Ulangan 20:1

Laws Concerning War with Distant Enemies

20:1 When you go to war against your enemies and see chariotry ¹  and troops ²  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.

Ulangan 20:19

20:19 If you besiege a city for a long time while attempting to capture it, ³  you must not chop down its trees, ⁴  for you may eat fruit ⁵  from them and should not cut them down. A tree in the field is not human that you should besiege it! ⁶ 

Ulangan 23:14

23:14 For the Lord your God walks about in the middle of your camp to deliver you and defeat ⁷  your enemies for you. Therefore your camp should be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent ⁸  among you and turn away from you.

Ulangan 30:19

30:19 Today I invoke heaven and earth as a witness against you that I have set life and death, blessing and curse, before you. Therefore choose life so that you and your descendants may live!

[20:1]  ¹ tn Heb “horse and chariot.”

[20:1]  ² tn Heb “people.”

[20:19]  ³ tn Heb “to fight against it to capture it.”

[20:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “you must not destroy its trees by chopping them with an iron” (i.e., an ax).

[20:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “you may eat from them.” The direct object is not expressed; the word “fruit” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[20:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “to go before you in siege.”

[23:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “give [over] your enemies.”

[23:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “nakedness of a thing”; NLT “any shameful thing.” The expression עֶרְוַת דָּבָר (’ervat davar) refers specifically to sexual organs and, by extension, to any function associated with them. There are some aspects of human life that are so personal and private that they ought not be publicly paraded. Cultically speaking, even God is offended by such impropriety (cf. Gen 9:22-23; Lev 18:6-12, 16-19; 20:11, 17-21). See B. Seevers, NIDOTTE 3:528-30.