Deuteronomy 20

This chapter is part of Moses' exposition of the law that runs from chapter 12 through chapter 26 of Deuteronomy. Following Deuteronomy 19, which deals with the cities of refuge and the rules concerning witnesses, this chapter gathers together the regulations concerning war.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 Israel is told not to be afraid even if the enemy has more horses, chariots, and soldiers. When the people draw near to the battle, the priest is to proclaim to them that the LORD goes with them to fight for them.
• Verses 5–9 The officers send four groups of men home: the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it, the man who has planted a vineyard and has not yet eaten of its fruit, the man who is betrothed and has not yet taken his wife, and the man who is fearful and fainthearted. After this, captains are appointed to lead the army.
• Verses 10–15 When attacking a distant city, Israel is first to offer terms of peace. If the city opens its gates, its inhabitants are to pay tribute and serve Israel; if it refuses, it is to be besieged, its males put to death, and its women, children, livestock, and goods taken as spoil.
• Verses 16–18 Israel is commanded to utterly destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites in the land it is to receive as an inheritance. The stated reason is that Israel must not learn their abominations and so sin against the LORD.
• Verses 19–20 Even during a long siege, Israel is not to cut down trees that bear fruit for food; only trees that are not fruit trees may be cut down to build siegeworks.

Key Verses

• Deuteronomy 20:1: "be not afraid of them … the LORD thy God is with thee." This verse expresses the foundation of the chapter: victory depends not on military strength but on the God of the Exodus.
• Deuteronomy 20:8: "What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house." This provision recognizes that one person's fear can spread through the whole community.
• Deuteronomy 20:19: "for the tree of the field is man's life." This verse forbids the wanton destruction, even in wartime, of trees that sustain life.

People and Places

• The LORD Portrayed as the God who goes out with Israel and fights for them.
• Egypt Mentioned as the land out of which the LORD brought Israel.
• The six nations of the land of Canaan The Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who are the objects of the command of utter destruction.

Points for Reflection

• The command of utter destruction Verses 16–18 raise ethical questions for modern readers. Some interpreters regard the command as limited to the specific period of the conquest of Canaan, while others, on the basis of verse 18, read it as judgment on idolatry. Still others hold that it follows the hyperbolic conventions of ancient Near Eastern war accounts. The same command also appears in Deuteronomy 7.
• Exemptions from military service in practice The sending home of those who are afraid also appears in the account of Gideon in Judges 7:3. A separate provision exempting a newly married man from military service for one year is found in Deuteronomy 24:5.
• The fruit tree regulation Jewish tradition has extended verse 19 into a broader principle prohibiting needless destruction and waste.
• Connections with the New Testament In Christianity, the war regulations of this chapter are sometimes read figuratively in connection with passages on spiritual warfare, such as Ephesians 6:10–18.