The Seven Nations are an allegory (or word picture) in the Old Testament of actions that are forbidden by God, as described in the Ten Commandments. Israel's interaction with these nations foretells of the spiritual battle that one must face to become a mature Christian. The New Testament terminology for these nations is "the works of the flesh" or "works of darkness". When the Ten Commandments are separated into opposites, seven vices and seven virtues result. The seven vices are pride, rebellion, hatred/bitterness, defilement, theft/slothfulness, deceit, and greed/covetousness. The seven virtues are humility, obedience, forgiveness/compassion, purity, diligence, honesty, and gratefulness. The seven vices are personified in the seven nations that are sequentially listed in Deuternomy 7:1-3. Two poems summarize how the seven nations depict a believer's journey to maturity. The seven virtues are related to the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-12 and to the "light of the world" in Matthew 5:14-16.