Rules for War
Deuteronomy 20:1-20
Deu.20.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- תצא: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- למלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- איביך: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וראית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- סוס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורכב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עם: PREP
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תירא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
- המעלך: VERB,hiph,ptc,m,sg,2,ms
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 14:13-14 (verbal): Moses at the Red Sea: 'Do not be afraid... the LORD will fight for you'—same encouragement not to fear enemy chariots and connecting deliverance from Egypt.
- Joshua 1:9 (verbal): 'Be strong and courageous... the LORD your God is with you' — repeats the assurance of God's presence as the basis for courage in battle.
- Psalm 20:7 (verbal): 'Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD' — contrasts reliance on military power (horses/chariots) with trust in God, echoing Deut.'s admonition not to fear.
- Isaiah 31:1-3 (thematic): Condemns reliance on horses and Egypt for military aid and urges trust in the LORD — thematically related to Deut.'s warning against fearing superior forces because God is with Israel.
- Deuteronomy 31:6 (structural): 'Be strong and courageous... for the LORD goes with you; he will not leave you or forsake you' — a parallel promise within Deuteronomy reinforcing the same reason not to fear enemies.
Alternative generated candidates
- When you go out to war against your enemies and you see horses and chariots, a people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
- When you go out to war against your enemies, and you see horses and chariots and a people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, the One who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Deu.20.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כקרבכם: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- המלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ונגש: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הכהן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ודבר: VERB,qal,fut,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 20:3-4 (verbal): Immediate continuation of the same instruction: the priest speaks words of reassurance and invokes God’s presence for the people as they go out to battle.
- 1 Samuel 7:5-9 (thematic): Samuel, acting as priest/prophet, gathers Israel, addresses them and prays to the Lord on their behalf before military confrontation, paralleling the priestly mediation before battle.
- 2 Chronicles 20:14-22 (thematic): A prophetic word (Jahaziel) and Levitical/priests’ leadership precede the battle; the religious officers address and direct the people to trust God, echoing the priest’s role in Deut 20:2.
- Joshua 5:13-15 (thematic): The appearance of the commander of the LORD who instructs Joshua prior to battle functions like a divine/military-religious briefing—analogous to the priestly address preparing Israel for combat.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall come forward and speak to the people.
- And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall come forward and speak to the people.
Deu.20.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- קרבים: VERB,qal,part,m,pl
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- למלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- איביכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,pl,m
- אל: NEG
- ירך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבבכם: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- אל: NEG
- תיראו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תחפזו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תערצו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- מפניהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 20:1 (structural): Immediate context — the opening verse of the warfare instructions similarly commands soldiers facing battle not to fear or let their hearts fail.
- Deuteronomy 31:6 (verbal): Moses' later charge uses nearly identical language (“be strong and of good courage…do not fear or be dismayed”), echoing the same exhortation against fear.
- Joshua 1:9 (quotation): God's charge to Joshua—“Be strong and courageous…do not be afraid or discouraged”—parallels and recalls the Deuteronomic command to face enemies without fear.
- Psalm 27:3 (thematic): A Psalmist expression of the same theme: even if an army encamps, my heart shall not fear — a personal/poetic parallel to the command not to be afraid in battle.
- 2 Chronicles 20:15 (quotation): The prophetic assurance to Jehoshaphat (“Do not be afraid or discouraged…for the battle is the Lord’s”) closely mirrors Deut 20:3’s refrain and places trust in Yahweh amid warfare.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he shall say to them, “Hear, O Israel: you are drawing near today to battle against your enemies; let not your hearts faint. Do not be afraid, do not panic, do not be terrified before them.”
- He shall say to them, “Hear, O Israel: you are drawing near today to battle against your enemies; do not let your hearts be faint; do not be afraid, do not be dismayed, and do not be terrified of them.”
Deu.20.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- ההלך: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- עמכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- להלחם: VERB,qal,inf,-,-,-,abs
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- עם: PREP
- איביכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,pl,m
- להושיע: VERB,hiph,inf,-,-,-,abs
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 31:6 (verbal): Both verses assure Israelites that 'the LORD your God goes with you' and will not abandon them, using similar language of God's presence and protection in the face of danger.
- Deuteronomy 31:8 (verbal): Echoes the promise that the LORD goes before/with Israel and will not fail or forsake them, reinforcing the same assurance of divine accompaniment and deliverance in conflict.
- Joshua 1:9 (thematic): Commands courage because 'the LORD your God is with you'—the same theme of God's presence as the basis for fearlessness and success in undertaking military and national tasks.
- 2 Chronicles 32:8 (verbal): Declaration that 'with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles' closely parallels Deut 20:4's claim that the LORD goes with Israel to fight and save them.
- Isaiah 41:10 (thematic): Promises 'I am with you... I will uphold you, I will help you'—a prophetic reassurance of God's presence, help, and deliverance that thematically matches Deut 20:4's assurance in battle.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the LORD your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
- For the LORD your God is the One who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies and to save you.
Deu.20.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ודברו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- השטרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אל: NEG
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,3,f,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חדש: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- חנכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ילך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לביתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- פן: CONJ
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- במלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחר: PREP
- יחנכנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 20:6 (verbal): Immediately parallel within the same military exemption passage: same officer‑announcement formula applied to the man who has planted a vineyard and not yet enjoyed its fruit — same structure and logic for exempting from battle.
- Deuteronomy 20:7 (verbal): Companion verse in the same section: the officer announces exemption for the man who has betrothed a wife and not yet married her. Together with v.5 this forms a triad of domestic reasons for exemption.
- Deuteronomy 24:5 (thematic): A separate law about newly married men: 'When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war...' The theme is the same concern that certain recent domestic commitments excuse a man from military service.
- Luke 14:28–31 (thematic): Jesus’ sayings about counting the cost before building a tower or waging war parallel the underlying rationale: personal/domestic responsibilities and prudent assessment can exempt or dissuade one from engaging in a military undertaking.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, “Who is the man that has built a new house and has not yet dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another dedicate it.
- And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, “Who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.
Deu.20.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומי: PRON,interr
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נטע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כרם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- חללו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ילך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לביתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cs+PRON,3,m,sg
- פן: CONJ
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- במלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחר: PREP
- יחללנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,+obj,1,pl
Parallels
- Deut.20.5 (verbal): Immediately neighboring clause in the same exemption list (those who have built a house and not yet lived in it); closely parallel language and legal context excusing certain men from battle.
- Deut.20.7 (structural): Continues the same block of military exemptions (those who are fearful and fainthearted); part of the same legal structure governing who may be sent to war.
- Deut.24.5 (thematic): A separate provision exempting a newly married man from military duty for one year—same concern to protect recent domestic/social investments from interruption by war.
- Numbers 32:6–15 (thematic): Reuben and Gad’s request to settle the land east of Jordan and Moses’ warning about shirking military obligation highlights the tension between property/family concerns and duty to fight.
- Lev.19:23–25 (thematic): Law about not eating fruit of newly planted trees for the first years; parallels the special legal attention given to newly planted vineyards/trees and the owner's right to enjoy his planting.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not yet enjoyed its fruit? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another enjoy it.
- Who is the man who has planted a vineyard and has not yet enjoyed it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy it.
Deu.20.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומי: PRON,interr
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ארש: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- לקחה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ילך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לביתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+poss=3,m,sg
- פן: CONJ
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- במלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחר: PREP
- יקחנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+obj=3,f,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 20:5-6 (structural): Immediate context: the same military-exemption rubric (those who built a house or planted a vineyard are sent home) — Deut 20:7 is the parallel case concerning a man betrothed to a wife.
- Deuteronomy 24:5 (verbal): Related law that a man who has taken a new wife shall be exempt from public/military duties for one year — closely parallels the protective purpose of Deut 20:7.
- Judges 21:10-14 (thematic): Postwar account dealing with the shortage of women and arrangements to provide wives for surviving men; thematically connected to concerns about men dying in war and the marital status of survivors.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who is the man that has betrothed a wife and has not yet taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another take her.”
- Who is the man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.”
Deu.20.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויספו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- השטרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לדבר: INF,qal
- אל: NEG
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואמרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הירא: ADJ,m,sg
- ורך: CONJ
- הלבב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ילך: VERB,qal,impf,3,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לביתו: NOUN,m,sg,cons,ps3m
- ולא: CONJ
- ימס: VERB,qal,impf,3,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- לבב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- כלבבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,ps3m
Parallels
- Deut.20:5-7 (structural): Immediate parallel in the same pericope—these preceding verses list other exemptions from military service (newlywed, builder, planter); v.8 continues the set by adding the fearful/soft‑hearted.
- Judges 7:3 (verbal): Very close verbal/structural parallel: Gideon is told to send home anyone who is fearful and trembling so they do not undermine the morale of the others—language and function mirror Deut 20:8.
- Joshua 1:9 (thematic): The recurring covenantal exhortation to 'be strong and courageous' addresses the opposite concern to Deut 20:8—preserving fighting strength by overcoming fear before battle.
- Isaiah 41:10 (thematic): Divine reassurance against fear ('Do not fear...I will strengthen you') connects thematically to Deut 20:8, which removes the fearful from combat to prevent contagion of fear among the troops.
Alternative generated candidates
- Again the officers shall speak to the people, and say, “Who is the man that is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest he make the heart of his brothers melt as his own.”
- Then the officers shall further speak to the people, and say, “Who is the man who is fearful and faint of heart? Let him go and return to his house, that he may not make the heart of his brothers melt like his own.”
Deu.20.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ככלת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- השטרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לדבר: INF,qal
- אל: NEG
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ופקדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שרי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בראש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Deut.20:8 (verbal): Immediate context: the preceding verse instructs the officers to speak to the people and leads directly into the appointment of commanders; wording and sequence closely parallel v.9.
- Exod.18:21 (thematic): Jethro's counsel to appoint able, God-fearing men as heads and rulers over the people parallels the institutional practice of assigning officers/commanders to lead and administer the people.
- Deut.1:13 (thematic): Moses' earlier instruction to select wise and experienced men 'to be heads over you' echoes the same principle of designating leaders/officers to govern and guide the people.
- Num.1:16-17 (structural): The appointment of tribal leaders to carry out the census and organize the people reflects the administrative practice of installing named heads/officers to oversee and marshal Israel, analogous to appointing commanders for military mobilization.
Alternative generated candidates
- And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, the commanders of the armies shall be appointed at the head of the people.
- And when the officers finish speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of the forces at the head of the people.
Deu.20.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- תקרב: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- להלחם: VERB,hitp,inf
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- וקראת: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- לשלום: PREP
Parallels
- Deut.20:11–12 (structural): Immediate continuation of the war law: spells out the consequences if the city accepts or rejects the offer of peace (tributary status versus siege and destruction).
- Joshua 9:3–15 (thematic): Gibeonites negotiate a treaty with Israel through deception; thematically parallels the practice of making terms/peace with a city rather than destroying it outright.
- 1 Samuel 11:1–11 (thematic): Narrative of Nahash besieging Jabesh‑Gilead and proposing harsh terms to the city — an example of offering terms in a siege and the political/military responses that follow.
- Luke 10:5–6 (allusion): Jesus instructs his messengers to say 'Peace to this house' on entering a town; verbal/thematic echo of offering peace to a town, repurposed from a military protocol to a missionary greeting.
- Isaiah 2:4 (thematic): Prophetic vision where nations 'beat their swords into plowshares' and do not make war; provides an eschatological contrast to the wartime procedure of offering terms before battle.
Alternative generated candidates
- When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace.
- When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace.
Deu.20.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אם: CONJ
- שלום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תענך: VERB,qal,imf,3,f,sg
- ופתחה: VERB,qal,imf,3,f,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הנמצא: PART,nif,ptc,ms,sg,def
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- יהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- למס: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועבדוך: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Deut.20:10 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same pericope: v.10 gives the command to offer terms of peace to a city, which v.11 then explains result (they become tributaries/servants).
- Joshua 9:21–27 (thematic): The Gibeonites make treaty with Israel and are consigned to servile, tributary labor (woodcutters and water-drawers) — a concrete example of covenanting a people into service rather than destroying them.
- 2 Samuel 8:2 (thematic): After subduing nations, David places garrisons and the conquered peoples become his servants and bring tribute, reflecting the idea of subject peoples furnishing tribute/service rather than being annihilated.
- 1 Chronicles 18:2 (verbal): Parallel account to 2 Samuel 8:2 (Chronicles retells the same event): conquered peoples are put under David’s authority and provide tribute — a recurring biblical pattern of tributary status following military submission.
