Deuteronomy 20:13

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.

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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
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,

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 `When thou drawest near unto a city to fight against it, then thou hast called unto it for Peace, <sup>11</sup> and it hath been, if Peace it answer thee, and hath opened to thee, then it hath come to pass -- all the people who are found in it are to thee for tributaries, and have served thee. <sup>12</sup> `And if it doth not make peace with thee, and hath made with thee war, then thou hast laid siege against it, ¹³ and Jehovah thy God hath given it into thy hand, and thou hast smitten every male of it by the mouth of the sword. ¹⁴ Only, the women, and the infants, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, thou dost seize for thyself, and thou hast eaten the spoil of thine enemies which Jehovah thy God hath given to thee. ¹⁵ So thou dost do to all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. ¹⁶ `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; <sup>17</sup> for thou dost certainly devote the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee, <sup>18</sup> 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. <sup>19</sup> `When thou layest siege unto a city many days, to fight against it, to capture it, thou dost not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for of them thou dost eat, and them thou dost not cut down -- for man's [is] the tree of the field -- to go in at thy presence in the siege.

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
And Jehovah saith unto Abram, `Go for thyself, from thy land, and from thy kindred, and from the house of thy father, unto the land which I shew thee.

Genesis 12:9
And Abram journeyeth, going on and journeying towards the south.

Genesis 20:3
And God cometh in unto Abimelech in a dream of the night, and saith to him, `Lo, thou [art] a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken -- and she married to a husband.'

Genesis 20:5
hath not he himself said to me, She [is] my sister! and she, even she herself, said, He [is] my brother; in the integrity of my heart, and in the innocency of my hands, I have done this.'

Genesis 20:11
And Abraham saith, `Because I said, `Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they have slain me for the sake of my wife;

1 Samuel 23:21
And Saul saith, `Blessed [are] ye of Jehovah, for ye have pity on me;

Psalms 64:5
They strengthen for themselves an evil thing, They recount of the hiding of snares, They have said, `Who doth look at it?'

Acts 5:9
And Peter said unto her, `How was it agreed by you, to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? lo, the feet of those who did bury thy husband [are] at the door, and they shall carry thee forth;'

Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham, being called, did obey, to go forth to the place that he was about to receive for an inheritance, and he went forth, not knowing whither he doth 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.