Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Deuteronomy 20:18

This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Amorites;   War;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amorites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Canaan;   Ethics;   War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Destroy, Destruction;   Devote, Devoted;   Teach, Teacher;   War, Holy War;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Alms;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Anathema;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Canaan, History and Religion of;   History;   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;   Gods;   Siege;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abomination;   Captives;   Gentile;   Judaism;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so that they won’t teach you to do all the detestable acts they do for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.
Hebrew Names Version
that they not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so would you sin against the LORD your God.
King James Version
That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God.
Lexham English Bible
so that they may not teach you to do like all their detestable things that they do for their gods and thereby you sin against Yahweh your God.
English Standard Version
that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.
New Century Version
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.
New English Translation
so that they cannot teach you all the abhorrent ways they worship their gods, causing you to sin against the Lord your God.
Amplified Bible
so that they will not teach you to act in accordance with all the detestable practices which they have done [in worship and service] for their gods, and in this way cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
New American Standard Bible
so that they will not teach you to do all the same detestable practices of theirs which they have done for their gods, by which you would sin against the LORD your God.
Geneva Bible (1587)
That they teache you not to doe after all their abominations, which they haue done vnto their gods, & so ye should sinne against the Lorde your God.
Legacy Standard Bible
so that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against Yahweh your God.
Contemporary English Version
If you allow them to live, they will persuade you to worship their disgusting gods, and you will be unfaithful to the Lord .
Complete Jewish Bible
so that they won't teach you to follow their abominable practices, which they do for their gods, thus causing you to sin against Adonai your God.
Darby Translation
that they teach you not to do according to all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, so that ye sin against Jehovah your God.
Easy-to-Read Version
So then they will not be able to teach you to sin against the Lord your God or to do any of the terrible things they do when they worship their gods.
George Lamsa Translation
That they may not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done in worshipping their gods; so you should sin in the sight of the LORD your God.
Good News Translation
Kill them, so that they will not make you sin against the Lord by teaching you to do all the disgusting things that they do in the worship of their gods.
Literal Translation
so that they may not teach you to do according to all their filthy deeds which they have done for their gods; and you would sin against Jehovah your God.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
yt they teache you not to do all ye abhominacions, which they do vnto their goddes, & so ye to synne agaynst the LORDE youre God.
American Standard Version
that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so would ye sin against Jehovah your God.
Bible in Basic English
So that you may not take them as your example and do all the disgusting things which they do in the worship of their gods, so sinning against the Lord your God.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
That they teache you not to do after all their abhominations which they haue done vnto their Gods, and so ye shoulde sinne agaynst the Lorde your God.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, and so ye sin against the LORD your God.
King James Version (1611)
That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they haue done vnto their gods, so should ye sinne against the Lord your God.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
that they may not teach you to do all their abominations, which they did to their gods, and so ye should sin before the Lord your God.
English Revised Version
that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.
Berean Standard Bible
so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods and cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
lest perauenture thei techen you to do alle abhomynaciouns, whiche thei wrouyten to her goddis, and ye doon synne ayens youre Lord God.
Young's Literal Translation
so that they teach you not to do according to all their abominations which they have done to their gods, and ye have sinned against Jehovah your God.
Update Bible Version
that they don't teach you to follow all their disgusting behaviors, which they have done to their gods; so you would sin against Yahweh your God.
Webster's Bible Translation
That they may not teach you to do after all their abominations which they have done to their gods; so would ye sin against the LORD your God.
World English Bible
that they not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so would you sin against Yahweh your God.
New King James Version
lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God.
New Life Bible
Then they will not teach you to do all the hated and sinful things they have done for their gods, and make you sin against the Lord your God.
New Revised Standard
so that they may not teach you to do all the abhorrent things that they do for their gods, and you thus sin against the Lord your God.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
lest they teach you to do, according to all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, - and so ye sin against Yahweh your God.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Lest they teach you to do all the abominations which they have done to their gods: and you should sin against the Lord your God.
Revised Standard Version
that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices which they have done in the service of their gods, and so to sin against the LORD your God.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
so that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the LORD your God.

Contextual Overview

10 "As you approach a town to attack it, you must first offer its people terms for peace. 11 If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor. 12 But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town. 13 When the Lord your God hands the town over to you, use your swords to kill every man in the town. 14 But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the plunder from your enemies that the Lord your God has given you. 15 "But these instructions apply only to distant towns, not to the towns of the nations in the land you will enter. 16 In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. 17 You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. 18 This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God. 19 "When you are attacking a town and the war drags on, you must not cut down the trees with your axes. You may eat the fruit, but do not cut down the trees. Are the trees your enemies, that you should attack them?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 7:4, Deuteronomy 7:5, Deuteronomy 12:30, Deuteronomy 12:31, Deuteronomy 18:19, Exodus 23:33, Joshua 23:13, Judges 2:3, Psalms 106:34-40, 1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 5:11, 2 Thessalonians 3:14, 1 Timothy 6:5, 2 Timothy 2:17, 2 Timothy 2:18, Revelation 18:3-5

Reciprocal: Leviticus 18:27 - General Deuteronomy 12:4 - General Ezra 9:1 - of the Canaanites

Cross-References

Genesis 12:17
But the Lord sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
Genesis 16:2
So Sarai said to Abram, "The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal.
Genesis 20:7
Now return the woman to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don't return her to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die."
Genesis 30:2
Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. "Am I God?" he asked. "He's the one who has kept you from having children!"
1 Samuel 1:6
So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children.
1 Samuel 5:10
So they sent the Ark of God to the town of Ekron, but when the people of Ekron saw it coming they cried out, "They are bringing the Ark of the God of Israel here to kill us, too!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That they teach you not to do after all their abominations,.... This is another reason why they were to be utterly destroyed, not only because of the abominations which they committed, but to prevent the Israelites being taught by them to do the same; wherefore, as before observed from Jarchi, such as became proselytes were suffered to live among them, because there was no danger of idolatry from them, which even proselytes of the gate renounced; and though all other abominations are included, yet this is particularly respected, as appears from the following clause:

which they have done unto their gods; to the honour of whom not only many superstitious rites and ceremonies were performed, and idolatrous actions committed, but acts of lewdness, and even unnatural uncleanness:

so should ye sin against the Lord your God; a sin the most provoking to him, as the sin of idolatry was; and cause his anger to rise to such a degree, as to suffer them to be carried captive from the land he gave them to inherit; and which afterwards, was the case, and that through learning the manners and customs of these people; see Psalms 106:34.

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.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile