Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 20:19–20

¹⁹When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them? ²⁰But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.

Read all of Deuteronomy 20

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Deuteronomy 20:19

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
When	כִּֽי־	kî-	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
you lay siege	תָצ֣וּר	ṯā·ṣūr	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular	H6696 confine, bind, besiege
to	אֶל־	’el-	Preposition	H413 motion to
a city	עִיר֩	‘îr	Noun - feminine singular	H5892 excitement
for an extended	רַבִּ֜ים	rab·bîm	Adjective - masculine plural	H7227 much, many, great
time	יָמִ֨ים	yā·mîm	Noun - masculine plural	H3117 day
while fighting	לְֽהִלָּחֵ֧ם	lə·hil·lā·ḥêm	Preposition-l; Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct	H3898 fight, do battle
against it	עָלֶ֣יהָ	‘ā·le·hā	Preposition; third person feminine singular	H5921 height
to capture it	לְתָפְשָׂ֗הּ	lə·ṯā·p̄ə·śāh	Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct; third person feminine singular	H8610 lay hold of, wield
you must not	לֹֽא־	lō-	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
destroy	תַשְׁחִ֤ית	ṯaš·ḥîṯ	Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular	H7843 go to ruin (?)
its trees	עֵצָהּ֙	‘ê·ṣāh	Noun - masculine singular construct; third person feminine singular	H6086 tree, trees, wood
by putting	לִנְדֹּ֤חַ	lin·dō·aḥ	Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H5080 impel, thrust, banish
an axe	גַּרְזֶ֔ן	gar·zen	Noun - masculine singular	H1631 axe
to them	עָלָיו֙	‘ā·lāw	Preposition; third person masculine singular	H5921 height
because	כִּ֚י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
you can eat their fruit	תֹאכֵ֔ל	ṯō·ḵêl	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular	H398 eat
You must not	לֹ֣א	lō	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
cut them down	תִכְרֹ֑ת	ṯiḵ·rōṯ	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular	H3772 cut off, cut down
Are the trees	עֵ֣ץ	‘êṣ	Noun - masculine singular construct	H6086 tree, trees, wood
of the field	הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה	haś·śā·ḏeh	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H7704 id.
human	הָֽאָדָם֙	hā·’ā·ḏām	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H120 man, mankind
that you should besiege them	בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃	bam·mā·ṣō·wr	Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H4692 siege-enclosure, siege, entrenchment

Deuteronomy 20:20

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
But	רַ֞ק	raq	Adverb	H7535 thin
you may destroy	תַשְׁחִ֖ית	ṯaš·ḥîṯ	Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular	H7843 go to ruin (?)
the trees	עֵ֣ץ	‘êṣ	Noun - masculine singular construct	H6086 tree, trees, wood
that	אֲשֶׁר־	’ă·šer-	Pronoun - relative	H834 particle of relation
you know	תֵּדַ֗ע	tê·ḏa‘	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular	H3045 know
do not	לֹא־	lō-	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
produce fruit	מַאֲכָל֙	ma·’ă·ḵāl	Noun - masculine singular	H3978 food
to build	וּבָנִ֣יתָ	ū·ḇā·nî·ṯā	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular	H1129 build
siege works	מָצ֗וֹר	mā·ṣō·wr	Noun - masculine singular	H4692 siege-enclosure, siege, entrenchment
against	עַל־	‘al-	Preposition	H5921 height
the city	הָעִיר֙	hā·‘îr	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H5892 excitement
that	אֲשֶׁר־	’ă·šer-	Pronoun - relative	H834 particle of relation
is waging	עֹשָׂ֧ה	‘ō·śāh	Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular	H6213 do, make
war	מִלְחָמָ֖ה	mil·ḥā·māh	Noun - feminine singular	H4421 battle, war
against you	עִמְּךָ֛	‘im·mə·ḵā	Preposition; second person masculine singular	H5973 with
until	עַ֥ד	‘aḏ	Preposition	H5704 as far as, even to, up to, until, while
it falls	רִדְתָּֽהּ׃פ	riḏ·tāh	Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct; third person feminine singular	H3381 come or go down, descend

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Deuteronomy 20:19 Matthew 3:10 · Matthew 21:19 · John 15:2–8 · Luke 13:7–9 · Matthew 7:15–20 · Deuteronomy 26:6

Deuteronomy 20:20 Isaiah 37:33

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.