Deuteronomy 7:6
For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: 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.
Study Note
Study Note
The declaration 'thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: 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' is Deuteronomy's foundational election statement, grounding Israel's holiness in divine selection rather than inherent merit. The following verse (7:7) immediately deflects any ethnic pride: 'the Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people' — election is rooted in love and oath (v. 8), not in Israel's numerical, moral, or cultural superiority. 1 Peter 2:9 ('ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people') applies this vocabulary wholesale to the church, transferring the election-honour language from ethnic Israel to the new-covenant community. The verse became the primary basis for Reformed doctrines of corporate election and the 'peculiar people' theology of Puritan covenant ecclesiology.
Other Translations
For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.
for a holy people <FI>art<Fi> thou to Jehovah thy God; on thee hath Jehovah thy God fixed, to be to Him for a peculiar people, out of all the peoples who <FI>are<Fi> on the face of the ground.
For you are a holy people to the Lord your God: marked out by the Lord your God to be his special people out of all the nations on the face of the earth.
Cross References
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure …
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou …
For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a …
And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; …
The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep …
Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall …
You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your …
And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and …
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye …