and when Jehovah thy God delivereth it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword
Deuteronomy 20:13 closes a law of war: Israel had to offer a distant city peace first, and could besiege it only if the city refused. So why does the offer come first, and whose victory is it when the city falls?
What comes just before this verse sets its severity. Israel had to call out terms of peace to a city before attacking it. One writer notes how strange that is as a way to make war:
He shows beautiful consideration for the enemy too. When they came near the threatened city, they were first told to proclaim peace to it. That is a strange way of making war, but it is worthy of God. He took no pleasure in war... And He deals with a city that refuses just as seriously as the earlier offer of peace was real. God's ways are not as ours.
A besieged city was not simply a victim. It had answered an offer, and its answer decided what came next:
There was a most merciful arrangement: an offer of peace to a besieged city. (The cities of the Canaanite nations are not included.) Peace was the first thing proclaimed. If the city accepted the offer, the lives of its people were saved. If it refused, and the people resisted the call to peace and so showed the wickedness of their hearts in resisting God, the city was besieged. All the males were to be struck with the sword, but the women and little ones were saved.
Israel carried a sword, but not a free hand with it. The law drew lines around what Israel could and could not do:
Indiscriminate slaughter and wholesale destruction formed no part of Israel's business. Any city willing to accept the offered terms of peace was given the privilege of becoming a tribute-paying subject of the people of God. As for the cities that would make no peace, everything inside their walls that could be used was to be kept.
The verse does not say Israel took the city. It says God gives it into their hand. The whole chapter rests on that dependence:
The governing principle here, as everywhere, is confidence in Jehovah. He had taken His people, brought them out of Egypt into relationship with Himself, and was now placing them in His own land... It was not a question of soldiers or strategy, of force or skill or trickery, but of Jehovah their God... So losing heart could not be tolerated. It could only come from one thing — that the people were thinking not of Jehovah their God, but of themselves or their enemies.
This rule covered distant cities only. God dealt with the nations already in the land in another way, and commentators explain that difference in two ways. One writer points to what those nations had become:
These nations had sold themselves to serve demons and idols. Their cup of iniquity was full, and none were to be spared (Deut. 18:9-12). God knew that if they lived on, they would teach Israel the same evils these idolaters were used to (v. 18).
Another reads the same exception as a picture for the believer's own conflict:
Seen as a picture, the Canaanites stand for Satan's agents, the spiritual wickedness in heavenly places — the rulers of the darkness of this world that we are called to wrestle with now... With such enemies there can be, and there ought to be, no terms, no compromise, and no ending of the fight at any time or in any possible circumstances.
What God commanded Israel here is not what He asks of His people today:
Scripture reveals no truth more clearly than this: the Lord put the sword of judgment into the hands of Israel and commanded them to use it with unrelenting severity in certain cases (Deut. 20:10-18)... How different now! Some have been led to find a Saviour in Jesus, to know the ransom of their souls by His blood, and to receive in Him, risen and glorified, the free gifts of righteousness and eternal life. They are made God's ministers of love, of mercy, and of grace to a rebellious world.
- Peace first. The sword never falls on a city that has not first heard terms of peace. The severity matches how real the offer was.
- Peace refused. The siege follows a decision. In turning down the offer the city showed the wickedness of its heart in resisting God. Its men fell; its women and children were spared.
- Peace bounded. Indiscriminate slaughter was no part of Israel's business. Israel kept whatever inside the walls could be used.
- Peace granted by God. God gives the city into their hand. Victory is not a matter of soldiers, strategy or skill, but of Jehovah their God.
- Peace preached. Israel once carried the sword of judgment. Those who know Jesus as Saviour are now God's ministers of love, mercy and grace to a rebellious world.
only the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that shall be in the city, all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take as booty for thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee
This verse ends the rule for a distant city that refused Israel's offer of peace. The fighting men fall, but the women, children, livestock and goods are kept. Why does God limit a war He Himself ordered — and what were His people to do with an enemy's wealth?
The instructions in this chapter are not military strategy. One writer notes the care God took to keep Israel from copying how the nations around them fought.
In Deuteronomy 20 comes the law of battles. God takes the utmost care that they should in no way copy the loose ways of the nations. The ruling principle here, as everywhere else, is confidence in Jehovah. He had taken His people, brought them out of Egypt into relationship with Himself, and was now placing them in His own land... It was not a question of soldiers or strategy, of force or skill or trickery, but of Jehovah their God... What secures victory is the certainty that our God calls us to the fight, and that the battle is His, not ours.
Verse 14 only applies after a city has refused terms. One writer sees God's own character in that order.
God shows beautiful thoughtfulness even for the enemy. When His people came near the threatened city, they were first told to offer it peace: a strange way of making war, but worthy of God. He took no pleasure in war... "But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it." He then deals with them just as seriously as the offer of peace had been genuine. God's ways are not our ways.
Another writer says why the penalty was so heavy: a city that refused the offer "suffered the penalty of resisting God, not just men" (Numerical Bible Notes).
The verse spares those who did not fight, and keeps what the city held. That sets a limit on the whole campaign.
Killing everyone and destroying everything formed no part of Israel's business. Cities willing to accept the terms of peace had the privilege of becoming tribute-payers to the people of God. In cities that would make no peace, everything inside the walls that could be used was to be kept.
Israel did not seize the plunder; they received it. The verse calls it something the LORD gave. Mackintosh sees the goods kept back as whatever could be "turned to account, in the service of God, and of His people" (Mackintosh). He applies that straight to how a believer handles money.
There are things in nature and things of earth that can be used for God; the word of God and prayer sanctify them... If this world's riches come into a Christian's hands, he should put them to work in the service of Christ with care and faithfulness. He should give them out freely to the poor, and to all the Lord's needy workers. In short, he should make them available, in every right and wise way, to further the Lord's work in every area. Otherwise those same riches might crumble into dust in their hands, or turn to rust on their souls. Used this way, they will produce precious fruit.
This rule did not cover the cities inside Canaan. The next verses draw the line.
However, this applied only to cities far from the land of Canaan, not to any of the cities of the land. For those cities God had already commanded Israel to kill the men, women, children and livestock (vv.16-17)... These nations had sold themselves to the worship of demons and idols. Their sin had reached its full measure, and no one was to be spared. God knew that if they lived on they would teach Israel the same evils these idol-worshippers had grown used to.
Writers are careful to say that this commission belonged to Israel and not to Christians.
Scripture reveals no truth more plainly than this: the Lord put the sword of judgment into the hands of Israel, and told them to use it without mercy in certain cases (Deut. 20:10-18)... How different it is now! People who have been led to find a Saviour in Jesus... are made God's ministers of love, of mercy, and of grace to a rebellious world. The same Divine Lawgiver who... said to Saul, "devote to destruction all that they have... Do not spare them," now, in the day of salvation, says to His redeemed, "Love your enemies... and pray for those who persecute you."
- Peace first. The sword in this chapter is never the opening move; an offer of peace always came before a siege.
- Refusal costs. A city that turned the offer down was resisting God, not just men. God dealt with it as seriously as the offer had been genuine.
- Mercy holds. Even in a war God ordered, Israel could not destroy everything. Israel spared the women, children, livestock and goods.
- Spoil is a gift. The goods were not loot grabbed by soldiers. They were a gift from the LORD, to be used in His service — the same rule that governs money in a believer's hands today.
- Canaan excepted. This rule covered distant cities only. The nations inside the land, whose sin was full, faced a separate sentence, so Israel would not learn their evils.