Deuteronomy 20:13-14
And when the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This command isn't just about conquest; it's a severe consequence for refusing peace, a harsh penalty for prolonged resistance after an offer of surrender. It highlights that the severity of the judgment is directly tied to the stubbornness of their refusal.
This passage is part of God's instructions to the Israelites on how to conduct warfare as they prepare to enter and conquer the Promised Land. It follows immediately after rules for offering peace to an approaching city, distinguishing between those cities that might be distant and those belonging to the nations already inhabiting Canaan. This verse dictates the fate of the men in the cities of Canaan that Israel is commanded to conquer.
War is brutal, and this verse commands a harsh action. But who is ultimately in control of the outcome?
The text makes it clear: 'when the LORD your God gives it into your hand'. This isn't about the might of Israel's army alone. It's about God granting victory. The conquest of the land was a divine act, and the Israelites were instruments in His hands. This perspective helps us understand that even in human conflict, God is sovereign, directing the course of events according to His perfect will.
Why such a severe command? What was at stake for the people of Israel?
The command to 'put all its males to the sword' was specifically for the cities within the land God was giving Israel as an inheritance. This was not a general rule for all warfare. Calvin explains that these nations were steeped in abominable practices and had been given centuries to repent. God commanded their destruction to prevent Israel from adopting their idolatry and wickedness. The land was to be a holy inheritance, free from the contaminating influence of these deeply entrenched sins.
This verse seems to leave no room for mercy. Was there ever an opportunity for peace?
The laws of war in Deuteronomy show a stark contrast between cities outside and inside the promised land. For distant cities, Israel was to offer terms of peace first. If accepted, they would live and be tributaries. However, for the Canaanite cities, the command was different. As Poole notes, this severe action was a 'just punishment of their obstinate refusal of peace offered.' God's judgment was severe because these nations had long rejected His grace and continued in sin. Yet, even within this harsh command, there's a framework: an offer of peace preceded the conquest, and specific distinctions were made (women and children were spared in most cases, as Calvin points out).
Understand the original words
Yahweh · Hebrew Noun
In scripture, the LORD (Yahweh) is the personal, covenant-making God of Israel, who acts in history to deliver, judge, and maintain His relationship with His people.
chereb · Hebrew Noun
The sword serves as a primary biblical symbol for judgment, warfare, destruction, and the authority of God or rulers to execute justice and vengeance upon enemies.
shalal · Hebrew Noun
Spoil or plunder refers to the goods, wealth, and resources seized from enemies after a victory in battle, which, according to the Law, were often acknowledged as a gift or provision from God to His people.
baz · Hebrew Noun
To plunder involves the act of seizing property or assets from the defeated, recognizing the transfer of ownership often permitted or mandated by divine decree in historical biblical conflicts.
This passage describes the utter destruction of Jericho, where everything in the city – men, women, children, livestock – was put to the sword or burned, echoing the severity of the command in Deuteronomy 20:13 for specific cities.
1 Samuel 15:3Saul is commanded to 'utterly destroy all that the Amalekites have' and not spare them, highlighting the consistent theme of complete annihilation required by God against certain enemy nations, including the Amalekites.
Numbers 31:7This verse details the Israelites going to war against the Midianites, 'and smote all the males,' reflecting the specific military action commanded in Deuteronomy, illustrating its application in historical conflicts.
Genesis 15:16God tells Abraham that his descendants will return 'in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete,' providing the underlying reason for the eventual judgment and required eradication of the Canaanite nations mentioned in Deuteronomy.
pooleDeuteronomy 20:13: "And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:"
A just punishment of their obstinate refusal of peace offered.
calvinDeuteronomy 20:10-18: "When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it."
But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself: and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.
Tantum mulieres, et parvulos, et animalia, et quicquid fuerit in urbe, omnia spolia ejus praedaberis tibi: comedesque spolia inimicorum tuorum, quos dederit…
This command isn't just about conquest; it's a severe consequence for refusing peace, a harsh penalty for prolonged resistance after an offer of surrender. It highlights that the severity of the judgment is directly tied to the stubbornness of their refusal.
This passage is part of God's instructions to the Israelites on how to conduct warfare as they prepare to enter and conquer the Promised Land. It follows immediately after rules for offering peace to an approaching city, distinguishing between those cities that might be distant and those belonging to the nations already inhabiting Canaan. This verse dictates the fate of the men in the cities of Canaan that Israel is commanded to conquer.
This passage is part of God's instructions to the Israelites on how to conduct warfare as they prepare to enter and conquer the Promised Land. It follows immediately after rules for offering peace to an approaching city, distinguishing between those cities that might be distant and those belonging to the nations already inhabiting Canaan. This verse dictates the fate of the men in the cities of Canaan that Israel is commanded to conquer.
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"And when the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And y…" — This command isn't just about conquest; it's a severe consequence for refusing peace, a harsh penalty for prolonged resistance after an offer of surrender. It highlights that the severity of the judg…
