Deuteronomy 7:22
He will consume these nations in thy sight by little and little and by degrees. Thou wilt not be able to destroy them altogether: lest perhaps the beasts of the earth should increase upon thee.
Open Deuteronomy 7:22 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- ipse consumet nationes has in conspectu tuo paulatim atque per partes. Non poteris eas delere pariter : ne forte multiplicentur contra te bestiæ terræ.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ καταναλώσει Κύριος ὁ θεός σου τὰ ἔθνη ταῦτα ἀπὸ προσώπου σου κατὰ μικρὸν μικρόν· οὐ δυνήσῃ ἐξαναλῶσαι αὐτοὺς τὸ τάχος, ἵνα μὴ γένηται ἡ γῆ ἔρημος καὶ πληθυνθῇ ἐπὶ σὲ τὰ θηρία τὰ ἄγρια.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְנָשַׁל֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ אֶת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָאֵ֛ל מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ מְעַ֣ט מְעָ֑ט לֹ֤א תוּכַל֙ כַּלֹּתָ֣ם מַהֵ֔ר פֶּן תִּרְבֶּ֥ה עָלֶ֖יךָ חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶֽה
Haydock's commentary
Thee. Three millions of people not being sufficient to cultivate the land, Exodus xxiii. 29. (Menochius)
God could easily have destroyed those mighty nations at once; but he would not give the Israelites any occasion of boasting. (Du Hamel)
If they never succeeded to expel them entirely out of the country, they might attribute it to their own negligence and other sins. (Haydock)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Cassian The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-X, Chapter XIV. Of the struggle into which we must enter against our faults, when they attack us
Wherefore we must enter the lists against these faults in such a way that every one should discover his besetting sin, and direct his main attack against it, directing all his care and watchfulness of mind to guard against its assault, directing against it daily the weapons of fasting, and at all times hurling against it the constant darts of sighs and groanings from the heart, and employing against it the labours of vigils and the meditation of the heart, and further pouring forth to God constant tears and prayers and continually and expressly praying to be delivered from its attack. …