Commentary on Harmony of the Law Volume 1 Complete John Calvin (continued)
HARMONY OF THE LAW · VOLUME 1
1. When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
1. Quum introduxerit te Jehova Deus tuus in terram in quam ingrederis possidendam, et avellerit gentes multas a facie tua, Hittaeum, Gergasaeum, Amorrhaum, Chananaeum, Perisaeum, Hivaeum, et Jebusaeum, septem gentes nmltas et robustiores te:
2. And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
2. Et tradiderit eas Jehova Deus tuus coram to, et percusseris eas: perdendo perdes eas: non inibis cum illis pactum, neque misereberis earum.
3. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
3. Non junges te affinitate cum eis, filiam tuam non dabis filio ejus et filiam ejus non accipies filio tuo.
4. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
4. Avocabit enim filium tuum a me, et colent Deos alienos: unde irascetur furor Jehovae in vos, ut disperdat te cito.
2. Thou shalt smite them and utterly destroy them. Those who think that there was cruelty in this command, usurp too great authority in respect to Him who is the judge of all. The objection is specious that the people of God were unreasonably imbued with inhumanity, so that, advancing with murderous atrocity, they should spare neither sex nor age. But we must first remember what we shall see hereafter, i.e., that when God had destined the land for His people, He was at liberty utterly to destroy the former inhabitants, so that its possession might be free for them. We must then go further, and say that He desired the just demonstration of His vengeance to appear upon these nations. Four hundred years before He had justly