Alternative generated candidates
- If it responds to you with peace and opens to you, then all the people in it shall be for you to do forced labor and shall serve you.
- If it accepts your terms and opens to you, all the people found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you.
Deu.20.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשלים: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
- ועשתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
- מלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וצרת: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 20:10 (structural): The immediate counterpart in the same pericope: commands to offer terms of peace before attacking a city—Deut 20:10–12 form a single procedure (offer peace; if refused, besiege).
- Deuteronomy 20:13 (structural): Continuation of the same legal unit: after a city refuses peace and you besiege it, this verse prescribes what to do when the city is delivered into your hand (putting the males to the sword).
- Deuteronomy 13:12–15 (thematic): A parallel law about attacking and destroying a city that has turned to idolatry: the community is besieged and its inhabitants put to the sword—similar language and legal idea of besieging and annihilating a hostile city.
- Joshua 6:21 (thematic): Narrative example of a city (Jericho) being taken and its inhabitants devoted to destruction after conquest; reflects the conquest practice that Deut 20:10–13 regulates.
- 1 Samuel 15:3 (thematic): God’s command to Saul to utterly destroy Amalek (men, women, children, animals) echoes the motif of attacking and annihilating hostile peoples/cities when war is declared or commanded.
Alternative generated candidates
- But if it will not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.
- If it does not make peace with you but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.
Deu.20.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונתנה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- בידך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff,2,m,sg
- והכית: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- זכורה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפי: PREP
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (verbal): Same chapter command extending the warfare rule: when the Lord gives a strong city, Israel is to 'devote it to destruction' and leave none alive — closely parallel language and legal intent to 'strike every male with the sword.'
- Deuteronomy 7:2 (thematic): Earlier Deuteronomic command to smite and utterly destroy the nations Israel is dispossessing (make no covenant, show no mercy) — same theme of divinely authorized annihilation of enemy populations.
- Joshua 6:21 (verbal): Narrative fulfilment at Jericho: the Israelites 'devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing' — language and action closely mirror Deut 20:13's instruction.
- Numbers 31:7 (thematic): Account of Israelite warfare against Midian in which they 'killed every man' — a concrete example of the military practice commanded in Deut 20:13.
- 1 Samuel 15:3 (allusion): God's command to Saul to 'go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have' echoes Deuteronomic warfare language and the idea of divinely commanded total destruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand, and you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword.
- When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword.
Deu.20.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- רק: PRT
- הנשים: NOUN,f,pl,def
- והטף: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- והבהמה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- שללה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3fs
- תבז: VERB,qal,imprf,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ואכלת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שלל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איביך: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 20:10-15 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same legislative unit: verses 10–15 set the rule for besieged cities of nations outside the land of Canaan—distinguishing treatment (spare life and take plunder) from the commands regarding the Canaanite cities in vv.16–18.
- Numbers 31:7-18 (verbal): Report of Israel’s war against Midian where soldiers take spoil, including women and children; the passage regulates distribution and treatment of captives (and later issues about killing some women), echoing the practice of taking non‑combatants as booty.
- Joshua 6:17-19 (thematic): Account of Jericho’s destruction where objects of silver, gold and vessels are devoted to the LORD rather than taken as personal plunder—thematises alternative dispositions of booty and highlights differing instructions about spoils in conquest narratives.
- 1 Samuel 15:3 (thematic): Divine command to Saul to ‘utterly destroy’ Amalek—men, women, infants and animals—contrasts with Deut 20:14’s permission to take women, children and livestock as spoil, showing variation in divine warfare commands (devotion/destruction vs. plunder).
- Deuteronomy 7:1-2 (thematic): Instruction to dispossess and destroy the nations of Canaan and to show them no mercy (no covenant, no intermarriage). The passage provides the broader legal/ethical context for when Israel is to destroy versus when plunder may be taken.
Alternative generated candidates
- Only the women, the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as your plunder; and you may enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.
- Only the women and the children and the livestock, and everything else in the city—all its spoil—you may take for yourselves; and you may use the plunder of your enemies which the LORD your God has given you.
