God is with his people in war, and war must stay under his rule

20:1 When you go to war against your enemies and see chariotry and troops who outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you. 20:2 As you move forward for battle, the priest will approach and say to the soldiers, 20:3 “Listen, Israel! Today you are moving forward to do battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted. Do not fear and tremble or be terrified because of them, 20:4 for the Lord your God goes with you to fight on your behalf against your enemies to give you victory.” 20:5 Moreover, the officers are to say to the troops, “Who among you has built a new house and not dedicated it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else dedicate it. 20:6 Or who among you has planted a vineyard and not benefited from it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else benefit from it. 20:7 Or who among you has become engaged to a woman but has not married her? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else marry her.” 20:8 In addition, the officers are to say to the troops, “Who among you is afraid and fainthearted? He may go home so that he will not make his fellow soldier’s heart as fearful as his own.” 20:9 Then, when the officers have finished speaking, they must appoint unit commanders to lead the troops. 20:10 When you approach a city to wage war against it, offer it terms of peace. 20:11 If it accepts your terms and submits to you, all the people found in it will become your slaves. 20:12 If it does not accept terms of peace but makes war with you, then you are to lay siege to it. 20:13 The Lord your God will deliver it over to you and you must kill every single male by the sword. 20:14 However, 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. 20:15 This is how you are to deal with all those cities located far from you, those that do not belong to these nearby nations. 20:16 As for the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is going to give you as an inheritance, you must not allow a single living thing to survive. 20:17 Instead you must utterly annihilate them – the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites – just as the Lord your God has commanded you, 20:18 so that they cannot teach you all the abhorrent ways they worship their gods, causing you to sin against the Lord your God. 20:19 If you besiege a city for a long time while attempting to capture it, you must not chop down its trees, for you may eat fruit from them and should not cut them down. A tree in the field is not human that you should besiege it! 20:20 However, you may chop down any tree you know is not suitable for food, and you may use it to build siege works against the city that is making war with you until that city falls.

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Deuteronomy 20 teaches Israel to face battle without fear because the Lord is with them. The priest strengthens the army, some men are sent home, peace is offered to distant cities, and the conquest of Canaan is treated as a unique act of divine judgment tied to the land promise and Israel’s holiness. Even in siege warfare, Israel must act with restraint.

This chapter gives laws for warfare in Israel’s covenant life. The people are told not to fear enemy armies because the Lord brought them out of Egypt and goes with them to give victory. The priest speaks to the army so they remember that battle belongs to the Lord. Officers then excuse certain men from battle: those with a new house, a new vineyard, a new marriage, and those who are fearful. This shows care for ordinary life and protects the rest of the troops from panic.

When Israel comes near a city, it must first offer peace. If the city submits, it comes under Israel’s rule. If it refuses, the city is besieged. For cities far from the land, this law allows a different outcome than for the Canaanite peoples. The Canaanite nations inside the inheritance are placed under a unique covenant judgment: they must be devoted to destruction so they cannot teach Israel their abhorrent worship and lead them into sin. This command belongs to that specific historical and covenant setting and should not be carried over as a model for modern warfare or the church.

The chapter ends with a rule about trees during a siege. Fruit trees must not be cut down, because they provide food and are not part of the fight. Nonfruit trees may be used for siege works. Even in war, Israel must not destroy without restraint.

• The Lord is with his people and they must not fear enemy strength.
• The priest’s words remind Israel that victory comes from the Lord, not from numbers or power.
• Men with unfinished household or family obligations are excused from battle.
• Fear spreads in an army, so the fearful are sent home.
• Peace is offered before war to cities outside the land.
• The Canaanite nations are placed under a unique covenant judgment because of their idolatry.
• Israel must not let the nations teach them to sin against the Lord.
• Even in siege warfare, Israel must show restraint and steward food trees wisely.

• Do not fear or be fainthearted when you face stronger enemies.
• Offer peace to a city before attacking it.
• Do not cut down fruit trees during a siege.
• Do not let the Canaanite nations remain in the land, or they will lead you into idolatry and sin.
• Do not treat this conquest law as a model for modern warfare or for the church.

This law belongs to Israel’s unique covenant life as they enter the promised land. It shows God keeping his promise to give the land, while also judging evil worship and guarding his people from idolatry. In the wider Bible, it points to the need for a holy people under a righteous king, while also showing that this conquest law is tied to Israel’s historical setting and must not be applied directly to the church or modern nations.

God’s people today should learn courage from the Lord’s presence, not from visible strength. Leaders should care for people’s real obligations and not treat them as expendable. We should seek peace where we can, and we should practice restraint even in conflict. Most of all, we must stay far from idolatry and anything that leads us into sin, while remembering that this passage does not authorize modern holy war or church violence.

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