Deuteronomy Chapter 20 in Simple English

Updated on October 1, 2026

Read Deuteronomy Chapter 20

1When you go out to battle against your enemies, you may see horses and chariots and an army larger than yours. Do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God is with you, the one who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

2When you come near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people.

3He shall say to them, "Hear, O Israel. Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not lose heart. Do not be afraid. Do not tremble, and do not be terrified because of them."

4"For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will fight for you against your enemies, and save you."

5Then the officers shall speak to the people and say, "Is there any man here who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house. He might die in the battle, and another man dedicate it."

6Is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not yet eaten its fruit? Let him also go back to his house. He might die in the battle, and another man eat its fruit.

7"Is there any man who has promised to marry a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house. He might die in the battle, and another man take her."

8The officers shall speak to the people again, and they shall say, "Is there any man who is afraid and faint-hearted? Let him go back to his house. If he stays, his brothers' hearts may lose courage as his own has."

9When the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint captains of the armies to lead them.

10When you come near a city to fight against it, first offer it peace.

11If it answers you with peace and opens its gates to you, then all the people found in it shall pay you tribute and serve you.

12But if it will not make peace with you, and makes war against you, then you shall lay siege to it.

13When the LORD your God has given it into your hands, you shall strike down every male in it with the edge of the sword.

14But the women, the little ones, the cattle, and everything else in the city, all its goods, you shall take for yourself. You shall use what you take from your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

15This is what you shall do to all the cities that are very far away from you, which are not cities of these nations.

16But in the cities of these peoples, which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall leave nothing alive that breathes.

17You shall completely destroy them: the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded you.

18Then they will not teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so make you sin against the LORD your God.

19When you lay siege to a city for a long time, making war against it to take it, do not destroy its trees by swinging an axe at them. You may eat their fruit, so do not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to use them in the siege.

20Only the trees that you know are not trees for food may you destroy and cut down. You may build siege works against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.

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Explanation

Deuteronomy 20

In short

This chapter sets out rules for Israel's armies going into battle. It covers how soldiers should be prepared spiritually and practically, what to do when approaching a city, and how to treat enemies depending on whether they are local or distant peoples.

Context

Moses is speaking to Israel before they enter the land. He has been laying out laws for how they will live once they settle there. This chapter addresses what happens when they go to war, which is expected to occur as they take possession of the land. The rules distinguish between wars with distant cities and wars with the native peoples already living in Canaan.

What the text says

Verses 1-4 open with encouragement. When soldiers see a larger enemy force, they should not be afraid because God fights for them, just as he brought them out of Egypt. Before battle begins, a priest must approach and remind the people that God will fight for them.

Verses 5-8 list who must leave the army: men who have built a house but not dedicated it, planted a vineyard but not eaten from it, and men who are betrothed but not yet married. The fearful and fainthearted must also leave, so their fear does not spread to others. After these dismissals, officers appoint commanders.

Verses 10-15 describe war with distant cities. Israel must first offer peace terms. If a city accepts, its people become tributaries and servants. If it refuses and goes to war, Israel may besiege it, kill all males, and take women, children, and possessions as spoil. This practice applies to all distant cities that are "not of the cities of these nations."

Verses 16-18 treat the native peoples differently. In cities the Lord gives Israel as inheritance, they must destroy everything that breathes, naming six peoples: Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. The reason given is that complete destruction prevents Israel from learning their religious practices and sinning against the Lord.

Verses 19-20 restrict destruction of fruit trees during siege. Timber trees may be cut for siege equipment, but food-producing trees must be spared because they sustain life.

Takeaways

God's presence is the foundation of courage in battle, emphasized through priest and officers before fighting begins.
Different rules apply to distant peoples and to Canaan's native inhabitants, reflecting different strategic purposes.
Even in warfare, practical limits exist, such as preserving fruit trees needed for survival.

Deuteronomy 20 - Simple English