Bird's-eye view
In these two verses, we find ourselves in the middle of the laws of warfare that God is giving to His people as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. This is not a manual for pacifists. The God of the Bible is a man of war, and He equips His people for the task He has assigned them. But this is not unrestrained, pagan warfare. This is covenantal warfare, holy warfare, which means it is conducted according to God's rules. And God's rules, even in the midst of a siege, display a profound respect for His creation and a forward-looking faith in His promises.
The central command here is a prohibition against a particular kind of scorched-earth tactic. When Israel lays siege to a city, they are not to destroy the fruit trees. This is a remarkable constraint. It teaches Israel that the land they are fighting for is a gift from God, and they are to treat it as such. They are fighting for a future, for a place to settle and raise their children, and that future involves eating the fruit of the land. This law is intensely practical, but it is also deeply theological. It distinguishes between the works of man (the fortified city) which must be thrown down, and the good gifts of God's creation (the fruit trees) which must be preserved. It is a lesson in stewardship, even in the midst of war.
Outline
- 1. The Laws of Holy War (Deut. 20:1-20)
- a. A Prohibition During a Siege (v. 19)
- i. The Rule: Do Not Destroy Fruit Trees (v. 19a)
- ii. The Reason: Trees Are Not the Enemy (v. 19b)
- b. A Permission During a Siege (v. 20)
- i. The Exception: Non-Fruit Trees (v. 20a)
- ii. The Purpose: For Building Siegeworks (v. 20b)
- a. A Prohibition During a Siege (v. 19)
Context In Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy is the second giving of the law to a new generation of Israelites poised to enter Canaan. Moses is preparing them for the conquest. Chapter 20 lays out the rules of engagement. Earlier in the chapter, God gives instructions about who is exempt from military service and how to offer terms of peace to distant cities. But for the cities within the Promised Land, the command is different, it is a war of dispossession against the Canaanites because of their deep-seated idolatry (Deut. 20:16-18).
It is in this context of a holy war, a war of judgment, that we find this command of restraint. Even when executing God's judgment on the wicked inhabitants of a city, Israel is not permitted to wage war against the created order itself. This law stands in stark contrast to the practices of other ancient armies, who would often destroy everything in their path as a show of dominance. God's people are to be different. Their warfare is discriminate. They are not fighting for destruction's sake, but for the sake of inheritance. This passage fits squarely within Deuteronomy's larger theme: Israel is to be a holy people, set apart for God, and their conduct, even in war, must reflect the character of the God they serve.
Verse by Verse Commentary
Deuteronomy 20:19
19 “If you besiege a city for many days, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you?
If you besiege a city for many days... The law anticipates the realities of war. Sieges are long, grueling affairs. This isn't a quick skirmish. This is a protracted conflict, where patience and resources are tested. God is giving His people instructions for the hard slog.
you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them... Here is the command, stated negatively. The word is "destroy," and it implies a ruinous, wasteful cutting. The target of this prohibition is specific: "its trees," meaning the trees belonging to the territory of the city under siege. An axe is a tool of war and a tool for building, but here its use is restricted.
for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. Now we get the first reason, and it is eminently practical. Fruit trees provide food. An army needs to eat. But more than that, the Israelites will need to eat after the city is taken. This command is an act of faith. It assumes victory. It assumes a future in this land that God is giving them. You don't salt the earth you intend to farm. You don't cut down the orchard you intend to harvest. This is the logic of an heir, not a marauder.
For is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you? This is a fascinating rhetorical question. The Hebrew can be translated in a few ways, but the sense is clear. Your quarrel is with the men of the city, not with the trees of the field. Do not treat an inanimate, fruitful part of God's creation as though it were a combatant. The tree is not your enemy. It cannot fight back, nor did it participate in the rebellion against God that has brought this judgment upon the city. This is a call for discriminate warfare. The judgment is targeted. The men in the city have sinned; the trees have not. This principle establishes a profound ethical boundary in the conduct of war. God's creation is not to be swept up in a fit of destructive rage against men.
Deuteronomy 20:20
20 Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you shall destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that is making war with you until it falls.
Only the trees which you know are not trees for food... Here is the positive permission that clarifies the previous prohibition. The distinction is simple and clear: is it a food-bearing tree or not? This requires knowledge and discernment from the soldiers. They have to know their trees. This is not a blanket permission for deforestation; it is a carefully circumscribed rule.
you shall destroy and cut down... The same words are used, "destroy and cut down," but now they are applied to the permitted trees. This is not wanton destruction. It is destruction for a holy purpose. These non-fruit-bearing trees are a resource provided by God for the prosecution of a just war.
that you may build siegeworks against the city... The purpose is explicitly military. They need timber to build ramps, towers, and battering rams. The conquest of the city requires tools, and God is showing them where to get the raw materials without destroying their future inheritance. The created world is to be used, but used wisely and for God-ordained purposes.
against the city that is making war with you until it falls. The verse ends with a reminder of the goal. The siege has a definite end: the fall of the city. This is not an endless war. It is a war with a purpose, ordained by God. The use of the trees is a means to that righteous end. The ultimate goal is not the destruction of a city, but the establishment of God's people in the land of promise, a land flowing with milk, honey, and the fruit of these very trees.
Application
So what do we do with a law about fruit trees in a siege? First, we see the character of our God. He is not a God of chaos and senseless destruction. Even in His acts of judgment, He is orderly, discriminating, and mindful of the future. He commands his people to wage war, but not like the pagans. We are to be different. Our battles, whether spiritual or cultural, are not to be waged with a scorched-earth mentality. We are fighting to build, not just to tear down. We are contending for a positive vision of a flourishing Christian civilization.
Second, this is a profound lesson in stewardship. The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. It is a gift, and we are not to treat it with contempt, even when we are dealing with the consequences of man's sin. This passage is a foundational text for a robust, biblical environmentalism, one that sees creation as a good gift to be used wisely for God's glory, not as an idol to be worshiped or a resource to be thoughtlessly exploited.
Finally, we must see the gospel here. The ultimate inheritance is not a piece of land in the Middle East, but the new heavens and the new earth. Christ came to win that inheritance for us. He waged war against sin and death, but He did not destroy the creation in the process. Rather, He came to redeem it. He is the one who distinguishes between the fruitful and the unfruitful. The fruitful, those who are in Him, are preserved for eternal life. The unfruitful are cut down and used for judgment. Our task, as His people, is to be fruitful, to cultivate the garden of this world, and to look forward with faith to the final victory when we will feast at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in the renewed creation that He has won for us.