Deuteronomy 20:19

דברים פרק כ: יט

Original Text:

כי-תצור אל-עיר ימים רבים להלחם עליה לתפשה, לא-תשחית את-עצה לנדח עליו גרזן--כי ממנו תאכל, ואתו לא תכרת: כי האדם עץ השדה, לבא מפניך במצור.

Translation:

When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them?

Suggested Discussion Questions:

1. What social justice themes emerge from this text?
2. What is our responsibility to the environment?
3. What does this text imply in our broader considerations about war?

Time Period:	Biblical (early ancestors to 165 BCE)
Type:	Narrative Text
Categories:	Environment, Conflict & Emergency, Civil/Human Rights
Keywords:	Trees, seige, environment, city
Related Texts:

Submitted By

rpicker

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