Deuteronomy 20:19

besiege … a long time From this and build bulwarksin Deuteronomy 20:19, we see that Israel were already familiar with siege-operations and did not depend on carrying a city by immediate storm, as the nomad Semites were obliged to do or retire.

in making war against it to take it Curiously redundant.

by wielding an axe against them The vb as in Deuteronomy 19:5.

for thou mayest Or, but. Even here a utilitarian reason is given.

for is the tree of the field man…?] or human. So according to LXX and other versions. The Heb. pointing, which omits the interrogative, gives no sense.

that it should be besieged of thee Lit. that it should come into siege before thee: the technical phrase, 2 Kings 24:10; 2 Kings 25:2. Cp. our state of siege.