Deuteronomy 7 · Verse 6

Deuteronomy 7:6

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.
Deuteronomy 7:6, King James Version

Deuteronomy 7:6 in other translations

BSBFor you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.
WEBFor you are a holy people to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
ASVFor thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.
YLTfor a holy people art thou to Jehovah thy God; on thee hath Jehovah thy God fixed, to be to Him for a peculiar people, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the ground.
DARBYFor a holy people art thou unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be unto him a people for a possession, above all the peoples that are upon the face of the earth.
BBEFor you are a holy people to the Lord your God: marked out by the Lord your God to be his special people out of all the nations on the face of the earth.
WebsterFor thou art a holy people to the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people to himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

What does Deuteronomy 7:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 7:2-10

2-6. thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them--This relentless doom of extermination which God denounced against those tribes of Canaan cannot be reconciled with the attributes of the divine character, except on the assumption that their gross idolatry and enormous wickedness left no reasonable hope of their repentance and amendment. If they were to be swept away like…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 7:2-10 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 Thou art a holy people - And therefore should have no connection with the workers of iniquity. A special people - סגלה segullah, - Septuagint, λαον περιουσιον, - a peculiar people, a private property. The words as they stand in the Septuagint are quoted by the apostle, 1Pet 2:9.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 7:1-11

Here is a strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those who are in communion with God, must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentioned, plainly shows that after ages were not to draw this into a precedent. A proper understanding of the evil of sin, and of the mystery of a crucified Saviour, will…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 7:1-11 →

Deuteronomy 7:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כִּ֣יkiforH3588
עַ֤ם'am[are] a peopleH5971
קָדוֹשׁ֙ka.do.VoshholyH6918
אַתָּ֔ה'a.TahyouH859
לַיהוָ֖הla.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ'e.lo.Hei.khaGod yourH430
בְּךָ֞be.Kha<in> <the> you
בָּחַ֣ר\׀ba.Charhe has chosenH977
יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ'e.lo.Hei.khaGod yourH430
לִהְי֥וֹתlih.Yotto becomeH1961
לוֹ֙lofor <the> him
לְעַ֣םle.'Am<into> a people ofH5971
סְגֻלָּ֔הse.gu.LahpossessionH5459
מִכֹּל֙mi.Kolfrom allH3605
הָֽעַמִּ֔יםha.'a.Mimthe peoplesH5971
אֲשֶׁ֖ר'a.SherwhichH834
עַל\־'al-[are] onH5921
פְּנֵ֥יpe.Nei[the] surface ofH6440
הָאֲדָמָֽה\׃\ \סha.'a.da.Mahthe groundH127

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Deuteronomy 7:6

  • Deuteronomy 14:2

    For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

  • Exodus 19:5-6

    Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

  • 1 Peter 2:9

    But 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:

  • Malachi 3:17

    And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

  • 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

    What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

  • Deuteronomy 26:19

    And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.

  • Jeremiah 2:3

    Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord.

  • Amos 3:2

    You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

  • Titus 2:14

    Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

  • Psalms 50:5

    Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

  • Deuteronomy 28:9

    The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.

  • 2 Peter 2:9

    The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
an holy.
14:2; 26:19; 28:9; Ex 19:5,6; Ps 50:5; Jer 2:3; Am 3:2; 1Co 6:19,20
Tit 2:14; 2Pe 2:5,9
to be a special.
Mal 3:17; Tit 2:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Deuteronomy 7:5

    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.

  • Deuteronomy 7:6

    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.

  • Deuteronomy 7:7

    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:

Read all of Deuteronomy 7

Deuteronomy 7:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque tú eres pueblo santo á Jehová tu Dios: Jehová tu Dios te ha escogido para serle un pueblo especial, más que todos los pueblos que están sobre la haz de la tierra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Car tu es un peuple saint, consacré à l’ Éternel, ton Dieu; l’ Éternel, ton Dieu, t’a choisi, afin que tu sois pour lui un peuple qui lui appartienne en propre, d’entre tous les peuples qui sont sur la face de la terre.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Denn ein heiliges Volk bist du Jehova, deinem Gott: dich hat Jehova, dein Gott, erwählt, ihm zum Eigentumsvolke zu sein aus allen Völkern, die auf dem Erdboden sind.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		quia populus sanctus es Domino Deo tuo. Te elegit Dominus Deus tuus, ut sis ei populus peculiaris de cunctis populis, qui sunt super terram.