But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.

DEUTERONOMY 7:23KJV
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Deuteronomy 7:23 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 7:23 mean?

Deuteronomy 7:23 says that the LORD (God) will hand Israel’s enemies over to them and will completely destroy those enemies with overwhelming force. The verse promises that God will make sure Israel’s opponents are wiped out until none remain.

In this passage, Moses is speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the land of Canaan. He is reassuring them that God will actively intervene on their behalf against the nations living there. The verse emphasizes God’s power and commitment to Israel’s victory, highlighting that the destruction will be total and decisive.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 7:23

  • LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of Israel’s God, stressing that it is their covenant God who will act for them, not a distant or generic deity.
  • destroy (שָׁמַד, shamad): This word often means to completely wipe out or exterminate, showing that the defeat of Israel’s enemies is meant to be thorough and final.
  • mighty (גָּדוֹל, gadol) and destruction (מְהוּמָה, mehumah): Together, these words describe not just any defeat, but one marked by overwhelming chaos or panic, suggesting that the destruction will be both powerful and terrifying.

Why Deuteronomy 7:23 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Israel’s victory is not due to their own strength or strategy, but because God is actively delivering and destroying their enemies.
  • The strong language about destruction can be misunderstood; here, it is about God’s promise to secure the land for Israel as part of a specific historical context, not a general rule for all times or peoples.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage by reinforcing the theme that Israel’s success depends on trust in God’s faithfulness and power, not on alliances or military might.

Where else these words appear

“destroy” Hebrew H1949 · used in 6 verses

  • Ruth 1:19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
  • 1 Samuel 4:5 And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
  • Psalms 55:2 Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;

“destruction” Hebrew H4103 · used in 12 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
  • 1 Samuel 14:20 And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
  • Ezekiel 7:7 The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains.

“destroyed” Hebrew H8045 · used in 86 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 31:4 And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
  • Esther 7:4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.