Deu.20.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כן: ADV
- תעשה: VERB,qal,imf,2,m,sg
- לכל: PREP
- הערים: NOUN,f,pl,def
- הרחקת: ADJ,f,pl,def
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- מאד: ADV
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- מערי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cs
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- הנה: PART
Parallels
- Deut.20:10–18 (structural): Immediate context: the chapter's rules of siege warfare distinguishing nearby towns (offer terms) from distant towns (to be destroyed); v.15 is part of this same legal block.
- Deut.7:1–2 (thematic): Earlier command to dispossess and 'utterly destroy' the nations and make no covenant with them—same theological/legal principle of herem (devotion to destruction).
- Joshua 6:17–21 (verbal): The Jericho narrative applies the ban/devotion to destruction (city and inhabitants destroyed), reflecting the concrete enactment of Deuteronomic warfare prescriptions.
- 1 Samuel 15:3 (verbal): Divine command to Saul to 'utterly destroy' Amalek—parallels the imperative to annihilate certain enemy peoples rather than sparing or making treaty.
- Numbers 31:7–18 (thematic): Moses' instructions and the execution of war against Midian include killing the men and dealing decisively with captives and spoil, illustrating another legal/ritual instance of warfare practices akin to Deut.20:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not among the cities of these nations here.
- Thus you shall do to all the cities very far from you that are not among these nations here.
Deu.20.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- רק: PRT
- מערי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cs
- העמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- נחלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תחיה: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כל: DET
- נשמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deut 20:17 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same command — expands the injunction to 'utterly destroy' these peoples and forbids covenants with them.
- Deut 7:2 (verbal): Earlier formulation of the conquest command — instructs Israel to 'utterly destroy' the nations the LORD gives them, using similar language of total extermination.
- Josh 6:21 (verbal): Jericho narrative: 'devoted to destruction' and killed every living thing (men, women, young and old), echoing the formula 'leave none alive.'
- Josh 11:11 (verbal): Report of northern campaign: 'they devoted them to destruction... and left none that breathed,' using virtually the same phrase to describe annihilation in conquest.
- 1 Sam 15:3 (verbal): Divine command to Saul to 'devote to destruction' Amalek — a parallel command to kill men, women, children, and beasts, illustrating the same herem/annihilation motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- But of the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes.
- But of the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall not leave alive any soul.
Deu.20.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- החרם: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- תחרימם: VERB,hiph,impf,2,m,sg
- החתי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והאמרי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- הכנעני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,def
- והפרזי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- החוי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והיבוסי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כאשר: CONJ
- צוך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 7:1-2 (verbal): Lists the same nations (Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, Jebusite) and commands Israel to blot them out — same vocabulary and legal instruction to destroy the peoples.
- Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (structural): Immediate contextual parallel in the same chapter reiterating the command of herem against the listed Canaanite peoples and framing it as obedience to God's command.
- Joshua 6:21 (verbal): The conquest of Jericho describes the city and its inhabitants as 'devoted to destruction' (herem), echoing the same practice and language of total destruction commanded in Deut 20:17.
- 1 Samuel 15:3 (thematic): God's instruction to Saul to 'utterly destroy' Amalek (men and animals) reflects the same theological principle of herem — divinely mandated annihilation of an enemy people.
- Numbers 21:2-3 (allusion): Earlier example where Israel vows and devotes a defeated people/city to destruction after victory, providing a narrative precedent for the practice of herem referenced in Deut 20:17.
Alternative generated candidates
- But 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 commanded you.
- You shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you,
Deu.20.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למען: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- ילמדו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- ככל: PREP
- תועבתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,m,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לאלהיהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- וחטאתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3mp
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלהיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 7:2-5 (structural): Commands the destruction of Canaanite nations and forbids covenants or intermarriage so Israel will not learn their practices—same legal rationale as Deut 20:18.
- Exodus 34:12-16 (verbal): Warns against making covenants with the inhabitants lest they lead Israel to worship their gods—uses similar language and motive (avoid being led into idolatry).
- Deuteronomy 12:29-31 (thematic): Cautions Israel not to be ensnared by the land’s detestable practices and forbids imitating their worship—parallel warning about learning and adopting abominations.
- Joshua 23:12-13 (thematic): Joshua warns that any of the remaining nations will be snares and draw Israel into serving other gods—same concern that foreign peoples will teach Israel idolatry.
