Deuteronomy 7:17 (GNV)

Passage

If thou say in thine heart, These nations are moe then I, how can I cast them out?

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 7:15 Moreouer, the Lord will take away from thee all infirmities, and will put none of the euill diseases of Egypt (which thou knowest) vpon thee, but wil send them vpon all that hate thee.

Deuteronomy 7:16 Thou shalt therefore consume all people which the Lord thy God shall giue thee: thine eye shall not spare them, neither shalt thou serue their gods, for that shalbe thy destruction.

Deuteronomy 7:17 If thou say in thine heart, These nations are moe then I, how can I cast them out?

Deuteronomy 7:18 Thou shalt not feare them, but remember what the Lord thy God did vnto Pharaoh, and vnto all Egypt:

Deuteronomy 7:19 The great tentations which thine eyes sawe, and the signes and wonders, and the mighty hand and stretched out arme, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do vnto all ye people, whose face thou fearest.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "thine", "heart", "nations", and "cast". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "thine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Thou shalt therefore consume all people which..." into verse 18's "Thou shalt not feare them but remember...", so "thou" and "thine" 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 "thou" and "thine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.