Bible Commentaries

When ^a thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, [and] a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

(a) Meaning, upon just occasion: for God does not permit his people to fight every time it seems good to them.

For the LORD your God [is] he that ^b goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

(b) Is present to defend you with his grace and power.

And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man [is there] that hath built a new house, and hath not ^c dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

(c) For when they first entered to dwell in a house, they gave thanks to God, acknowledging that they had that benefit by his grace.

And what man [is he] that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not [yet] ^d eaten of it? let him [also] go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.

(d) The Hebrew word signifies to make common or profane, (Leviticus 19:25)

And it shall be, if it make thee answer of ^e peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, [that] all the people [that is] found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.

(e) If it accept peace.

Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities [which are] very far off from thee, which [are] not of the cities of these ^f nations.

(f) For God had appointed the Canaanites to be destroyed, and made the Israelites the executers of his will, (Deuteronomy 7:1).

When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the ^g tree of the field [is] man's [life]) to employ [them] in the siege:

(g) Some read: For man shall be instead of the tree of the field, to come out in the siege against you.