The Bible — World English Bible
Deuteronomy 20
In brief
Deuteronomy 20 sets the rules of war for Israel before it enters Canaan. Before the battle, the priest reminds the people that the Lord goes with them. The officers send home those who have a new house, a vineyard, a fiancée, or who are afraid. The chapter distinguishes between distant cities, which are offered peace, and Canaanite cities placed under the ban, then protects fruit trees. It is a demanding text, to be read in its context.
The chapter in 5 parts
1When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
2It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
3and shall tell them, “Hear, Israel, you draw near today to battle against your enemies. Don’t let your heart faint! Don’t be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them;
4for Yahweh your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
5The officers shall speak to the people, saying, “What man is there 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.
6What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not used its fruit? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use its fruit.
7What man is there who has pledged to be married to 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.”
8The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt as his heart.”
9It shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of armies at the head of the people.
10When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.
11It shall be, if it gives you answer of peace and opens to you, then it shall be that all the people who are found therein shall become forced laborers to you, and shall serve you.
12If it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it.
13When Yahweh your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword;
14but the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its plunder, you shall take for plunder for yourself. You may use the plunder of your enemies, which Yahweh your God has given you.
15Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16But of the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;
17but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you;
18that they not teach you to follow all their abominations, which they have done for their gods; so would you sin against Yahweh your God.
19When you shall besiege a city a long time, in 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, for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you?
20Only the trees that you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down. You shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
Key verses
When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Facing horses, chariots and a larger army, Israel has no need to fear. The reason given is not its own strength but the presence of the God who brought it out of Egypt.
for Yahweh your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
God does not remain a spectator of the battle: he goes with his people to save them. This is the promise preachers take up for those going through fear or struggle today.
The officers shall speak to the people, saying, “What man is there 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. What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not used its fruit? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use its fruit. What man is there who has pledged to be married to 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.” The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt as his heart.”
Before the battle, the law provides for sending home those with a new house, an unharvested vineyard or an upcoming marriage, as well as anyone who is afraid. It protects ordinary life and keeps one person's fear from spreading to the others.
But of the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes; but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you; that they not teach you to follow all their abominations, which they have done for their gods; so would you sin against Yahweh your God.
These verses are among the hardest in the Bible. They concern the peoples of the land given to Israel, and the reason given is to avoid imitating their religious practices. Christians read them in light of the Old Covenant, without applying this logic to the Church.
When you shall besiege a city a long time, in 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, for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you? Only the trees that you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down. You shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
Even in war, the trees that feed people must be spared. The law sets a limit on destruction and reminds us that creation is not an enemy.
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Frequently asked questions about Deuteronomy 20
What does Deuteronomy 20:4 mean?
This verse announces to Israel, before the battle, that the Lord goes with them to fight their enemies and save them. It does not promise automatic victory in every undertaking, but it reminds us that God is present in the fight. Many believers read it as an encouragement not to give in to fear when they go through a trial.
What is the message of Deuteronomy 20?
The chapter sets a framework for Israel's war: trust in God rather than in military strength, respect for ordinary life, an offer of peace to distant cities and a limit on destruction, including for fruit trees. It also distinguishes between distant cities and those of the land given as an inheritance.
Why does God order the destruction of the Canaanite peoples in Deuteronomy 20:16-18?
The text gives as its reason preventing the people from learning the religious practices of these nations and sinning against the Lord. Believers read this passage within the Old Covenant, when Israel was an earthly kingdom, and acknowledge that it remains difficult. They draw no justification for violence today from it.
Articles quoting Deuteronomy 20
World English Bible translation — public domain.