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Scripture: The text alone. Study: The verses explained. Original: The Hebrew and Greek, and the tradition.

Deuteronomychapter 20

20 verses · BSBDeuteronomy book hub →

Original Language

Deuteronomy 20Hebrew word study · with the Hebrew tradition

In Jewish life

Jewish practice and Jewish teaching both have something to say about Deuteronomy 20. Three things follow: where it is read, what is done because of it, and how the rabbis have taught it. The purpose is to inform a Christian reader what Jews believe and how Judaism was and is practised.

The reading

Weekly portion 48 of 54

שֹׁפְטִים Shoftim, Deuteronomy 16:18 to 21:9

Read with it: Isaiah 51:12 to 52:12.

The verse numbers here are the ones a Hebrew Bible carries, which differ from an English Bible by a verse or two in several places. The Sephardi reading is named only where this site records a difference; communities vary beyond what is listed. What these books are, and how a Christian reader meets them →

Where the rabbis cite this chapter

4 rows sit beside their verses in the text, on 4 verses of this chapter. No row that speaks to the chapter as a whole is recorded. Every quote links to its full source.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria (sefaria.org); excerpts follow each version’s license, and every passage opens at its source.

How to read a word below: the Hebrewword, then how it sounds, then what it means, then its number in Strong’s concordance, a widely used lookup this site follows (H for Hebrew and Aramaic, G for Greek). Square brackets hold a word the English supplies that the Hebrew does not, angle brackets mark the Hebrew’s own grammatical elements that English renders as separate words, and the mark ס or פ is where the Hebrew manuscripts end a paragraph.

Offer terms of peace to a distant city10

Deuteronomy 20:10· Hebrew and glosses: STEP Bible

Onkelos Deuteronomy 20:10

Targum
When you near a city to do battle against it, you are to offer it [ words of ] peace.

Read it in full at Sefaria · Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009 [with Onkelos translation]

Deuteronomy 20:11· Hebrew and glosses: STEP Bible

Ramban on Deuteronomy 20:11

RambanSpain, 1194–1270· Commentary
“[Their surrender is not to be accepted] until they accept tribute and servitude upon themselves.” This is the language of Rabbeinu Shlomo [Rashi]. And in the Sifre the Rabbis have said: 340 Sifre, Shoftim.

Read it in full at Sefaria · Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976