Deuteronomy 7:22 (DRB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 7:20 Moreover the Lord thy God will send also hornets among them, until he destroy and consume all that have escaped thee, and could hide themselves.

Deuteronomy 7:21 Thou shalt not fear them, because the Lord thy God is in the midst of thee, a God mighty and terrible:

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.

Deuteronomy 7:23 But the Lord thy God shall deliver them in thy sight: and shall slay them until they be utterly destroyed.

Deuteronomy 7:24 And he shall deliver their kings into thy hands, and thou shalt destroy their names from under Heaven: no man shall be able to resist thee, until thou destroy them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "consume", "nations", "sight", "little", "degrees", "thou", and "wilt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "consume" and "nations", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Thou shalt not fear them because the..." into verse 23's "But the Lord thy God shall deliver...", so "consume" and "nations" belong inside that flow. In Deuteronomy context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "consume" and "nations" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.