Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Deuteronomy
Chapter 7: Not Because Ye Were Many, but Because He Loved You
As Israel prepares to enter Canaan, Moses tells them they are a holy people, chosen by God to be His own special treasure. But he guards them from pride: God did not choose them because they were great or many, for they were the fewest of all people. He chose them simply 'because the LORD loved you.' It is pure grace, love that sets its heart on the unworthy. And because this loving God is among them, they need not be afraid of the nations before them. It is a chapter about being chosen, about love that is not earned, and about the courage that comes from having God on our side.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Deuteronomy chapter 7. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. The chapter tells Israel they are a holy people chosen as God's own treasure, explains that their election rests not on their merit but on God's love and His oath, and assures them that they need not fear the nations, for the LORD is among them. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
A Holy People
Israel is chosen to be a special treasure unto God, set apart from all the peoples of the earth.
No Covenant with Idols
They must not intermarry with the nations or spare their idols, lest their hearts be turned away.
Because He Loved You
God chose Israel not for their greatness but simply because He loved them and kept His oath.
Be Not Affrighted
They need not fear the nations, for the LORD their God is among them, a mighty God.
A Holy People, a Special Treasure (Deuteronomy 7:1-6)
Israel is to drive out the nations and make no covenant with their idols, for they are a holy people, chosen by God to be His own special treasure above all peoples.
Chosen to Be a Special People
"When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth."
Hebrew Study
"special people," segullah (סְגֻלָּה). A treasured possession, a personal treasure such as a king keeps for himself, precious and prized above the rest. God calls Israel His segullah, His own cherished treasure, chosen out of all the earth to belong to Him in a special way. It speaks not of Israel's worth but of God's delight in what He has claimed as His own.
Explanation
Moses tells Israel that when God brings them into the land and casts out the seven nations before them, "thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them." They were not to intermarry with these nations, "For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods." Instead they were to tear down the altars, break the images, and burn the graven idols. Why such separation? "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." Their calling to be God's treasured possession required them to be holy, set apart, and free from the idols that would corrupt them.
Gospel Focus
What God said of Israel He now says of the church in Christ. Peter takes up these very words: "ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9). We are God's treasured possession, chosen and holy, and Paul says Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). To belong to God in this way calls for separation from the idols of the world. Israel was to make no covenant with the nations and to tear down their altars; we are called to come out from the world's idolatries and keep ourselves pure, not mingling our devotion with the gods of this age. The command to destroy the idols utterly warns us that half measures with sin are dangerous; what we spare will one day turn our hearts away. You are a treasure claimed by God; live as the holy, separated people He has made you.
Because the LORD Loved You (Deuteronomy 7:7-11)
God did not choose Israel because they were great or many, but simply because He loved them and kept His oath; their election rested wholly on His grace.
Not for Your Greatness, but His Love
"The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. 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. If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid. Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed."
Hebrew Study
Here is election laid bare: "The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number... for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you." God's choice rested on nothing in Israel — not size, not merit — but only on His own love and His oath to the fathers. It is grace to the core, "keeping covenant and mercy" (chesed, loyal love). The smallest, least impressive people were chosen simply because God set His love on them.
Explanation
Lest Israel grow proud of being chosen, Moses removes every ground of boasting. God did not set His love on them "because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people." There was nothing in Israel to attract God's choice, no greatness, no numbers, no merit. The reason lay entirely in God: "But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers." His love and His faithfulness to His promise, not their worthiness, were the cause of their redemption. And so they were to "know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him," to a thousand generations, while repaying those who hate Him.
Gospel Focus
Here is grace laid bare. God chose Israel not because of anything in them but simply "because the LORD loved you." The love came first, with no cause outside of God Himself; He set His heart on the fewest and the least, and that love was the only reason. This is the pattern of all salvation. We were not chosen for our goodness, our strength, or our numbers, but purely because God loved us. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). The choice removes all pride and leaves only wonder: why would God love such as us? There is no answer but His own love. And notice what anchors it, "he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers." God's love is joined to His faithfulness; He is "the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy." Our security rests not on our grip on Him but on His covenant love that will not let us go. If you are His, it is because He loved you first; boast in nothing but that grace.
