9 Andit ſhall be when the officers have made an end of ſpeaking unto the people, that they ſhall make cap- + Heb. tains of the armies F to lead the people L. bein the 1 Or rather, as the Hebrew hath it, they ſhall ſet or place the captains head of the of the armies in the head or font of the people under their charge, that
people, they may condutt and manage them, and by their example —_— their ſouldiers. Bur it is not likely they had their captains ro make
or chuſe when they were juſt going to battel.
10 When thou comeſt nigh unto a city tofight againſt it, then * proclaim peace unto it m.
1m This ſeems to be underſtood not of the cities of the Canaanites, as ismanifeſt from ver. 16.17,18. who were under an abſolute ſentence of utter deſtruQion, Exod. 23. 32, 33. Deut. 7. 1, 2. whence they are blamed that made any league or peace with them.. 7udg.'2. 2. butof the cities either of other nations who injured or diſturbed them, or commenced War againſt them, or aided their enemies, or oppreſſed their friends, and allies ; or of the Hebrews themſelves, if they were guilty or abettors of Idolatry or Apoſtacy from God, or of ſedition or rebellion againſt authority, or ofgiving proteftionand defence to Capital offenders. See Gen. 14. Judg. 20. 2 Sams 20. &C.
11 And it (ball be, if it make thee anſwer of peace, and open unto thee, then it ſhall be, rhat all the people that is found therein, ſhall be tributaries unto thee, and they ſhall ſerve thee ».
n By their purſes, and
T Kings 9. 15. 2Chron.$.7,
12 And ii it will make no peace with thee, but will make war againſt thee, then thou (balt beliege it.
13 And »hen the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hand, thou ſhalt ſmite every male thereof with the edge of the ſword o.
o Ajuſt puniſhment of their obſtinate refuſal of peace offered. "Joſh. 8, T4 But the women, and the little ones p, and * the 2. cattel, and all that is in the city, ever all the ſpoil thereof, We ſbalt thou + take unto thy ſelf, and thou (balt eat the
" ſþoilof thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath
given thee. Excuſedi by their Sex or Age, as not involved in the guilt, nor being likely to revenge their quarrel.
15 Thus ſhalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of theſe nations. |
*Num. 16 But * of the cities of theſe pesple which the Fu. ? LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou tz. 7: ſhalt avealive nothing that breatheth q:
x q Heb. 70 ſoul, i. e. no man, as that word is oft uſed. Compare
Joſ. 10. 40. with 11. 14. For the beaſts, ſome few<xcepred as being under a ſpecial curſe, were given them for a pray.
I7 But thou ſbalc utterly deſtroy them, namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebuſites, as rhe LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
.18 Thatthey teach you not to do after alltheir abo- minations which they have done unto their gods : ſo ſhould ye fin againſt the LORD your God.
I9 When thou ſhalt beſiege a city a long time in making war againſt it, to take it, thou thalt not deſtroy the trees thereof r, by forcing an ax againſt them, for thou mayeſt eat of them, and thou {hair not cut them down ( || for the tree of the field is manis Iife s, J + to my _ - imploy _ = the ſiege. | . "mptoyes” r To wit, the fruit-trees, as appe: | wing words. y tree. Which is to bs underſtood of a EY phat mo
7 Heb, the cutting down of ſome few of them, as the conveniency of the go from ſiege might require. s(7.e. ) The ſuſtenance or ſupport of his life,
* Chap: 2% 5-
v, Sam. to. 19,
by their labours too, as appears from
F Or 1 For, 0 wan, the Free of the
= ,
Wfore thee. as life is taken Devt, 24. 6. But this place may be otherwiſe tranſlated, |
DEUTERONOM YN
MM
that is beheaded in the valley,
as it isin the Margent of our Enpliſh Bibles : For, © 11an ( the Hebrew letter Hz being here the note of a vocative eaſe, asit is Pſal.g. 7.) the tree ( or, trees, the ſingular numbet for the plural, as is common } of the field is ( or ought, as the Hebrew Lomed is uſed Eſth. 9. 1. Pſal. 62. 10. ) to be employed in the ſiege, or, as it is in the Hebrew, #0 go before thy face, 1. e. tomake fences for thy ſecurity, in the ſiege. The trees of the field, I here underſtand nor 1ts general ſignification of all trees including fruit-bearing-trees, as that phraſe is commonly uſed, bur in its more ſpecial and diſtin ſignification, for urfcuirful trees, as it is taken 1/a. 55. 12. orfuch as grow only in open fields, ſuch as are elſewhere called the trees of the wood, 1 Chron. 16. 33; Iſa. 7. 2: or the trees of the foreſt, Cant: 2: 3: Iſa: 10: 19; which are oppoſed to the trees of the gardens, Gen: 3: 2, 8: Eccl: 2: 5: Exek: 31: y: as the flower of the field, Pal: 103: 15: Iſa: 49: 6: and the lilies of the field, Mat: 6: 28; are oppoſed to thoſe rhat grow in Gardens, and are preſerved and cultivated by the gardners art and care; And ſo it isa yery proper argument to diſſviade from the deſtroying of fruit-rrees, becauſe the wild and unfruitful trees were ſufficient for the uie of the ſiege, And this ſence fitly agrees with the following words, where the con. ceſſion or grant which here is delivered in more ambiguous rerms of the trees of the field is repeated and explained eoncerning the trees which thou knoweſt that they be not trees for meat,
20 Only the trees which thou knoweft that they be
not trees for meat, thou ſhalt deſtroy, and cut them down, and thou (halt build bulwarks, againſt che cicy
that maketh war with thee; until F it be ſubdued. + Heb; ; it coms CHAP XX down.
How to expiate an uncertain murder, 1===g, The uſage of a Captive taken to Wife, 10 mn=un==1y,, The firſt-born, though the ſon of the hated. i not to be diſinherited, 15 —17- The puniſhment of ſtubborn ſew. viz, Death, 18 —--===21, The curſed death of them that art hanged,
22, 23: [* one be found ſlain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to poſſeſs ir, lying in the field a, and it be not known who hathſlain him : | .» Or, in the city; os any place: only the feld is named, as the place where ſuch murders are moſt commonly committed, and moſt eaſily concealed. |
, 2 Then thy elders and thy iudges þ (hall come forth, and they ſhall meaſure c unto the cities which are round about him that is ſlain. RS . | |