Deuteronomy 20:13

Wycliffe Bible

And whanne thi Lord God hath bitake it in thin hond, thou schalt smyte bi the scharpnesse of swerd al thing of male kynde which is ther ynne,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When the Lord your God hands it over to you, strike down all its males with the sword.

Hebrew Names Version
and when the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword:

King James Version
And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh your God will give it into your hand, and you shall kill all its males with the edge of the sword.

English Standard Version
And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword,

New Century Version
The Lord your God will give it to you. Then kill all the men with your swords,

New English Translation
The Lord your God will deliver it over to you and you must kill every single male by the sword.

Amplified Bible
"When the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike down all the men in it with the edge of the sword.

New American Standard Bible
"When the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the edge of the sword.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Lord thy God shall deliuer it into thine handes, and thou shalt smite all the males thereof with the edge of the sworde.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh your God shall give it into your hand, and you shall strike all the males in it with the edge of the sword.

Complete Jewish Bible
When Adonai your God hands it over to you, you are to put every male to the sword.

Darby Translation
and when Jehovah thy God delivereth it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

Easy-to-Read Version
And when the Lord your God lets you take the city, you must kill all the men in it.

George Lamsa Translation
And when the LORD your God has delivered it into your hands, you shall slay all its males with the edge of the sword;

Good News Translation
Then, when the Lord your God lets you capture the city, kill every man in it.

Literal Translation
And Jehovah your God shall give it into your hand; and you shall strike every male of it by the mouth of the sword.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and whan the LORDE thy God delyuereth it in to thy hande, thou shalt smyte all the males that are therin, with the edge of the swerde:

American Standard Version
and when Jehovah thy God delivereth it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

Bible in Basic English
And when the Lord your God has given it into your hands, let every male in it be put to death without mercy.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when the Lorde thy God hath deliuered it into thine handes, thou shalt smyte all the males therof with the edge of the sworde:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when the LORD thy God delivereth it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword;

King James Version (1611)
And when the Lord thy God hath deliuered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite euery male thereof with the edge of the sword.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
until the Lord thy God shall deliver it into thy hands, and thou shalt smite every male of it with the edge of the sword:

English Revised Version
and when the LORD thy God delivereth it into thine hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

Berean Standard Bible
When the LORD your God has delivered it into your hands, you must strike down every male with the sword.

Young's Literal Translation
and Jehovah thy God hath given it into thy hand, and thou hast smitten every male of it by the mouth of the sword.

Update Bible Version
and when Yahweh your God delivers it into your hand, you shall smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

Webster's Bible Translation
And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thy hands, thou shalt smite every male of it with the edge of the sword:

World English Bible
and when Yahweh your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword:

New King James Version
And when the LORD your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword.

New Living Translation
When the Lord your God hands the town over to you, use your swords to kill every man in the town.

New Life Bible
When the Lord your God gives the city to you, you must kill all the men in it with the sword.

New Revised Standard
and when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and Yahweh thy God will deliver it into thy hand, - and thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the Lord thy God shall deliver it into thy hands, thou shalt slay all that are therein of the male sex, with the edge of the sword,

Revised Standard Version
and when the LORD your God gives it into your hand you shall put all its males to the sword,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"When the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the edge of the sword.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ If ony tyme thou schalt go to a citee to ouercome it, first thou schalt profire pees to it. ¹¹ If the citee resseyueth, and openeth to thee the yatis, al the puple that is ther ynne schal be saued, and schal serue thee vndur tribut. ¹² Sotheli if they nylen make boond of pees, and bigynnen batel ayens thee, thou schalt fiyte ayens it. ¹³ And whanne thi Lord God hath bitake it in thin hond, thou schalt smyte bi the scharpnesse of swerd al thing of male kynde which is ther ynne, ¹⁴ with out wymmen, and yonge children, beestis and othere thingis that ben in the citee. Thou schalt departe al the prey to the oost, and thou schalt ete of the spuylis of thin enemyes, whiche spuylis thi Lord God yaf to thee. ¹⁵ Thus thou schalt do to alle the citees, that ben ful fer fro thee, and ben not of these citees which thou schalt take in to possessioun. ¹⁶ Sotheli of these citees that schulen be youun to thee, thou schalt not suffre eny to lyue, ¹⁷ but thou schalt sle bi the scharpnesse of swerd; that is to seie, Ethei, and Ammorrey, and Cananei, Ferezei, Euey, and Jebusei, as `thi Lord God comaundide to thee; <sup>18</sup> lest perauenture thei techen you to do alle abhomynaciouns, whiche thei wrouyten to her goddis, and ye doon synne ayens youre Lord God. <sup>19</sup> Whanne thou hast bisegid a citee `in myche tyme, and hast cumpassid with strengthingis that thou ouercome it, thou schalt not kitte doun trees, of whiche `me may ete, nether thou schalt waste the cuntrey `bi cumpas with axis; for it is `a tree, and not man, nether it may encresse the noumbre of fiyteris ayens thee.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thou shalt smite: Numbers 31:7-9, Numbers 31:17, Numbers 31:18, 1 Kings 11:15, 1 Kings 11:16, Psalms 2:6-12, Psalms 21:8, Psalms 21:9, Psalms 110:1, Luke 19:27, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

Reciprocal: Numbers 31:15 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 12:1
Forsothe the Lord seide to Abram, Go thou out of thi lond, and of thi kynrede, and of the hous of thi fadir, and come thou in to the lond which Y schal schewe to thee;

Genesis 12:9
And Abram yede goynge and goynge forth ouer to the south.

Genesis 20:3
Sotheli God cam to Abymalec bi a sweuene in the nyyt, and seide to hym, Lo! thou schalt die, for the wooman which thou hast take, for sche hath an hosebond.

Genesis 20:5
Whether he seide not to me, Sche is my sistir, and sche seide, He is my brother? In the symplenesse of myn herte, and in the clennesse of myn hondis Y dide this.

Genesis 20:11
Abraham answerde, Y thouyte with me, and seide, in hap the drede of God is not in this place; and thei schulen sle me for my wijf;

1 Samuel 23:21
And Saul seide, Blessid be ye of the Lord, for ye sorewiden `for my stide.

Psalms 64:5
Sodeynli thei schulen schete hym, and thei schulen not drede; thei maden stidefast to hem silf a wickid word. Thei telden, that thei schulden hide snaris; thei seiden, Who schal se hem?

Acts 5:9
And Petre seide to hyr, What bifelde to you, to tempte the spirit of the Lord? Lo! the feet of hem that han birieden thin hosebonde ben at the dore, and thei schulen bere thee out.

Hebrews 11:8
By feith he that is clepid Abraham, obeiede to go out in to a place, whiche he schulde take in to eritage; and he wente out, not witinge whidur he schulde go.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands,.... When, what with pressures without, and calamities within, the city is obliged to surrender: this is not to be imputed to the methods and arts of war used in besieging, or to the courage and skill of the besiegers; but to the power and providence of God succeeding means used, and sending famine or pestilence among the besieged, and inclining their hearts to deliver up their city:

thou shall smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword; the men in it, grown persons, as distinguished from little ones in the next verse; because it was owing to these it was not surrendered at once, when terms of peace were offered.

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.