Deuteronômio 20
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Deuteronômio 20
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS Deuteronomy 20 is a description of how Israel was to conduct "holy war," which is a war done in the name of YHWH, commanded by YHWH, and the rules of engagement controlled by YHWH, for the glory of YHWH (cf. Deut. 20:1-20; 21:10-14; 23:9-14; 24:5; 25:17-19). The problem moderns have with this type of text usually involve an ethical outrage. However, it is just not fair to apply modern notions of ethics and warfare to ancient military practices. Another issue is the problem of modern Christians trying to apply every OT text to their day. It is not God's will that every generation in every locality reproduce an ancient Near Eastern culture, but that we seek the eternal truths bound up in the cultural actions, then apply these universal truths to our culture. A good book at this point is How To Read the Bible For All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart or Gospel and Spirit by Gordon Fee. Because it happened and is recorded in the Bible does not automatically mean it is God's will for every age and every culture (e.g. food laws, holy war, polygamy, slavery, subjection of women, etc.). This chapter is a mixture of compassion and severity! For a good brief discussion see Roland de Vaux, Ancient Israel, vol. 1, pp. 258-267.
Deuteronômio 20:1-9
20:1 "When you go out to battle. . ." Notice the theological tension between Israel preparing for battle YHWH giving the victory This involved human will and divine sovereignty. This is the covenant tension! YHWH demands a faith response! SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT SPECIAL TOPIC: ELECTION ▣ "horses and chariots" The Canaanites had many horses and chariots (i.e. the ultimate military weapon of that time and place); the Israelis had none (cf. Josh. 11:4; 17:16; Isa. 31:1-3; Hosea 14:3). The Israelites must trust in YHWH to provide the victory, not better weaponry (cf. Isa. 30:15-17; 31:1-9). SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARIOTS ▣ "do not be afraid of them" This VERB (BDB 431, KB 4387, Qal IMPERFECT) is a recurrent theme in holy war contexts (cf. Deut. 1:21,29; 3:2,22; 7:18; 20:1,3; 31:6,8). They were not to fear the power or number of their Canaanite enemies, but they were to fear YHWH (cf. Deut. 4:10; 5:29; 6:2,13,24; 10:12,20; 13:4; 14:23; 17:19; 28:58; 31:12,13), because He is an awesome God (same Hebrew term, cf. Deut. 7:21; 10:17; 28:58). SPECIAL TOPIC: FEAR (OT) ▣ "for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt" See Exod. 14:26-28 for a reference to YHWH's deliverance of His people from Pharaoh. Israel's trust was based on: previous revelation to the Patriarchs miraculous Egyptian deliverance miraculous wilderness wandering provisions victories on the eastern bank of Jordan 20:2 "the priest shall come near and speak to the people" The rabbis called this person "the anointed priest of battle." Before battle, the priest admonished them to be brave because God was with them. Even if some died in battle, God would still take care of all the soldiers and their families. 20:3-4 Notice the series of admonitions ("hear" BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE) of the priest in verse 3: "do not be fainthearted" ‒ BDB 939, KB 1236, Qal IMPERFECT, but JUSSIVE in meaning, cf. Isa. 7:4; Jer. 51:46 "do not be afraid" ‒ BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERFECT, but JUSSIVE in meaning, see note at Deut. 20:1 "do not panic" ‒ BDB 342, KB 339, Qal IMPERFECT, but JUSSIVE in meaning, cf Job 40:23 (examples: 1 Sam. 23:26; 2 Kgs. 7:15; Ps. 48:5) "do not tremble before them" ‒ BDB 791, KB 888, Qal IMPERFECT, but JUSSIVE in meaning, cf. Deut. 1:29; 7:21; 31:6; Josh. 1:9 The reason for the confidence is stated in Deut. 20:4: "the Lord your God is the one who goes with you" ‒ BDB 229, KB 246, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE "to fight for you" ‒ BDB 535, KB 526, Niphal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT "to save you" ‒ BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT; see SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OT) 20:5-8 "The officers" This is a special Hebrew word (BDB 1009) sometimes used in conjunction with the local judges or military leaders. It means "the representatives from each tribe" (cf. Deut. 1:15; 29:10; 31:28). The officers made the judgment on any exemptions to military service. Here is a list of exemptions that allowed an Israelite man to not go into battle: One who built a new house and had not dedicated it, Deut. 20:5 (obviously a future event; there is no record of the nature or purpose of this procedure recorded in the OT, but the term is the same as the one used for dedicating the temple, BDB 335 II). One who has planted a vineyard and has not begun to use its fruit, Deut. 20:6 (obviously a future event, a vineyard took three years to produce fruit, cf. Lev. 19:23-25 for theological issues). One who is engaged, but has not married yet, Deut. 20:7, cf. Deut. 24:5. One who is afraid or fainthearted, Deut. 20:8, because it may cause others to be afraid, cf. Jdg. 7:3; I Macc. 3:56. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are related to inheritance issues. But they may also be seen in light of Deut. 28:30. These very things are mentioned as being results of covenant disobedience. ▣ "Let him depart and return to his house" This phrase is made up of the VERBS: "depart" ‒ BDB 229, KB 246, Qal IMPERFECT used as a JUSSIVE "return" ‒ BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal JUSSIVE It is repeated with each possible exemption listed (cf. Deut. 20:5,6,7,8). It was not the size of Israel's army, but the power of Israel's God that made the difference! The smaller and less equipped the army, the more it magnified God's victory (cf. Judges 7).
Deuteronômio 20:10-18
20:10-15 These are surrender instructions about distant cities, cities on the periphery or out of the bounds of the Promised Land that God gave (i.e. outside Israel's inheritance, cf. Deut. 20:15). 20:11 "shall become your forced labor and shall serve you" This reflects a common element of ancient Near Eastern warfare. 20:13 "the edge of the sword" The literal Hebrew is "to the mouth of the sword" (BDB 804 CONSTRUCT BDB 352). The implication is that all the men of a certain age were killed. 20:14 In the ancient world soldiers were not paid a salary, but their compensation was the spoils of victory. In Israel, especially "holy war," the spoils belonged to YHWH to show that the victory was His victory and that the land was His land. These verses are exceptions because these cities were outside the Promised Land. ▣ "the women" Even captured slaves had some rights (cf. Deut. 21:10-14), which shows YHWH's compassion for non-Israelites. 20:16-18 These verses refer to cities within the Promised Land. These cities are totally under the ban of destruction (cf. Deut. 20:16-17). SPECIAL TOPIC: HEREM 20:16 "you shall not leave alive anything that breathes" This means small children, pregnant women, old people, animals. . .anything that breathes (cf. Josh. 10:40; 11:11,14). 20:17 "utterly destroy" The word here is herem (BDB 355, KB 353 I, Hiphil INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and Hiphil IMPERFECT of the same root, which was a grammatical way to show intensity), which is the idea of total and complete destruction because it has been dedicated to God (cf. Deut. 2:34; 7:1-5). SPECIAL TOPIC: UTTERLY DESTROY ▣ "the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite" See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PRE-ISRAELITE INHABITANTS OF PALESTINE. 20:18 How can this be done by a loving God? One answer is found in Deut. 20:18 - a theological reason. If you don't wipe them out they will theologically pollute you. Another answer is found in Deut. 9:4 and a third in Gen. 15:12-21. Human sins have consequences! ▣ "detestable things" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ABOMINATIONS
Deuteronômio 20:19-20
20:19-20 Walled cities in the ancient Near East were attacked by wooden siege machines. The wood was to be taken from non-fruit bearing tree, probably because this produce would be needed later by the Israeli inhabitants of the defeated city. 20:19 NASB, NJB "is the tree of the field a man" "for the tree of the field is man's food" NRSV, JPSOA, LXX "are trees in the field human beings" "the trees are not your enemy" The Hebrew text is difficult here. It seems to mean that the trees are not the enemy! They were YHWH's way of providing immediate and future food for His people.