Deuteronomy 20:12
New International Version
If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.

New Living Translation
But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town.

English Standard Version
But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

Berean Standard Bible
But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city.

King James Bible
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

New King James Version
Now if the city will not make peace with you, but war against you, then you shall besiege it.

New American Standard Bible
However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

NASB 1995
“However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

NASB 1977
“However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

Legacy Standard Bible
However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

Amplified Bible
However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall lay siege to it.

Christian Standard Bible
However, if it does not make peace with you but wages war against you, lay siege to it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
However, if it does not make peace with you but wages war against you, lay siege to it.

American Standard Version
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

English Revised Version
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If they won't accept your offer of peace but declare war on you, set up a blockade around the city.

Good News Translation
But if the people of that city will not surrender, but choose to fight, surround it with your army.

International Standard Version
But if they refuse to make peace with you and instead choose war, then attack it.

Majority Standard Bible
But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city.

NET Bible
If it does not accept terms of peace but makes war with you, then you are to lay siege to it.

New Heart English Bible
If it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:

Webster's Bible Translation
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

World English Bible
If it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And if it does not make peace with you, and has made war with you, then you have laid siege against it,

Young's Literal Translation
'And if it doth not make peace with thee, and hath made with thee war, then thou hast laid siege against it,

Smith's Literal Translation
And if it will not be at peace with thee, and it made war with thee, and thou besieged against it.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But if they will not make peace, and shall begin war against thee, thou shalt besiege it.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But if they are not willing to enter into an agreement, and they begin to act against you in warfare, then you shall besiege it.

New American Bible
But if it refuses to make peace with you and instead joins battle with you, lay siege to it,

New Revised Standard Version
If it does not submit to you peacefully, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But if it will not surrender to you, but will make war with you, then you shall besiege it;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if it will not make peace with you and it will make war with you, besiege it:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But if they will not hearken to thee, but wage war against thee, thou shalt invest it;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Laws of Warfare
11If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you. 12But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city. 13When the LORD your God has delivered it into your hand, you must put every male to the sword.…

Cross References
Joshua 11:19-20
No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites living in Gibeon; all others were taken in battle. / For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.

1 Samuel 15:18
and sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have wiped them out.’

2 Kings 24:20
For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.

2 Chronicles 36:16-17
But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy. / So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,

Jeremiah 21:8-10
Furthermore, you are to tell this people that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. / Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war. / For I have set My face against this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will destroy it with fire.’

Jeremiah 27:8
As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation by sword and famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed it by his hand.

Jeremiah 34:17
Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed Me; you have not proclaimed freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. So now I proclaim freedom for you, declares the LORD—freedom to fall by sword, by plague, and by famine! I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

Ezekiel 17:15-21
But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’ / ‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. / Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives. ...

Ezekiel 21:31-32
I will pour out My anger upon you; I will breathe the fire of My fury against you; I will hand you over to brutal men, skilled in destruction. / You will be fuel for the fire. Your blood will stain your own land. You will not be remembered, for I, the LORD, have spoken.’”

Nahum 3:5-7
“Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms. / I will pelt you with filth and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. / Then all who see you will recoil from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated; who will grieve for her?’ Where can I find comforters for you?”

Matthew 11:20-24
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. / “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. / But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ...

Luke 10:10-15
But if you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go into the streets and declare, / ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ / I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. ...

Luke 19:41-44
As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it / and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. / For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. ...

Acts 13:46
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

Romans 2:5
But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.


Treasury of Scripture

And if it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:

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Battle Besiege City Engage However Lay Makes Peace Refuse Shut Sides Siege War
Deuteronomy 20
1. The priest's exhortation to encourage the people to battle
5. The officers' proclamation of who are to be dismissed from the war
10. How to use the cities that accept or refuse the proclamation of peace
16. What cities must be devoted
19. Trees must not be destroyed in the siege














But if they refuse to make peace with you
This phrase sets the stage for a conditional scenario in the context of ancient warfare. The Hebrew root for "refuse" is "מָאֵן" (ma'en), which implies a deliberate and conscious decision to reject an offer. In the historical context of ancient Israel, making peace was often a strategic and diplomatic effort to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. The refusal to make peace indicates a hardened stance, which can be seen as a reflection of the spiritual state of the opposing nation. From a conservative Christian perspective, this refusal can be likened to the rejection of God's offer of peace through Christ, emphasizing the importance of accepting divine grace.

and wage war against you
The phrase "wage war" comes from the Hebrew "עָשָׂה מִלְחָמָה" (asah milchamah), which literally means "to make war." This indicates an active and aggressive posture, suggesting that the opposing city is not merely defensive but is taking the initiative to engage in conflict. Historically, warfare in the ancient Near East was brutal and often seen as a last resort. Theologically, this can be interpreted as the spiritual warfare that believers face, where the forces of darkness actively oppose the kingdom of God. It serves as a reminder of the reality of spiritual battles and the need for vigilance and reliance on God's strength.

lay siege to that city
The command to "lay siege" is derived from the Hebrew "צור" (tsur), which means to encircle or besiege. In ancient times, a siege was a common military tactic used to cut off a city from supplies and reinforcements, often leading to surrender due to starvation or lack of resources. Archaeological evidence from ancient cities like Lachish and Jericho provides insight into the methods and effectiveness of sieges. From a scriptural standpoint, laying siege can be seen as a metaphor for the persistent and patient endurance required in spiritual warfare. It underscores the necessity of perseverance in the face of opposition, trusting in God's ultimate victory over evil.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But if
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

they refuse
לֹ֤א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

to make peace
תַשְׁלִים֙ (ṯaš·lîm)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7999: To be safe, to be, completed, to be friendly, to reciprocate

with you
עִמָּ֔ךְ (‘im·māḵ)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

and wage
וְעָשְׂתָ֥ה (wə·‘ā·śə·ṯāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

war
מִלְחָמָ֑ה (mil·ḥā·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war

against you,
עִמְּךָ֖ (‘im·mə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

lay siege
וְצַרְתָּ֖ (wə·ṣar·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6696: To confine, bind, besiege

to [that city].
עָלֶֽיהָּ׃‪‬‪‬ (‘ā·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 20:12 If it will make no peace (Deut. De Du)
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