Deuteronomy 20 - Introduction

Of War Three Laws

These laws, Deuteronomy 20:1-19 f., separate 19 from Deuteronomy 21:1-9 (both of manslaughter) and are in phrase and substance akin to Deuteronomy 21:10-14 and Deuteronomy 23:9-14, cp. Deuteronomy 24:5. All are in the Sg. address, have similar introductions, and, while some breathe the humane spirit prevalent in D's code, all work on the same primitive beliefs in the sacredness of war and the consequent need of eliminating from the army, from its treatment of captives and from the spoil and the camps, all that might incur the wrath of either a people's god or some other supernatural power. Like other groups in the Code they are not an exhaustive treatment of their subject; they contain nothing as to the rites due on starting a campaign, or the place of the king in the host, or the materials or moneys to be levied, or the mercenary soldiers, who from David's time onwards were an organised part of Israel's forces.

As we saw on the ḥerem, Deuteronomy 2:34, War was to the settled Semites a religious process. A people's army was led by their god and a campaign conducted throughout as a sacrament; cp. the Moabite Stone, the Assyr. and Babyl. inscriptions and Ezekiel 21:21 f. Israel's God was Jehovah of Hosts, a name earlier than the prophets" cosmical use of it and signifying originally God of the armies of Israel (Bk of the Twelve Prophetsi. 57, n. 1), a man of war(Exodus 15:3, cp. Deuteronomy 14:14; Psalms 24:8); and the symbol of His Presence the Ark went with the army to battle (1 Samuel 4:3 f., Deuteronomy 14:18; 2 Samuel 11:11). A campaign was opened with burnt-offerings and enquiry was made of the Deity, with the consequent presence of priests (Judges 6:20; Judges 6:26; Judges 20:26 1 Samuel 4:3 f., 1 Samuel 7:9; 1 Samuel 13:10 ff., 1Sa 14:18 f., 1 Samuel 23:4; 1 Samuel 23:6; 1Sa 23:9; 1 Samuel 30:7 ff.). To prepare war(EVV.) is literally to consecrateit (Mi. Deuteronomy 3:5; Jeremiah 6:4; Joel 3:9; armies were consecrated for war (Jeremiah 22:7; Jeremiah 51:27 f., Isaiah 13:3) and the individual soldiers kept themselves from ritual uncleanness (1 Samuel 21:5; 2 Samuel 11:6 f.), as among the Arabs (W. R. Smith, Rel. Sem. 2 455), while those who had not completed propitiatory or other rites involved by other relations or occupations were ruled out of the ranks (Deuteronomy 20:5 ff.). Contact with foreign captives or spoil, devoted as these had been to other deities, involved danger which was only averted by drastic rites such as we have seen in connection with the ḥerem. In the warfare of some nomad Semites there is an almost entire absence of religious acts (see Dissard's sketch of the tribe of -Amr, Revue Biblique1905, No. 3). But the holy man of the tribe is consulted as to the proper day for commencing war and may thus by his wisdom avert it (Jennings-Bramley PEFQ1907, 280). The -Higa̅," the poem frequently delivered on their outset to battle, was probably developed from the solemn curses which poets were called upon (like Balaam) to pronounce upon the foe (Goldziher, Abhandlungen z. Ar. Philologiei. (1896), 1 121; Jacob, Altar. Beduinenleben, 202). See further O. C. Whitehouse, art. -War" in E.B., Nowack and Benzinger's works on Heb. Archaeology, Schwally, Semit. Kriegsalterthumer(rich in material but with many unsatisfactory inferences); and ch. xix. of Johns" Bab. and Assyr. Laws, etc. Cp. the belief of the Puritans: -Times of War should be times of Reformation" (M. Henry).

In these laws of D religion is seen sometimes mitigating and sometimes enhancing the ferocity of War.