Deuteronomychapter 20
20 verses · BSBDeuteronomy book hub →
A.The priest speaks; the fearful go homevv. 1-9
1 When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army, 3 saying to them, “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be alarmed or terrified because of them. 4 For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.” 5 Furthermore, the officers are to address the army, saying, “Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man dedicate it. 6 Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit. 7 Has any man become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man marry her.” 8 Then the officers shall speak further to the army, saying, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him return home, so that the hearts of his brothers will not melt like his own.” 9 When the officers have finished addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.
B.Offer terms of peace to a distant cityvv. 10-15
10 When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace. 11 If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you. 12 But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city. 13 When the LORD your God has delivered it into your hand, you must put every male to the sword. 14 But the women, children, livestock, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—you may take as plunder, and you shall use the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God gives you. 15 This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
C.Nothing that breathes in these nationsvv. 16-18
16 However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. 17 For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, 18 so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
D.Is the tree of the field a man?vv. 19-20
19 When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them? 20 But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.
Chapter summary
Laws of war.
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Chapter summary
Laws of war.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
Laws of war. ‘When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee’. A priest encourages; officers release. The new-house man, the new-vineyard man, the newly-betrothed man, the fearful. When approaching a far city, proclaim peace first; if refused, besiege. Cities of the seven nations of the land. Destroy utterly. Do not destroy fruit trees: ‘is the tree of the field man's life?’ The chapter is Israel's war manual; its constraints are as notable as its permissions.
Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.
Context
Law · Moses — Deuteronomy overview
- A. 1–9 The priest speaks; the fearful go home
- B. 10–15 Offer terms of peace to a distant city
- C. 16–18 Nothing that breathes in these nations
- D. 19–20 Is the tree of the field a man?
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
Deuteronomy 12 verses
- Deuteronomy 1:28Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”
- Deuteronomy 1:30The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt
- Read Deuteronomy 1 →
Numbers 312 verses
- Numbers 31:6And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
- Numbers 31:9The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.
- Read Numbers 31 →
2 Chronicles 321 verse
- 2 Chronicles 32:7“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater One with us than with him.
- Read 2 Chronicles 32 →
Deuteronomy 311 verse
- Deuteronomy 31:8The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
- Read Deuteronomy 31 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
Psalms 201 verse
- Psalms 20:7Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
- Read Psalms 20 →
2 Chronicles 131 verse
- 2 Chronicles 13:12Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
- Read 2 Chronicles 13 →
Numbers 101 verse
- Numbers 10:8The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. This shall be a permanent statute for you and the generations to come.
- Read Numbers 10 →
Hebrews 131 verse
- Hebrews 13:6So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
- Read Hebrews 13 →
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.