Deuteronomy 20:13

Deuteronomy 20:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
• New International Version (NIV)When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when the Lord your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword.

Context of Deuteronomy 20:13

11If it accepts your terms and submits to you, all the people found in it will become your slaves. 12If it does not accept terms of peace but makes war with you, then you are to lay siege to it. The Lord your God will deliver it over to you and you must kill every single male by the sword. 14However, the women, little children, cattle, and anything else in the city – all its plunder – you may take for yourselves as spoil. You may take from your enemies the plunder that the Lord your God has given you. 15This is how you are to deal with all those cities located far from you, those that do not belong to these nearby nations.

Deuteronomy 20:13 word by word

וּנְתָנָ֛הּ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וְהִכִּיתָ֥ אֶת־כָּל־זְכוּרָ֖הּ לְפִי־חָֽרֶב׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And when the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• hath deliveredנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• it into thine handsיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• thou shalt smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• every maleזָכוּרzâkûr · maleH2138
• thereof with the edgeפֶּהpeh · lip: edgeH6310
• of the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 20:13

• Numbers 31:7They fought against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male.
• 1 Kings 11:15During David’s campaign against Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom.
• Psalms 2:6“I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
• Psalms 21:8You prevail over all your enemies; your power is too great for those who hate you.
• Psalms 110:1Here is the Lord’s proclamation to my lord: “Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool!”
• Luke 19:27But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king, bring them here and slaughter them in front of me!’”
• 2 Thessalonians 1:7and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 20:13

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10-20Verses 10-20 Directions intended to prevent wanton destruction of life and property in sieges. Deuteronomy 20:16 Forbearance, however, was not to be shown toward the Canaanite nations, which were to be utterly exterminated (compare Deuteronomy 7:1-4). The command did not apply to beasts as well as men (compare Joshua 11:11, Joshua 11:14). Deuteronomy 20:19 The parenthesis may he more literally rendered “for man is a tree of the field,” i. e., has his life…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10-15The people living in the land of Canaan had already been placed under the ban (7:1–6). This means they were set apart for complete destruction as part of God’s judgment. So this command refers to other nations. It applies to people whom Israel would fight outside the land (20:15).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-2010-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they went against other nations, they were first to make a proclamation…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 20:13

• Captive
• Massacre
• War

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Faint
• Fearful
• Atonement, Day of
• Criticism
• Deuteronomy
• Exodus, the Book of
• Genesis
• Give

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings