed those nations over, Israel was to defeat them completely and make no treaties or agreements with them and show them no mercy. Moses spoke these words to the whole people of Israel as they stood on the edge of the promised land.
And when the LORD your God delivers them up before you, and you strike them; then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy to them.
Deuteronomy 7:2 (WEB)
What Deuteronomy 7:2 Means
The verse begins with a condition: “when the LORD your God delivers them up before you.” The victory is presented as God’s doing, not Israel’s strength. Israel’s part is to “strike them” and then “utterly destroy them,” a phrase that describes the total removal of these nations as a judgment and as a clearing of the land. The second half forbids two things. Israel was not to “make any covenant” with these peoples, meaning no treaty binding them together, and was not to “show mercy” to them, meaning no sparing or pity toward the defeated.
The verse does not say that Israel was naturally better than these nations, and Deuteronomy says plainly elsewhere that Israel received the land through God’s faithfulness rather than its own righteousness. The verse also does not give a general license for violence against any people in any era. It describes a specific command tied to a specific moment in the history of one nation and one land.
The Context of Deuteronomy 7:2
Deuteronomy is presented as the words Moses spoke to Israel on the plains of Moab before they crossed the Jordan River, a long farewell address that restates the law and urges the people to remain faithful to the LORD. Traditionally Moses is named as the author, and the audience is the new generation of Israelites who had grown up in the wilderness. The verse sits within a passage that names seven Canaanite peoples and then explains the reason for the command.
Just after the verse, Moses gives that reason. Intermarriage with these nations would turn Israel’s children away from following the LORD toward other gods, and that unfaithfulness would bring God’s anger. The surrounding verses also tell Israel to break down the altars, pillars and idols of those peoples. Read this way, the verse is less about hatred of other people and more about guarding Israel’s loyalty to God at a time when the surrounding religions were a real danger.
Key Phrases in Deuteronomy 7:2
Deuteronomy 9:4
Don’t say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out from before you, saying, “For my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land”; because the LORD drives them out before you because of the wickedness of these nations.
(WEB)
This verse follows directly from the warnings about the nations and makes clear that Israel’s success is not because of its righteousness. Reading it alongside the earlier passage helps you see that the conquest was an act of God’s faithfulness to his promises.
Joshua 24:14
“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth. Put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, in Egypt; and serve the LORD.
(WEB)
Joshua’s charge to Israel near the end of the conquest story returns to the same concern for whole-hearted loyalty to the LORD and the danger of serving other gods. It shows how the principle of Deuteronomy 7:2 was applied in the years that followed.
A Short Prayer From Deuteronomy 7:2
Lord, you are faithful to keep your promises, and you know how easily my heart is drawn toward things that take your place. Help me to take seriously whatever competes with my devotion to you. Give me the courage to set aside what would pull me from you and the wisdom to see the difference between a good relationship and a spiritual trap. Keep my loyalty whole, and let my life reflect a steady trust in you. Amen.
