God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 7:16
16You must destroy all the people the Lord your God hands over to you. Have no pity on them, and never worship their gods, because they will be a trap for you.
Deuteronomy 7:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the Lord your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
Context of Deuteronomy 7:16
14You will be blessed more than any other people. Your men and women will be able to have children, and your animals will be able to have offspring. 15The Lord will keep you from having any kind of illness. He will not strike you with any of the terrible diseases you experienced in Egypt. Instead, he will strike all those who hate you. You must destroy all the people the Lord your God hands over to you. Have no pity on them, and never worship their gods, because they will be a trap for you. 17You may say to yourselves, “These nations outnumber us. How can we force them out?” 18Don’t be afraid of them. Remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt.
Read all of Deuteronomy 7Deuteronomy 7:16 word by word
וְאָכַלְתָּ֣ אֶת־כָּל־הָֽעַמִּ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֔ךְ לֹא־תָחֹ֥ס עֵֽינְךָ֖ עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וְלֹ֤א תַעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־אֱלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם כִּֽי־מוֹקֵ֥שׁ ה֖וּא לָֽךְ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And thou shalt consumeאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- all the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- which the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- shall deliverנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- thee; thine eyeעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- shall have no pityחוּסchûs · to pityH2347
- upon them: neither shalt thou serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
- a snareמוֹקֵשׁmôqêsh môqêsh · snareH4170
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 7:16
- Deuteronomy 7:2When the Lord your God gives them to you and you defeat them, destroy every one of them because they have been claimed by the Lord. Don’t make any treaties with them or show them any mercy.
- Deuteronomy 13:8Don’t be influenced by any of these people or listen to them. Have no pity on them. Don’t feel sorry for them or protect them.
- Deuteronomy 19:13They must have no pity on him. The guilt of murdering an innocent person must be removed from Israel. Then things will go well for Israel.
- Deuteronomy 25:12cut off her hand. Have no pity on her.
- Jeremiah 21:7Afterwards, declares the Lord, I will hand over Judah’s King Zedekiah, his officials, the people, and everyone else in this city who survives the plague, war, and famine. They will be handed over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. Nebuchadnezzar will kill them with swords. He won’t spare them, show them compassion, or care for them.’
- Deuteronomy 12:30After they’ve been destroyed, be careful you aren’t tempted to follow their customs. Don’t even ask about their gods and say, “How did these people worship their gods? We want to do what they did.”
- Exodus 23:33Never let them live in your land, or they will make you sin against me and trap you into serving their gods.”
- Exodus 34:12Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you’re going. This will prove to be a trap to you.
- Numbers 33:55“ ‘But if you do not force out those who live in the land, they will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will constantly fight with you over the land you live in.
- Joshua 23:13then you should know that the Lord your God will never again force these people out of your way. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap for you, a whip laid to your sides, and thorns in your eyes until none of you are left in this good land that the Lord your God has given you.
- Judges 2:3So I have this to say, ‘I will not force them out of your way. They will be like thorns in your sides, and their gods will become a trap for you.’ ”
- Judges 3:6The Israelites allowed their sons and daughters to marry these people. Israel also served their gods.
- Judges 8:27Then Gideon used the gold to make an idol and placed it in his hometown, Ophrah. All Israel chased after it there as though it were a prostitute. It became a trap for Gideon and his family.
- Psalms 106:36and they worshiped their idols, which became a trap for them.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33Don’t let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 7:16
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-26Verses 12-26 We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good for the health of our bodies, thoroughly to mortify the sin of our…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-26Before Israel could occupy the promised land, they had to remove the people already living there (compare Genesis 13:14–17; 15:18–21). The land belonged to the Lord, and only God could decide who should live there.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-2611-26. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day--In the covenant into which God entered with Israel, He promised to bestow upon them a variety of blessings so long as they continued obedient to Him as their heavenly King. He pledged His veracity that His infinite perfections would be exerted for this purpose, as well as for delivering them from every evil to which, as a people, they…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 7:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries