WHEN THOU GOEST FORTH TO BATTLE. This is connected to And thine eye shall not pity (Deut. 19:21), for one is not to have pity.¹ However, when going forth to war you should pity² the man who has betrothed a woman, or built a house, or planted a vineyard, or one whose heart is faint.³

footnotes: ¹ On the guilty or on the one who is obligated to go into battle. ² And exempt from battle. ³ See verse 5.

THAT THE PRIEST SHALL APPROACH. The kohen who has been anointed for war.⁴ appointed for this very purpose.

footnotes: ⁴ The kohen

FEAR NOT. In your heart.

NOR BE ALARMED. And flee.

NEITHER BE YE AFFRIGHTED. In deed.⁵

footnotes: ⁵ When engaged in combat.

DEDICATED IT. Chanakho (dedicated it) is similar to the word chanukkat (dedication of) in the dedication offer of the altar (Num. 7:10). The word chanokh (train) in Train up a child (Prov. 22:6) is similar. Our rabbis, of blessed memory, learned from the latter that we train (mekhannechin) children. The reason that [one who has not dedicated his house is released from service] is that such a man’s heart and desire is to dedicate his house. Look, his mind will be upon his house, not on the battle. He will therefore flee and cause others to flee.

USED THE FRUIT THEREOF. The word chillelo (used the fruit thereof) is connected to the word challilim (flutes), for they were in the habit of dancing⁶ in the vineyards⁷ (Jud. 21:21).⁸

footnotes: ⁶ When the harvest was concluded. ⁷ To the accompaniment of flutes. ⁸ According to I.E. we should render our clause, and did not play music over it; i.e., he did not harvest his vineyard.

AND WHAT MAN IS THERE THAT HATH BETROTHED A WIFE, AND HATH NOT TAKEN HER? In marriage.⁹ (betrothal) and nesu’in (marriage). In the first stage the woman, though married, still lived in her father’s house. In the second stage she went to live with her husband. The marriage was not consummated till the second stage. Look, this verse is a sign that there are people who die when their time comes.¹⁰ However, the one who dies in battle dies before his time. Hence David said, or he shall go down into battle, and be swept away (I Sam. 26:10).¹¹.

footnotes: ⁹ Brought her into his house. There were two stages to marriage in ancient Israel, erusin ¹⁰ Thus the man who has married a woman but has not consummated the marriage is exempt from the army because his time to die has probably not yet come. He will therefore be able to consummate his marriage if he does not go forth to war. ¹¹ The entire clause reads: or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle, and be swept away

THAT IS FEARFUL. To strike another person.

AND FAINT-HEARTED. To suffer someone’s blow.

HIS BRETHREN’S HEART. Look, the word et appears superfluous.¹² (lest brethren’s heart melt). The particle et usually connects an active verb with the object. However, yimmas is in the nifal; it is passive. Hence the particle et appears to be superfluous. However, its meaning is as I have previously explained.¹³ does not always connect an active verb with the direct object. See I.E. on Ex. 10:8 (Vol. 2, pp. 187,188). It indicates the thing itself.¹⁴ (heart).

footnotes: ¹² The Hebrew reads, ve-lo yimmas et levav echav ¹³ That et ¹⁴ It is used to emphasize the word which follows in this case lev

SHALL BE APPOINTED. U-fakedu (shall be appointed) is related to the word pekod (appoint).

THEN PROCLAIM PEACE UNTO IT. The meaning of ve-karata is proclaim unto it.¹⁵ is an imperative. This is a commandment, or it is most likely an option.¹⁶ is to be rendered, you may call unto her.

footnotes: ¹⁵ In other words, ve-karata ¹⁶ In this case, ve-karata

AND IF IT WILL MAKE NO PEACE. The meaning of tashlim is, it will make peace.

WHICH ARE VERY FAR OFF FROM THEE. Who are not of the seven nations.

THOU SHALT SAVE ALIVE NOTHING. It is forbidden to give them food or drink. The general rule is that they were to kill them if possible. The latter applied to their days. Moses does not mention the Girgashites,¹⁷ for they were the least and the smallest among them.

footnotes: ¹⁷ Canaanite nation. See Gen. 15:21.

FOR IS THE TREE OF THE FIELD MAN.¹⁸. The latter literally means for man is a tree of the field. This, as I.E. goes on to say, does not make sense. Hence the interpretations which follow. I have previously explained in the Sefer Ha-Yesod¹⁹ that it is possible in all languages to be brief and to apply an abbreviated style, as in “an ass bread”²⁰ (I Sam. 16:20).²¹. However, it is impossible to leave out the word lo (no, not),²² for in this case the meaning would be reversed.²³ as if written ki ha-adam lo etz ha-sadeh (for the tree of the field is not a man). In other words, Onkelos claims that the word lo has been left out of the verse. I.E. disagrees. Hence his comment. A great Spanish grammarian²⁴ said that a heh²⁵. has been omitted.²⁶ in ki ha-adam etz ha-sadeh. Our clause should be interpreted as if written, hakhi adam etz ha-sadeh (for is the tree of the field man).²⁷. The latter literally means for man is a tree of the field. Hence the unnamed grammarian’s interpretation. Now this interpretation does not appear correct to me. Why would Scripture say that you shall not destroy fruit trees, because, unlike a human being, they cannot run away from you?²⁸ as, for is the tree of the field man. I believe there is no need for all this.²⁹ as if written ha-khi adam etz ha-sadeh. The following is the meaning of our clause. For thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down, for the tree of the field is man; that is, the life of man is supported by trees.³⁰ (for man) is short for ki chayye ha-adam (for the life of man). Compare, For he taketh a life to pledge (Deut. 24:6), which is short for, for he taketh that which sustains man’s life to pledge.

footnotes: ¹⁸ Hebrew, ki ha-adam etz ha-sadeh ¹⁹ A Hebrew grammar composed by I.E. The book survives only in fragments. ²⁰ Translated literally. ²¹ An ass bread is short for an ass laden with bread ²² If one wants to employ an abbreviated style. ²³ Onkelos renders ki ha-adam etz ha-sadeh ²⁴ I.E. does not identify the grammarian. ²⁵ An interrogative heh ²⁶ From the word ki ²⁷ Our verse reads, ki ha-adam etz ha-sadeh ²⁸ This is the meaning of our verse if we render ha-khi adam etz ha-sadeh ²⁹ To interpret ki ha-adam etz ha-sadeh ³⁰ In other words, ki ha-adam

BUT THOU SHALT NOT CUT THEM DOWN. This is connected to that it should he besieged of thee.³¹ Look, do not destroy a fruit tree, which is a source of sustenance for human life. Be that as it may, you are permitted to eat of it but you are prohibited from destroying it so that the city will be besieged because of you. The fact that Scripture then states thou mayest destroy and cut down,³² that thou mayest build bulwarks (v. 20), is proof of this.

footnotes: ³¹ In other words, you shall not cut down the fruit trees to use their wood to build siege works. ³² The trees that do not produce fruit.

UNTIL IT FALL. Scripture would not have said a long time (v. 19) if the city were not mighty.³³

footnotes: ³³ And required siege works to take it.