Deuteronomy 7:2 describes what Israel was to do when God gave them victory over the nations living in the land of Canaan: they were to defeat them completely, make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. The verse is a command given by Moses to the people of Israel as they stood on the edge of the land God had promised them, speaking on God’s behalf in the book of Deuteronomy.
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 has two parts. The first is a conditional statement: when the LORD delivers these peoples into Israel’s hands and Israel strikes them, Israel is to destroy them fully. The phrase “utterly destroy” describes a complete, devoted removal, not a partial conquest. The second part forbids two things: making a covenant with these peoples and showing them mercy. A covenant was a binding agreement, usually sealed with oaths, and the command rules out treaties that would tie Israel to the nations and their ways.
What the verse does not do is give Israel general permission to be cruel or to fight wars of their own choosing. The condition is God’s act of delivering the nations into their hands. It also does not describe a standing rule about how believers should treat people who differ from them. Read within the book, it is a specific instruction about a specific people at a specific moment in Israel’s history, tied to the purpose of keeping the nation faithful to God.
The Context of Deuteronomy 7:2
Deuteronomy is presented as Moses’ final speeches to Israel before they enter Canaan, and it is traditionally attributed to Moses, with some scholars dating its final form later. The original audience was the generation that had come out of Egypt and was about to cross the Jordan. The chapter lists seven nations, including the Hittites, Canaanites, and Amorites, whom God would drive out before Israel.
The verse sits inside a warning. Verses 3 and 4 explain the reason for the command: intermarriage with these nations would draw Israel’s children away from following the LORD and into the worship of other gods. Verse 5 then gives the practical instruction that follows, to break down their altars and destroy their idols. Seen this way, the command in verse 2 is primarily about protecting Israel’s faith, and the surrounding text makes that purpose clear.
Key Phrases in Deuteronomy 7:2
Deuteronomy 7:6
For you are a holy people to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
(WEB)
This verse follows directly in the chapter and explains that Israel is a people set apart for the LORD. It helps readers see that the separation commanded in verse 2 flows from Israel’s calling to belong to God, not from a claim of superiority.
Exodus 23:32-33
32 You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
(WEB)
This passage gives a similar warning that Israel must not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land or let them live among them, because they would lead Israel into sin. It shows the same concern about spiritual compromise appearing earlier in the Torah.
A Short Prayer From Deuteronomy 7:2
Lord, you are the one who holds the nations and the hearts of your people in your hands. Help me take seriously what I allow to shape my loyalty, and give me wisdom to guard my faith from the influences that would draw me away from you. Teach me to read your word with humility, honoring the history it records and trusting your character as the God who is faithful and just. Keep my heart undivided toward you, and let my dealings with others reflect your mercy. Amen.
