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Thursday, August 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Deuteronomy 20:16

But leave nothing alive in the cities of the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Massacre;   War;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Devote, Devoted;   War, Holy War;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Alms;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Canaanites;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Anathema;   Booty;   Jericho;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Anathema;   Breath;   Canaan, History and Religion of;   History;   Joshua, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Accursed;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Deuteronomy;   Israel, Religion of;   Siege;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Captives;   Gentile;   War;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
However, you must not let any living thing survive among the cities of these people the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Hebrew Names Version
But of the cities of these peoples, that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;
King James Version
But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
Lexham English Bible
But from the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance, you shall not let anything live that breathes.
English Standard Version
But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,
New English Translation
As for the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is going to give you as an inheritance, you must not allow a single living thing to survive.
Amplified Bible
"Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes.
New American Standard Bible
"Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave anything that breathes alive.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But of the cities of this people, which the Lorde thy God shall giue thee to inherite, thou shalt saue no person aliue,
Legacy Standard Bible
Only in the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes.
Contemporary English Version
Whenever you capture towns in the land the Lord your God is giving you, be sure to kill all the people and animals.
Complete Jewish Bible
"As for the towns of these peoples, which Adonai your God is giving you as your inheritance, you are not to allow anything that breathes to live.
Darby Translation
But of the cities of these peoples which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth,
Easy-to-Read Version
"But when you take cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you must kill everyone.
George Lamsa Translation
But of the cities of these people which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;
Good News Translation
"But when you capture cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, kill everyone.
Literal Translation
But of the cities of these peoples which Jehovah your God is giving to you as an inheritance, you shall not keep alive any that breathes.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But in the cities of these nacions, which the LORDE thy God shall geue the to enheritauce, thou shalt leaue nothinge alyue that hath breth,
American Standard Version
But of the cities of these peoples, that Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth;
Bible in Basic English
But in the towns of these peoples whose land the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, let no living thing be kept from death:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But of the cities of these nations which the Lorde thy God shall geue thee to inherite, thou shalt saue alyue nothyng that breatheth:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Howbeit of the cities of these peoples, that the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth,
King James Version (1611)
But of the cities of these people which the Lord thy God doth giue thee for an inheritance, thou shalt saue aliue nothing that breatheth:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Of these ye shall not take any thing alive;
English Revised Version
But of the cities of these peoples, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
Berean Standard Bible
However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli of these citees that schulen be youun to thee, thou schalt not suffre eny to lyue,
Young's Literal Translation
`Only, of the cities of these peoples which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee [for] an inheritance, thou dost not keep alive any breathing;
Update Bible Version
But of the cities of these peoples, that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;
Webster's Bible Translation
But of the cities of these people which the LORD thy God doth give thee [for] an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
World English Bible
But of the cities of these peoples, that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;
New King James Version
"But of the cities of these peoples which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive,
New Living Translation
In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing.
New Life Bible
But in the cities of these nations that the Lord your God is giving you for your own, do not leave alive anything that breathes.
New Revised Standard
But as for the towns of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything that breathes remain alive.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But of the cities of these peoples which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee as an inheritance, shalt thou not save alive, any breathing thing.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But of those cities that shall be given thee, thou shalt suffer none at all to live:
Revised Standard Version
But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,
THE MESSAGE
But with the towns of the people that God , your God, is giving you as an inheritance, it's different: don't leave anyone alive. Consign them to holy destruction: the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, obeying the command of God , your God. This is so there won't be any of them left to teach you to practice the abominations that they engage in with their gods and you end up sinning against God , your God.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes.

Contextual Overview

10 When you march up to attack a city, first make them an offer of peace. 11 If they accept your offer and open their gates to you, all the people of that city will become your slaves and work for you. 12 But if they do not make peace with you and fight you in battle, you should surround that city. 13 The Lord your God will give it to you. Then kill all the men with your swords, 14 and you may take everything else in the city for yourselves. Take the women, children, and animals, and you may use these things the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. 15 Do this to all the cities that are far away, that do not belong to the nations nearby. 16 But leave nothing alive in the cities of the land the Lord your God is giving you. 17 Completely destroy these people: the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded. 18 Otherwise, they will teach you what they do for their gods, and if you do these hateful things, you will sin against the Lord your God. 19 If you surround and attack a city for a long time, trying to capture it, do not destroy its trees with an ax. You can eat the fruit from the trees, but do not cut them down. These trees are not the enemy, so don't make war against them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 7:1-4, Deuteronomy 7:16, Numbers 21:2, Numbers 21:3, Numbers 21:35, Numbers 33:52, Joshua 6:17-21, Joshua 9:24, Joshua 9:27, Joshua 10:28, Joshua 10:40, Joshua 11:11, Joshua 11:12, Joshua 11:14

Reciprocal: Leviticus 27:28 - no devoted Numbers 31:15 - General Deuteronomy 2:33 - the Lord Deuteronomy 2:34 - utterly destroyed Deuteronomy 3:6 - we utterly Deuteronomy 7:2 - utterly Deuteronomy 31:5 - according Joshua 6:21 - utterly Joshua 9:7 - how shall Joshua 11:20 - as the Lord Judges 2:2 - And ye shall 1 Samuel 15:3 - utterly destroy Psalms 106:34 - concerning Ezekiel 20:11 - which

Cross-References

Genesis 20:3
But one night God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and said, "You will die. The woman you took is married."
Genesis 20:5
Abraham himself told me, ‘This woman is my sister,' and she also said, ‘He is my brother.' I am innocent. I did not know I was doing anything wrong."
Genesis 20:6
Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, "Yes, I know you did not realize what you were doing. So I did not allow you to sin against me and touch her.
Genesis 20:8
So early the next morning, Abimelech called all his officers and told them everything that had happened in the dream. They were very afraid.
Genesis 20:9
Then Abimelech called Abraham to him and said, "What have you done to us? What wrong did I do against you? Why did you bring this trouble to my kingdom? You should not have done these things to me.
Genesis 24:65
and asked the servant, "Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?" The servant answered, "That is my master." So Rebekah covered her face with her veil.
Genesis 26:11
So Abimelech warned everyone, "Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death."
Proverbs 12:1
Anyone who loves learning accepts correction, but a person who hates being corrected is stupid.
Proverbs 25:12
A wise warning to someone who will listen is as valuable as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry.
Proverbs 27:5
It is better to correct someone openly than to have love and not show it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But of the cities of those people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance,.... The cities of the seven nations, six of which are mentioned by name in the next verse:

thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth; the reason of this severity was because of their wickedness, the capital crimes and gross abominations they were guilty of, and for which they deserved to die; and on account whereof they were reserved to this destruction, when the measure of their iniquities was full, such as idolatry, incest, witchcraft, soothsaying, necromancy, &c. see

Leviticus 18:3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Directions intended to prevent wanton destruction of life and property in sieges.

Deuteronomy 20:16

Forbearance, however, was not to be shown toward the Canaanite nations, which were to be utterly exterminated (compare Deuteronomy 7:1-4). The command did not apply to beasts as well as men (compare Joshua 11:11, Joshua 11:14).

Deuteronomy 20:19

The parenthesis may he more literally rendered “for man is a tree of the field,” i. e., has his life from the tree of the field, is supported in life by it (compare Deuteronomy 24:6). The Egyptians seem invariably to have cut down the fruit-trees in war.


 
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