Deuteronomy 20

20:4 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).

20:7 someone else would marry her: In this situation, a man who died would be deprived of offspring to carry on his name, which was a great tragedy in ancient Israel.

20:10-15 The people in the land had already been placed under the ban (7:1-6), so this instruction refers to those whom Israel would engage outside the land (20:15).

20:11 forced labor: Involuntary service was pressed upon prisoners of war and sometimes on Israelites (1 Kgs 5:13-18; 9:15, 21; 12:18).

20:15 Places described as distant towns were outside the boundaries of the Promised Land.

20:19 do not cut down the trees: Ordinarily, trees might be cut down during a war so the enemy could not benefit from them. However, since the Israelites were occupying the enemy’s former land, the trees could be of use to them.

20:20 This equipment consisted of the materials built up against a city wall as part of the effort to bring it under siege.