Deuteronomy 20:19,20

(5) RESPECT FOR NATURAL RESOURCES (Deuteronomy 20:19-20)

19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged ofthee? 20 Only the trees of which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it fall.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 20:19, 20

342.

Why would trees be destroyed? Why not destroy them?

343.

What two-fold use was made of trees?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 20:19, 20

19 When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by using an ax on them, for you can eat their fruit; you must not cut them down, for is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you?
20 Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.

COMMENT 20:19, 20

As we can now see, all is not fair in love and war! This law, strange as it may appear, was probably designed for Israel's own good. In the process of waging a long war (Deuteronomy 20:19), when everything living in the path of combat would normally be destroyed, the fruit trees were to be spared.

FOR IS THE TREE OF THE FIELD MAN. ? (Deuteronomy 20:19)the Canaanites were being destroyed, not only to make way for Israel, but because of their wickedness as a nation Genesis 15:16, Leviticus 18:24-25. But the fruit-trees were to be spared.. it was a merciful provision to spare all fruit-bearing trees, because they yielded the fruit which supported man's life; and it was sound policy also, for even the conquerors must perish if the means of life were cut off.

It is diabolic cruelty to add to the miseries of war the horrors of famine; and this is done where the trees of the field are cut down, the dykes broken to drown the land, the villages burnt, and the crops wilfully spoiled. O execrable war! Subversive of all the charities of life! (Clarke).