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How many nations will God "clear away" in Deuteronomy 7?

User Amey
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Final answer:

In Deuteronomy 7, God commands the Israelites to clear away seven nations to make way for the land He is giving them. The Old Testament contains several passages that describe acts of destruction and violence during this conquest, in line with God's commands.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Deuteronomy 7, God commands the Israelites to "clear away" seven nations. These nations were greater and mightier than the Israelite people, and their clearance was a means of preparing the land that God was giving to the Israelites as an inheritance. Detailed descriptions of the destruction and violence commanded by God, or enacted by the Israelites with God's blessing, are spread across numerous passages in the Old Testament.

For instance, passages like Numbers 21:3 describe how the Israelites "utterly destroyed the Canaanites", while Deuteronomy 7:2 tells of God's command to "utterly destroy" and show "no mercy" to the inhabitants of the lands the Israelites were conquering. Further examples of God's commands for destruction can be found in Deuteronomy 20:16-17 and Joshua 10:40, demonstrating the extent to which this notion of divine warfare was embedded in the narrative of the Israelite's conquest of Canaan.

User Piddien
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