Deuteronomy 20:5 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Deuteronomy 20:5
And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
properly · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
speak
וְדִבְּר֣וּve.di.be.Ru
H1696
perhaps properly · conjunction + verb, piel sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
people
הָעָ֣םha.'Am
H5971
a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
saying
לֵאמֹר֒le.Mor
H559
to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
man
הָאִ֞ישׁha.'Ish
H376
a man as an individual or a male person · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
built
בָּנָ֤הba.Nah
H1129
to build (literally and figuratively) · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
new
חָדָשׁ֙cha.Dash
H2319
new · adjective, masculine singular absolute
house
בַֽיִתva.yit-
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular absolute
dedicated
חֲנָכ֔וֹcha.na.Kho
H2596
properly · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
go
יָלַךְyâlak
H3212
to walk (literally or figuratively)
return
וְיָשֹׁ֣בve.ya.Sho
H7725
to turn back (hence · conjunction + verb, qal jussive, 3rd person masculine singular
house
לְבֵית֑וֹle.vei.To
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
die
יָמוּת֙ya.Mut
H4191
to die (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
battle
בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔הba.mil.cha.Mah
H4421
a battle (i.e. the engagement) · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
another
אַחֵ֖ר'a.Cher
H312
properly · adjective, masculine singular absolute
man
וְאִ֥ישׁve.'Ish
H376
a man as an individual or a male person · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
dedicate
יַחְנְכֶֽנּוּyach.ne.Khe.nu
H2596
properly · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Nehemiah 12:27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedi…
Numbers 31:14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
Numbers 31:48 And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:
Deuteronomy 1:15 So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds,…
Deuteronomy 16:18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge t…
1 Samuel 17:18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
Psalms 30:1 I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 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, marshalling, and drawing up their own forces. And it is observable that the discipline of war here prescribed is so far from having any thing in it harsh or severe, as is usual in martial law, that the…
And the officers shall speak unto the people--literally, Shoterim, who are called "scribes" or "overseers" (Exo 5:6). They might be keepers of the muster-roll, or perhaps rather military heralds, whose duty it was to announce the orders of the generals (Ch2 26:11). This proclamation (Deu 20:5-8) must have been made previous to the priest's address, as great disorder and inconvenience must have been occasioned if the serried ranks were broken by the departure of those to whom the privilege was granted. Four grounds of exemption are expressly mentioned: (1) The dedication of a new house, which, as in all Oriental countries still, was an important event, and celebrated by festive and religious…
And the officers shall speak unto the people,.... What these officers were is not easy to say; they seem not to be officers of the army, for they are distinguished from captains of the armies, Deuteronomy 20:9, unless they can be thought to be general officers; but the word for them is the same that is used of such that attended the judges and were ministers to them, Deuteronomy 16:18, and perhaps they were a sort of heralds that published and proclaimed what the anointed of war had said; and so the above writer (h) affirms, that what here follows was first spoken by him, and after that (what is said, Deuteronomy 20:3) the anointed of war speaks, saying:
what man is there,.... (to the end o…
The Church Fathers
Again, the law in its humanity says that if a man has built a new house but has not yet moved in, or laid out a new vineyard but has not yet enjoyed the fruit, or become betrothed to a girl but has not yet married her, he is to be excused military service. This makes military sense, since we would be unenthusiastic in our military service if we were being pulled in the direction of the things we longed for. People expose themselves to danger without a second thought only if they are free in relation to natural impulses. It is also humane, in the calculation that the outcome of war is uncertain and it is unjust for such a man not to benefit from his own labors or for someone else who has taken no trouble to possess the property of those who have put in the work.
And the scribes will speak to the people, saying: "Who is the man who has built a new house and has not released it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle and another man release it. Who is the man who has dug a vineyard and has not enjoyed it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle and another man enjoy it. Who is the man who has married a woman and has not taken her yet? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle and another man take her for a wife. " These affirmations can draw attention, as if those who already opened their buildings died and died in the battle more honorably and already enjoyed the recently planted vines and already married than those who did not do those things. But since these things retain human affection and men hold them in great esteem, it must be understood, starting from this passage, that this is said to those who go to war, so that whoever is held by these things in his mind appears , when he comes back, so that he does not act less courageously because of it, when he is afraid of dying before opening the house or enjoying his newly planted vineyard or getting married. Because, in fact, as far as women are concerned, a woman is married better to an intact woman than a widow. But these things are mentioned, as I said, to know the intentions of men.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Booty — Captives or cattle or objects of value taken in war. In Canaan all that breathed were to be destroyed (Deut. 20: 16). The “pictures and images” of the Canaanites were to be destroyed also (Num.…
Armies Of Israel, The · Persons exempted from serving in: Who had built a house — Persons exempted from serving in: Who had built a house
Dedication · Of houses — Of houses
Houses · When finished were usually dedicated — When finished were usually dedicated
Soldiers · Others exempt from service — Others exempt from service
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Deuteronomy 20:5-8
5. And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
5. Quum bellandum erit, alloquentur praefecti populum, dicendo, Quis est vir qui aedificavit domum novam, et non dedicavit eam? abeat, et revertatur ad domum suam, ne forte moriatur in praelio, et alius dedicet eam.
6. And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.
6. Et quis est vir qui plantavit vineam, et non fecit eam…
Instructions Relating to Military Service. - If the Israelites went out to battle against their foes, and saw horses and chariots, a people more numerous than they were, they were not to be afraid, because Jehovah their God was with them. Horses and chariots constituted the principal strength of the enemies round about Israel; not of the Egyptians only (Exo 14:7), and of the Canaanites and Philistines (Jos 17:16; Jdg 4:3; Sa1 13:5), but of the Syrians also (Sa2 8:4; Ch1 18:4; Ch1 19:18; cf. Psa 20:8).
Deu 20:2-4
If they were thus drawing near to war, i.e., arranging themselves for war for the purpose of being mustered and marching in order into the battle (not just as the battle was commenci…
He will fight for you: This promise affirms that God initiates wars, carries them out, and brings them to successful conclusion against his enemies. The purpose of war initiated by God was to eradicate hopelessly unrepentant enemies and prevent them from contaminating his people (see 1:30).
Rashi on Deuteronomy 20:5
ולא חנכו [WHAT MAN IS THERE THAT HATH BUILT A NEW HOUSE] AND HATH NOT DEDICATED IT — i.e. has not yet dwelt in it. The term חנך denotes beginning a thing (here, it means beginning to live in it; cf. Rashi on Genesis 14:14).
ואיש אחר יחנכנו [LEST HE DIE IN THE WAR] AND ANOTHER MAN DEDICATE IT — which is a matter that causes grief of mind.
