Deuteronomy 20 17

Deuteronomy 20:17 kjv

But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

Deuteronomy 20:17 nkjv

but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the LORD your God has commanded you,

Deuteronomy 20:17 niv

Completely destroy them?the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites?as the LORD your God has commanded you.

Deuteronomy 20:17 esv

but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded,

Deuteronomy 20:17 nlt

You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the LORD your God has commanded you.

Deuteronomy 20 verses

Deuteronomy 20 17 Meaning

Deuteronomy 20:17 commands Israel to utterly destroy specific nations dwelling in the land of Canaan: the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. This was not a general directive for all warfare but a unique, divine judgment, specifically given as Israel entered the Promised Land. The primary purpose was to purge the land of their abhorrent idolatrous and immoral practices (such as child sacrifice and cultic prostitution) that defiled the land and prevented spiritual contamination among God's covenant people.

Deuteronomy 20 17 Context

Deuteronomy chapter 20 sets forth the laws concerning warfare for the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. The chapter differentiates between two types of military encounters. Verses 10-15 provide guidelines for dealing with distant cities that are outside the geographical confines of Canaan: if a city accepts a peace treaty, its people are to become tribute laborers; if not, the men are to be killed, but women, children, and possessions may be taken as spoil.

In stark contrast, verses 16-18, where Deuteronomy 20:17 is located, concern the cities within the Promised Land inhabited by specific nations. For these, no quarter is to be given, and all inhabitants are to be "utterly destroyed" (ḥāram). This distinct and severe command arises from the profound theological imperative for Israel to remain distinct and holy, free from the pervasive and abominable pagan practices of the Canaanites. Their wickedness, including child sacrifice and sexual perversions, had filled up the measure of their iniquity (Gen 15:16), making them ripe for divine judgment. Failure to carry out this command would inevitably lead to Israel's spiritual corruption, as history later demonstrates (Judges, Psalms 106).

Deuteronomy 20 17 Word analysis

• But thou shalt utterly destroy them;

  • utterly destroy (Hebrew: חָרַם, ḥāram): This is a critical term, often translated as "devote to destruction," "put under the ban," or "exterminate." It implies a consecrated destruction, a dedication to the Lord by total annihilation. It is not merely a military victory or ethnic cleansing for land acquisition but a theological act of purging a corrupted population and their idolatry, removing anything that could defile the covenant community. The goal was to eliminate moral and spiritual contagion, as the nations’ iniquity was full (Gen 15:16). This command carried a severe theological dimension, where the destruction was an act of divine judgment executed through Israel, for God's holiness.
  • them: Refers collectively to the specific nations listed immediately after.

• namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites;

  • The nations listed: These are prominent groups occupying Canaan before Israel's conquest. This is a common, though not exhaustive, list found throughout the Pentateuch and Joshua. Their collective practices (detailed in books like Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 12) included cultic prostitution, magic, sorcery, child sacrifice (e.g., to Molech), and other grave abominations which defiled the land and incurred God's judgment. The command for their destruction was not based on ethnicity or race, but on their deeply entrenched idolatry and wickedness which posed an existential spiritual threat to God's nascent nation, Israel. They had centuries to repent, and their wickedness reached a full measure.

• as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

  • as the LORD thy God: Emphasizes that this command originates directly from the sovereign, holy God, not from human malice or political ambition. It underlines the divine authority behind the action and indicates Israel's role as an instrument of divine judgment. This makes the herem distinct from pagan warfare, which was often driven by greed or expansion.
  • hath commanded thee: Highlights the imperative nature of the divine decree and Israel's solemn duty to obey. This obedience was crucial for maintaining the holiness of the land and the purity of God's covenant people.

Deuteronomy 20 17 Bonus section

The herem (utter destruction) described in Deuteronomy 20:17 was an extraordinary measure tied to God's unique covenant with Israel and their role in a specific historical period of establishing theocracy in a land already judged. It was not a universal mandate for future warfare. The context demonstrates God's long-suffering, waiting for centuries for the Amorites' iniquity to be full (Gen 15:16). Furthermore, the command was conditional; individuals or groups from these nations could be spared if they genuinely turned to the Lord, as seen in the case of Rahab in Jericho (Josh 6) and the Gibeonites (Josh 9), indicating that the judgment was against their moral and spiritual state, not merely their ethnicity. This highlights that God's justice is paired with opportunities for repentance and faith.

Deuteronomy 20 17 Commentary

Deuteronomy 20:17 is a difficult but crucial verse within the context of God's redemptive plan. It dictates the herem warfare specifically against the entrenched idolatrous nations within Canaan. This was a unique, limited, and non-repeatable historical command given for a specific purpose: to safeguard the spiritual purity and covenant faithfulness of Israel, who were to be a holy nation set apart to God. The nations targeted were not destroyed arbitrarily; their deep-seated abominations, practiced for centuries and culminating in child sacrifice and extreme sexual immorality, had rendered the land "vomit-inducing" in God's sight (Lev 18:25). Israel acted as God's instrument of judgment, carrying out what was, in essence, a judicial execution upon societies whose "iniquity was complete" (Gen 15:16).

The command was preventative, designed to create a "cordon sanitaire" around God's chosen people to prevent religious and moral assimilation, which historical records show still proved to be a formidable challenge (Judges). This principle of purging sin and idolatry from the community remains vital for believers, though it is now spiritualized (Eph 6:12; 1 Cor 5:7). Christians are called to ruthlessly remove sin and idolatry from their own lives and communities, dedicating to destruction anything that corrupts their devotion to God, recognizing that unrepentant wickedness ultimately faces God's judgment (Rom 1:18).