Femte MosebokenKapitel 7

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When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to take possession of it, and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and stronger than you—

and when the LORD your God gives them over to you and you defeat them, then you must devote them to destruction. Make no covenant with them and show them no mercy.

Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughter to their son or take their daughter for your son,

for they would turn your son away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD's anger would burn against you and destroy you quickly.

Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

It was not because you were more numerous than other peoples that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you—you were the fewest of all peoples.

It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your fathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God, who keeps his covenant of steadfast love to a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments,

but who repays to their face those who hate him, destroying them. He does not delay; he repays to their face those who hate him.

So keep the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances that I am commanding you today, and do them.

And because you listen to these ordinances and keep them and do them, the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant of steadfast love that he swore to your fathers.

He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land—your grain, your new wine, and your oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks, in the land he swore to your fathers to give you.

You will be blessed above all peoples. No man or woman among you will be barren, nor any of your livestock.

The LORD will keep every sickness away from you, and none of the terrible diseases of Egypt that you knew will he inflict on you; he will lay them on all who hate you.

You will consume all the peoples the LORD your God gives over to you. Show them no pity, and do not serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.

If you say in your heart, "These nations are more numerous than I am; how can I drive them out?"—

do not be afraid of them. Remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:

the great trials your own eyes saw, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you fear.

The LORD your God will also send hornets among them, until even the survivors who hide from you have perished.

Do not be terrified of them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little. You cannot finish them off quickly, or the wild animals would multiply against you.

But the LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.

He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.

Burn the images of their gods in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them or take it for yourself, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God.

Do not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you, like it, will be devoted to destruction. Utterly detest it and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.

Uppslag

Sammanfattning2

Kapitel 7

Main Theme: God commands Israel to remain separate from the peoples of Canaan and promises blessing for obedience.

Content: When Israel enters Canaan, they are to destroy the seven nations there and demolish all their cultic objects. They must not form alliances or intermarry with them, so as to avoid being led into idolatry. God chose Israel as his treasured possession—not because they were numerous, but out of love and faithfulness to the promise made to their ancestors. If they keep God's commands, he promises blessing, protection from disease, fertility, and victory over their enemies.

Key Terms/Images:

עַם סְגֻלָּה (am segullah) – treasured possession: Israel is God's chosen treasure among all the peoples of the earth.
חֵרֶם (cherem) – ban: The total destruction of the Canaanite peoples and their cultic objects, consecrated to God.
בְּרִית וְחֶסֶד (berit ve-chesed) – covenant and faithful love: God keeps his covenant for a thousand generations with those who love him.

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Deuteronomy 7

Peoples

The chapter opens by mentioning seven nations that Israel would encounter in Canaan: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (verse 1). These are described as "greater and mightier" than Israel, emphasizing that the conquest will be God's work, not Israel's military strength. The list serves as a representative summary of the land's population and their religious practices from which Israel must distance itself.

Events and Customs

The term ḥerem (חֵרֶם, "ban" or "devoted to destruction") in verses 2, 25, and 26 describes a practice where war spoils were dedicated to the deity through total destruction. Similar practices are known from other ancient Near Eastern cultures, including the Mesha Stele from Moab. The prohibition against intermarriage (verses 3–4) and the command to destroy cult objects—altars, masseboth (stone pillars), asherahs (cult poles), and carved images (verses 5, 25)—reflect a radical rejection of Canaanite religious syncretism.

Key Terms

The expression am segullah (עַם סְגֻלָּה, "treasured possession" or "special people") in verse 6 denotes a particularly valuable possession. The word segullah is used in Akkadian texts to refer to royal treasures and private property set apart from the state's wealth. This term expresses Israel's unique status as God's personal, precious possession among all the peoples of the earth.

The word ḥesed (חֶסֶד) in verses 9 and 12, often translated "mercy" or "steadfast love," describes covenant loyalty that goes beyond legal obligations. It encompasses both God's faithful love toward His people and the mutual loyalty expected within the covenant relationship.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Archaeological excavations in Canaan have uncovered numerous cult objects of the type the chapter commands to be destroyed. Discoveries of asherahs (cult poles dedicated to the fertility goddess Asherah), stone pillars (masseboth), and female figurines at sites such as Hazor, Megiddo, and Lachish confirm how widespread Canaanite cultic practices were. At several Israelite settlements from the Iron Age, remains of destroyed cult objects have been found, which may indicate attempts to comply with these commands. At the same time, finds of Asherah figurines even within Israelite contexts show that syncretism remained a persistent challenge, just as the text's warnings suggest.

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Nyckelord7

Chosen — In Deuteronomy 7 this refers to the people of Israel whom God has chosen as His special people.
Holy — Means to be set apart or dedicated for a divine purpose; in this context, the people of Israel are called holy because they are chosen by God.
Nations — This refers to other peoples and nations outside of Israel, who were often regarded as pagans.
Alliances — This means partnerships or agreements between two parties, often between nations. In Deuteronomy 7 the Israelites are warned against making such alliances with other nations.
Destroy — To remove completely, ruin, or eliminate. In this context God speaks of destroying the nations occupying the promised land before the Israelites arrive.
Idols — This refers to false gods, statues, or symbols representing false deities. The Israelites are instructed to destroy these when they enter the promised land.
Bless — To grant divine favor, protection, or prosperity. God promises to bless the Israelites if they obey His commands and stay away from other gods.