Be Not Affrighted; the LORD Is Among You (Deuteronomy 7:12-26)
If Israel keeps the covenant, God will bless and multiply them; and though the nations seem strong, they need not fear, for the LORD their God is among them.
The LORD Thy God Is Among You
"Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing."
Hebrew Study
The conquest would come "by little and little" (me'at me'at), lest the land, emptied too fast, turn to wilderness and beasts multiply. God paces His people's progress for their good, not always granting victory all at once. And the idols of the nations are "an abomination," a cherem, an accursed thing not to be coveted or carried home. God gives growth gradually, and He will share His people's houses with no rival god.
Explanation
Moses promises that if Israel hearkens to God's judgments and keeps them, the LORD will keep His covenant of love, blessing the fruit of their body and their land, their corn, wine, and oil, and taking sickness from among them. As for the nations they feared, "if thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? Thou shalt not be afraid of them," but remember what God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt. "Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible." He would drive out the nations little by little and deliver their kings into Israel's hand. They were only to be sure to destroy the idols utterly, "neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house," but utterly detest and abhor it.
Gospel Focus
The temptation when facing a great enemy is to measure the battle by our own smallness: "These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?" But God turns Israel's eyes from their weakness to His presence: "Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God." The question is never how big the enemy is, but who is on our side. Paul asks the same question in triumph: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). When the God who is among us is a mighty God, no array of enemies can finally prevail. Notice too the promise of gradual victory: God would drive out the nations "by little and little," not all at once, lest the land grow desolate. So God often works in our lives, not conquering every fault in a single day but leading us on to victory step by step, teaching us to trust Him through the process. And the old warning remains: keep the idols out of the house, detest and abhor the accursed thing, for what we take in will destroy us. Do not be afraid; the mighty God is among you, and He will finish what He has begun.
Chapter 7 in Review
Deuteronomy 7 sets before Israel their identity and their security. They are a holy people, chosen by God to be His own special treasure, and so they must be separate, making no covenant with the nations and tearing down their idols. But their election was never a ground for pride: God did not choose them for their greatness, "for ye were the fewest of all people," but simply "because the LORD loved you" and kept His oath. And because this loving, faithful God was among them, they need not fear the nations, however strong, for He would drive them out and give the victory.
For the Apostolic reader, this chapter is rich with grace. We too are a chosen generation, a peculiar people, called to be holy and separate from the idols of the world. Our salvation rests not on our worth but on God's free love: He loved us first, and by grace we are saved, not of works, lest any should boast. And the God who chose us in love is among us still, so we face every enemy without fear, knowing that if God be for us, none can stand against us. Rest in the love that chose you, keep yourself pure from idols, and take courage from the mighty God who dwells among His people.
- Israel is God's "special people," His treasured possession, called to be holy (7:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Titus 2:14).
- Being God's people requires separation from the idols of the nations (7:1-5).
- God chose Israel not for their greatness but "because the LORD loved you" (7:7-8).
- Salvation is by grace, not of works, lest any should boast (7:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-9).
- Fear no enemy, "for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God" (7:21; Romans 8:31).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you rest in the truth that God chose you not for your worth but simply because He loved you?
- Is there an idol of the world you have brought into the house that must be utterly cast out?
- When you face a great enemy, do you measure it by your smallness or by the mighty God who is among you?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- A holy people, God's treasured possession: Deuteronomy 7:1-6; 1 Peter 2:9; Titus 2:14.
- Election by grace, because the LORD loved you: Deuteronomy 7:7-11; Ephesians 2:8-9.
- Be not afraid, for God is among us: Deuteronomy 7:12-26; Romans 8:31.