Deuteronomy 20:4 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-9

Israel was at this time to be considered rather as a camp than as a kingdom, entering upon an enemy's country, and not yet settled in a country of their own; and, besides the war they were now entering upon in order to their settlement, even after their settlement they could neither protect nor enlarge their coast without hearing the alarms of war. It was therefore needful that they should have directions given them in their military affairs; and in these verses they are directed in managing,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:4

For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you ,.... To battle, and therefore they had no reason to fear and be dismayed, to be fainthearted, terrified, and tremble: fear not, I am with thee ,.... Isaiah 41:10 , this, according to the Misnah F6 Ut supra. (Misn. Sotab, c. 8. sect. 1.) , respects the ark, and so Jarchi, which was a symbol of the divine Presence, and went with them to battle; see Joshua 6:4 . to fight for you against your enemies, to save you ; to annoy and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-5

War. The wars of the world form a large part of its history. Savage nations delight in war, revel in its bloodshed and barbarities. Their heaven is a Valhalla. Civilized communities, while averse from having wars waged on them, are not always so averse from waging war on others. Military ambition, lust of conquest, hope of enrichment by pillage, the wiping out of old grudges, may instigate them to this course. Wherever or however waged, wars are a source of incalculable misery. It may be... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-9

Military service to be voluntary. In war, forced service is worse than useless; it is a source of weakness—a cause of defeat. For successful warfare, all the skill and energy of every soldier is demanded; and unless the hearts of the warriors are in the conflict, no triumph can be anticipated. I. TO BE LOYAL FRIENDS OF GOD , WE MUST SOMETIMES TREAT MEN AS FOES . If we are truly God's children, we must count God's friends to be our friends, God's foes to be our... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-20

EXPOSITION DIRECTIONS CONCERNING WARFARE IN GENERAL , AND FOR THE BESIEGING OF CITIES IN PARTICULAR . The instructions in this chapter are peculiar to Deuteronomy. As the people of God, Israel was not a warlike nation; they were rather to abstain from warfare, and as a general rule to cultivate the arts of peace. But they had before them at this time the prospect of a serious and protracted conflict before they could occupy the land which God had assigned to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-20

Wars to be regulated by Divine precepts. The directions given by Moses in this chapter may serve to show the spirit in which wars should, if undertaken at all, be entered on and prosecuted. We are not called upon here to moot the question whether war is under any circumstances justifiable; since the principle on which the Hebrew lawgiver proceeds is that of tolerating for a while certain socially accepted customs, mitigating whatever in them is evil, and gradually educating people out of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-20

Religious wars. We have in this chapter an instructive direction about the prosecution of a religious war. For, after all, war may be the only way of advancing the interests of nations. Disputes become so entangled, and great principles become so staked in the disputes, that war is welcomed as the one way to peace and progress. It is an awful expedient, but there are worse things than war. "Cowardice," said Rev. F. W. Robertson, of Brighton, "is worse. And the decay of enthusiasm and... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-20

Rules for war (20:1-20)God’s people were to have confidence in the wars that lay before them, knowing that God was on their side. That did not mean they could be half-hearted or inefficient in the way they planned and fought. All had to give themselves fully to the task before them. Nevertheless, the law temporarily excused some people from military service, such as those who had recently committed themselves to something that could be ruined if they were suddenly called away to the battlefield... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Deuteronomy 20:4

to fight for you. Compare Exodus 14:25 .Psalms 3:8 ; Psalms 35:1 . read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Deuteronomy 20:4

Ver. 4. For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you— The ark, the symbol of God's presence, went sometimes before them, and sometimes in the midst of them; Joshua 3:10-11; Joshua 6:9. So that God was then properly said to go with them; and at all other times he was present to aid them, especially against the people of Canaan, their battles with whom were called the wars of the Lord. See Eusebius's Life of the Emperor Constantine, lib. 4: cap. 20. The word rendered tremble, in the 3rd verse,... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-9

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-5

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-20

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 20:1-20

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Deuteronomy 20:4

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Deuteronomy 20:4

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