Deuteronomy 20:20
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But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Instructions for Future Wars - Deuteronomy 20 The instructions in this chapter have reference to the wars which Israel might wage in future against non-Canaanitish nations (Deu 20:15.), and enjoin it as a duty upon the people of God to spare as much as possible the lives of their own soldiers and also of their enemies. All wars against their enemies, even though they were superior to them in resources, were to be entered upon by them without fear in reliance upon the might of their God; and they were therefore to exempt from military service not only those who had just entered into new social relations, and had not enjoyed the pleasures of them, but also the timid and fainthearted (Deu 20:1-9). Moreover, whenever they besieged hostile towns, they were to offer peace to their enemies, excepting only the Canaanites; and even if it were not accepted, they were to let the defenceless (viz., women and children) live, and not to destroy the fruit-trees before the fortifications (Deu 20:10-20).
Open source ↗This chapter settles the militia, and establishes the laws and ordinances of war, I. Relating to the soldiers. 1. Those must be encouraged that were drawn up to battle (Deu 20:1-4). 2. Those must be dismissed and sent back again whose private affairs called for their attendance at home (Deu 20:5-7), or whose weakness and timidity unfitted them for service in the field (Deu 20:8, Deu 20:9). II. Relating to the enemies they made war with. 1. The treaties they must make with the cities that were far off (Deu 20:10-15). 2. The destruction they must make of the people into whose land they were going (Deu 20:16-18). 3. The care they must take, in besieging cities, not to destroy the fruit-trees (Deu 20:19, Deu 20:20).
Open source ↗20:20 This equipment consisted of the materials built up against a city wall as part of the effort to bring it under siege.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.
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.
And in Jerusalem he made skillfully designed devices to shoot arrows and catapult large stones from the towers and corners. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was helped tremendously so that he became powerful.
There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.
So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it.
For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses of this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah that have been torn down for defense against the siege ramps and the sword:
Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”