- 2 Kings 17:33-41 (thematic): Describes the historical outcome when Israel assimilated foreign gods and practices—an illustration of the very evil Deut 20:18 seeks to prevent.
Alternative generated candidates
- That they may not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods; so you would sin against the LORD your God.
- so that they do not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have practiced for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God.
Deu.20.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- תצור: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- להלחם: VERB,qal,inf
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- לתפשה: VERB,qal,inf+PRON,3,f,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשחית: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- עצה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לנדח: VERB,qal,inf
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- גרזן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- ממנו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- תאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ואתו: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תכרת: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השדה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לבא: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- מפניך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2m
- במצור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deut.20.20 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same law — distinguishes fruit trees (must not be cut in siege) from non–food trees (may be cut for siege works).
- Leviticus 19:23-25 (thematic): Another legal regulation protecting fruit trees and their produce (prohibition on eating fruit of newly planted trees for the first three years), showing concern for the status and preservation of fruit-bearing trees in the law code.
- Judges 9:8-15 (thematic): Jotham’s fable personifies trees (olive, fig, vine) to represent people and rulers; echoes the rhetorical use of trees-as-people found in Deut 20:19’s question about whether a tree is a man.
- Ezekiel 31:3-9 (thematic): Uses great-tree imagery to depict nations and rulers (the cedar as a powerful nation), employing the same figurative equation of trees with human/political entities that Deut’s rhetorical question invokes.
- 1 Kings 21:1-16 (thematic): The Naboth episode over a vineyard highlights the moral and legal significance of orchards/vineyards and the protection of fruit-bearing land — a practical and ethical parallel to Deut’s prohibition against destroying trees that provide food.
Alternative generated candidates
- When you besiege a city a long time in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down—are the trees of the field people, that they should be besieged before you?
- When you besiege a city for many days, making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; for you may eat of them—you shall not cut them down; are the trees of the field people, to come out before you in the siege?
Deu.20.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- רק: PRT
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- תדע: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms,sg
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאכל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- תשחית: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms,sg
- וכרת: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms,sg
- ובנית: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms,sg
- מצור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
- מלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- רדתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,fs,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 20:19 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same pericope: prohibition against cutting down fruit trees during a siege (same legal concern and shared wording).
- Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (thematic): Broader context of laws for warfare/‘herem’ (holy war) — distinguishes which objects/people are to be destroyed and frames the exceptional rule about trees in siege conduct.
- Isaiah 10:33-34 (verbal): Uses the image of cutting down forest trees with an axe as the language of military devastation; echoes the motif of trees and axes in warfare (verbal and thematic parallel).
- 2 Samuel 12:31 (thematic): Narrative example of ruthless wartime practices (use of saws/iron/tools and harsh treatment of conquered peoples); provides a contrasting depiction of how victors treat cities and resources compared with Deut 20:20’s protective restriction on fruit trees.
Alternative generated candidates
- Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, and use them to build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
- Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, and you shall build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you until it falls.
When you go out to war against your enemies and you see horses and chariots, a people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
and shall say to them: 'Hear, O Israel: you are drawing near today to battle against your enemies. Let not your hearts be faint; do not be afraid; do not panic, and do not be terrified of them.'
For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, 'Who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another dedicate it.'
'And who is the man who has planted a vineyard and has not yet enjoyed it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another enjoy it.'
'And who is the man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another take her.' And the officers shall say further to the people, 'Who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest he make the heart of his brothers melt like his own.' And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of the armies at the head of the people.
When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace. And if it responds to you in peace and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be to you for forced labor and shall serve you. But if it makes no peace with you and makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. And the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand, and you shall strike every male with the edge of the sword.
Only the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city—its spoil—you shall take for yourselves; and you may eat the spoil of your enemies which the LORD your God has given you. Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of these nations here. But of the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. But you shall utterly destroy them—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—just as the LORD your God has commanded you,
that they not teach you to do according to all their abhorrent practices which they have done for their gods, and thus you sin against the LORD your God.
When you besiege a city many days to make war against it in order to capture it, do not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; for you may eat of them. Do not cut them down; for is the tree of the field a man, to be besieged before you?
Only the trees which you know are not for food you may destroy and cut down, and use them to build siegeworks against the city until it falls.