Deuteronomy 20

Deuteronomy · Chapter 20

Deuteronomy 20:9

1When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.2And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,3And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;4For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.5And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.6And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.7And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.8And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.9And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.10When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.11And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.12And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:13And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:14But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.15Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.16But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:17But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:18That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.19When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life) to employ them in the siege:20Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
9And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.When the officers have finished addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and it will beוְהָיָ֛הve-ha-YAHH1961
to be

הָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) …

when finishכְּכַלֹּ֥תke-kha-LOTH3615G
to end: finish

כָּלָה (ka.lah) : finish 1) to accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be complete, be at an end 1a2) to be completed, be finished 1a3) to be accomplished, be fulfilled 1a4) to be determined, be plotted (bad sense) 1a5) to be spent, be used up 1a6) to waste away, be exhausted, fail 1a7) to come to an end, vanish, perish, be destroyed 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to complete, bring to an end, finish 1b2) to complete (a period of time) 1b3) to finish (doing a thing) 1b4) to make an end, end …

the officialsהַשֹּׁטְרִ֖יםha-sho-te-RIMH7860
official

שֹׁטֵר (sho.ter) (Qal) official, officer

to speakלְדַבֵּ֣רle-da-BERH1696G
to speak: speak

דָבַר (da.var) : speak/tell/command 1) to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing 1a) (Qal) to speak 1b) (Niphal) to speak with one another, talk 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to speak 1c2) to promise 1d) (Pual) to be spoken 1e) (Hithpael) to speak 1f) (Hiphil) to lead away, put to flight

toאֶל־'el-H0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

the peopleהָעָ֑םha-'AMH5971A
people

עַם (am) : people/nation 1) nation, people 1a) people, nation 1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

and they will appointוּפָֽקְד֛וּu-FA-ke-DUH6485JNo entry
commanders ofשָׂרֵ֥יsa-REIH8269
ruler

שַׂר (sar) 1) prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain 1a) chieftain, leader 1b) vassal, noble, official (under king) 1c) captain, general, commander (military) 1d) chief, head, overseer (of other official classes) 1e) heads, princes (of religious office) 1f) elders (of representative leaders of people) 1g) merchant-princes (of rank and dignity) 1h) patron-angel 1i) Ruler of rulers (of God) 1j) warden

armiesצְבָא֖וֹתtze-va-'otH6635A
army

צָבָא (tsa.va) : army 1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host 1a) army, host 1a1) host (of organised army) 1a2) host (of angels) 1a3) of sun, moon, and stars 1a4) of whole creation 1b) war, warfare, service, go out to war 1c) service

at [the] head ofבְּרֹ֥אשׁbe-ROSHH7218HNo entry
the peopleהָעָֽם׃ סha-'AMH5971A
people

עַם (am) : people/nation 1) nation, people 1a) people, nation 1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.