Deuteronomy 20:15 kjv
Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
Deuteronomy 20:15 nkjv
Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.
Deuteronomy 20:15 niv
This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
Deuteronomy 20:15 esv
Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here.
Deuteronomy 20:15 nlt
"But these instructions apply only to distant towns, not to the towns of the nations in the land you will enter.
Deuteronomy 20 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 7:1-2 | When the LORD your God brings you into the land... you shall utterly destroy them. | Contrasts the complete destruction for Canaanite nations. |
| Deut 2:9 | "Do not harass Moab or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land." | God limits Israel's conquest to specific boundaries. |
| Deut 2:19 | "And when you come opposite the people of Ammon, do not harass them..." | Specific instruction to not engage certain distant nations destructively. |
| Josh 9:3-7 | But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho... they acted craftily. | Example of a distant people deceiving Israel to avoid destruction. |
| 1 Ki 9:20-21 | All the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites... Israel had not destroyed them... Solomon raised them for forced labor. | Demonstrates a later application of non-annihilation, perhaps bending the rule. |
| Exod 23:30 | "Little by little I will drive them out before you..." | God's measured approach to conquest. |
| Isa 10:5-6 | Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the club in their hand is my fury. | God uses gentile nations as instruments of His judgment. |
| Jer 25:9-11 | I will send and take all the tribes of the north, declares the LORD... and I will bring them against this land. | God's use of Babylon against Israel demonstrates universal sovereignty. |
| Zeph 2:5 | Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! | Prophecy of judgment extending to Philistine (non-Canaanite) cities. |
| Nah 3:1 | Woe to the bloodthirsty city, all full of lies and plunder. | Prophetic judgment against Nineveh, a distant non-Israelite city. |
| Matt 28:19 | Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... | New Covenant command to spread gospel to all nations, contrasting military conquest. |
| John 18:36 | My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world... | Christ's kingdom is spiritual, not based on earthly military conquest. |
| Eph 6:12 | For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers... | New Testament warfare is spiritual, not physical against people groups. |
| Rom 1:16 | For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes... | Salvation for all, Jew and Gentile, from "all nations." |
| Acts 10:34-35 | God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. | Underscores God's universal accessibility, not tied to a single physical nation. |
| Gen 12:3 | and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. | God's original covenant promise to Abraham had a universal scope for nations. |
| Ps 22:27-28 | All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD... for kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. | God's ultimate sovereignty extends to all nations for salvation and worship. |
| Isa 45:22 | "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." | Universal call to salvation beyond national boundaries. |
| Rev 11:15 | The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. | Prophecy of God's universal rule encompassing all earthly nations. |
| Num 33:55 | But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you... they shall be pricks in your eyes... | Consequence of failing to distinguish and act properly against indigenous nations. |
| Ps 46:10 | "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" | God's universal sovereignty proclaimed over all nations. |
| Acts 17:26 | And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth. | Common origin of all nations under God's creative design. |
Deuteronomy 20 verses
Deuteronomy 20 15 Meaning
Deuteronomy 20:15 outlines the regulations for engaging in warfare against cities located "very far" from Israel, meaning those outside the promised land and not belonging to the specific nations designated for utter destruction. It stipulates that the laws of engagement differ significantly for these distant cities compared to those within Canaan.
Deuteronomy 20 15 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 20 outlines detailed laws for warfare, particularly emphasizing the distinct approach Israel must take based on the nature and location of the opposing cities. Verses 10-18 create a crucial dichotomy: cities far from Israel receive terms of peace or limited conquest, while cities within the land of Canaan (vv. 16-18) are subject to total annihilation to prevent their pagan practices from corrupting Israel. Verse 15 specifically sets the boundary for the less severe type of warfare, distinguishing these "distant" nations from the local "nations here" in the promised land. Historically, these rules reflect a balance of God's holy justice against the deeply corrupted Canaanite culture and His wider sovereignty over all humanity, providing a framework for Israel's conduct in a hostile world while preparing them for life in the promised land as a distinct, holy people.
Deuteronomy 20 15 Word analysis
- Thus: Hebrew: kēn (כֵּן). Indicates the manner or method prescribed, acting as a command. Implies a precise directive.
- you shall do: Hebrew: taʿaśeh (תַּעֲשֶׂה). Imperfect tense with cohortative sense, expressing a direct command or injunction. It denotes mandatory action, not an option.
- to all the cities: Hebrew: lekol hāʿārîm (לְכֹל הֶעָרִים). "All" emphasizes the comprehensive scope of the rule for this specific category of cities. Not a singular exception, but a general policy.
- that are very far: Hebrew: ḥāreqôq (חָרֵקוֹק) (root רָחַק, raḥaq - to be distant). Refers to geographical distance from Israel's settled territory. This is a crucial qualifier that defines the scope of this particular warfare rule. It implies outside the God-given inheritance.
- from you: Hebrew: mimmekā (מִמֶּךָּ). From your perspective, your land. Reinforces the geographical distinction based on Israel's location.
- which are not of the cities of these nations here: Hebrew: ʾăsher lōʾ mēʿārê hagoyim hāʾēlleh (אֲשֶׁר לֹא מֵעָרֵי הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה). This clause provides the explicit distinction from the seven Canaanite nations Israel was commanded to utterly destroy (Deut 7:1-2). "These nations here" clearly points to the immediate, local inhabitants of the land of Canaan itself. This phrase highlights that the distinction is based not just on geography, but on God's specific command for these particular inhabitants. The purpose of this differentiation was primarily to prevent the idolatry and depravity of the Canaanites from corrupting Israel, while other nations posed a lesser, though still significant, threat.
Deuteronomy 20 15 Bonus section
- This verse implies a limited holy war, one restricted in scope and target. Unlike other ancient Near Eastern conquests that were often total and driven by empire building, Israel's divine command had clear boundaries.
- The distinction highlights that God's covenant with Israel primarily concerned the land promised to Abraham and its spiritual purity, not unlimited territorial expansion for its own sake.
- The term "these nations here" is key, indicating a very specific and localized group marked for divine judgment due to centuries of sin and rejection of divine truth, as hinted in Gen 15:16 ("the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete").
Deuteronomy 20 15 Commentary
Deuteronomy 20:15 establishes a pivotal distinction in Israelite military law, separating policies for foreign nations distant from the promised land from those for the Canaanite inhabitants within it. For cities "very far" away, Israel was permitted to offer terms of peace; if rejected, they could besiege and take the city, enslaving its inhabitants. This approach acknowledged God's broader sovereignty over all peoples, yet provided a less destructive, and potentially economically beneficial, form of conquest. This differentiates Israel’s warfare from the indiscriminant conquest seen in other ancient Near Eastern societies. The explicit mention of "not of the cities of these nations here" directly refers to the Canaanite peoples, against whom God mandated herem (utter destruction) due to their severe wickedness and as a means of protecting Israel from moral and religious corruption. The verse thus sets up the framework for a differentiated engagement, illustrating divine justice that is both specific in its judgment against evil and comprehensive in its rule over all the earth.