Deuteronomy20
New American Standard
1“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.
2When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people.
3He shall say to them, ‘Hear, Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or be terrified by them,
4for the Lord your God is the One who is going with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’
5The officers also shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Who is the man that has built a new house but has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would dedicate it.
6And who is the man that has planted a vineyard but has not put it to use? Let him go and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would put it to use.
7And who is the man that is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would marry her.’
8Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, ‘Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, so that he does not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart!’
9And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people.
10“When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace.
11And if it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and serve you.
12However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.
13When the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the edge of the sword.
14However, the women, the children, the animals, and everything that is in the city, all of its spoils, you shall take as plunder for yourself; and you shall use the spoils of your enemies which the Lord your God has given you.
15This is what you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations nearby.
16Only in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave anything that breathes alive.
17Instead, you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you,
18so that they will not teach you to do all the same detestable practices of theirs which they have done for their gods, by which you would sin against the Lord your God.
19“When you besiege a city for a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, so you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a human, that it should be besieged by you?
20Only the trees that you know are not fruit trees you shall destroy and cut down, so that you may construct siegeworks against the city that is making war against you until it falls.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Deuteronomy 20.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Exhortation and proclamation respecting those who went to war. (1–9). Peace to be offered, What cities were to be devoted. (10–20).
vv1-9
In the wars wherein Israel engaged according to the will of God, they might expect the Divine assistance. The Lord was to be their only confidence. In these respects they were types of the Christian's warfare. Those unwilling to fight, must be sent away. The unwillingness might arise from a man's outward condition. God would not be served by men forced against their will. Thy people shall be willing, Ps 110:3. In running the Christian race, and fighting the good fight of faith, we must lay aside all that would make us unwilling. If a man's unwillingness rose from weakness and fear, he had leave to return from the war. The reason here given is, lest his brethren's heart fail as well as his heart. We must take heed that we fear not with the fear of them that are afraid, Isa 8:12.
vv10-12
The Israelites are here directed about the nations on whom they made war. Let this show God's grace in dealing with sinners. He proclaims peace, and beseeches them to be reconciled. Let it also show us our duty in dealing with our brethren. Whoever are for war, we must be for peace. Of the cities given to Israel, none of their inhabitants must be left. Since it could not be expected that they should be cured of their idolatry, they would hurt Israel. These regulations are not the rules of our conduct, but Christ's law of love. The horrors of war must fill the feeling heart with anguish upon every recollection; and are proofs of the wickedness of man, the power of Satan, and the just vengeance of God, who thus scourges a guilty world. But how dreadful their case who are engaged in unequal conflict with their Maker, who will not submit to render him the easy tribute of worship and praise! Certain ruin awaits them. Let neither the number nor the power of the enemies of our souls dismay us; nor let even our own weakness cause us to tremble or to faint. The Lord will save us; but in this war let none engage whose hearts are fond of the world, or afraid of the cross and the conflict. Care is here taken that in besieging cities the fruit-trees should not be destroyed. God is a better friend to man than he is to himself; and God's law consults our interests and comforts; while our own appetites and passions, which we indulge, are enemies to our welfare. Many of the Divine precepts restrain us from destroying that which is for our life and food. The Jews understand this as forbidding all wilful waste upon any account whatsoever. Every creature of God is good; as nothing is to be refused, so nothing is to be abused. We may live to want what we carelessly waste.
Key Words
יָצָא: to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.
מִלְחָמָה: a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. warfare)
עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
אֹיֵב: hating; an adversary
רָאָה: to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
סוּס: a horse (as leaping); also a swallow (from its rapid flight)
רֶכֶב: a vehicle; by implication, a team; by extension, cavalry; by analogy a rider, i.e. the upper millstone
עַם: a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
רַב: abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)
מִן: properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
Cross References
Deuteronomy 20Direct contrast between trusting in worldly horses and chariots versus trusting in the Lord's name.
Supported by John Calvin
Establishes the duty of the priests to blow trumpets and minister before battle.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Gideon implements this exact law, dismissing the fearful and fainthearted from the battle.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Identifies the specific Canaanite nations appointed for total destruction rather than peace.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Illustrates the practice of dedicating a new house with religious joy and thanksgiving.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Defines when a vineyard is 'common' or eaten, explaining the four-year delay.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Specifies the one-year marital exemption from military service for newly betrothed/married men.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Historical precedent of a priest going to war with holy instruments and trumpets.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Depicts God as leader with His priests sounding trumpets of alarm in battle.
Supported by JFB
Prophetic exhortation echoing the command to not fear or tremble before worldly threats.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Verbal echo of planting vineyards and eating them as common fruit.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Jesus references domestic exemptions (buying land, oxen, marrying) as excuses from His kingdom.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Illustrates how God hardened Canaanite hearts so they would not accept peace terms.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Reinforces the command to consume the nations given as an inheritance without pity.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Warns against being ensnared by inquiring after the abominations of the destroyed nations.
Supported by Matthew Poole