John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 6. For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God , etc.] Not sanctified in a spiritual sense, or having principles of grace and holiness in them, from whence holy actions sprang, at least not all of them; but they were separated from all other people in the world to the pure worship and service of God in an external manner, and therefore were to avoid all idolatry, and every appearance of it: 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 ; for special service and worship, and to enjoy special privileges and benefits, civil and religious; though they were not chosen to special grace here, and eternal glory hereafter; at least not all of them, only a remnant, according to the election of grace; yet they were typical of the chosen people of God in a special sense; who are chosen out of the world to be a peculiar people, to be holy here and happy hereafter; to enjoy communion with God in this life and that to come, as well as to serve and glorify him now and for evermore.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 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 n communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. Limiting the orders to destroy, to the nations here mentioned, plainly shows tha after ages were not to draw this into a precedent. A prope understanding of the evil of sin, and of the mystery of a crucifie Saviour, will enable us to perceive the justice of God in all his punishments, temporal and eternal. We must deal decidedly with ou lusts that war against our souls; let us not show them any mercy, but mortify, and crucify, and utterly destroy them. Thousands in the worl that now is, have been undone by ungodly marriages; for there is mor likelihood that the good will be perverted, than that the bad will be converted. Those who, in choosing yoke-fellows, keep not within the bounds of a profession of religion, cannot promise themselves help meet for them.
Original Hebrew כי3588 עם5971 קדושׁ6918 אתה859 ליהוה3068 אלהיך430 בך בחר977 יהוה3068 אלהיך430 להיות1961 לו לעם5971 סגלה5459 מכל3605 העמים5971 אשׁר834 על5921 פני6440 האדמה׃127
