Deuteronomy 20:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Douay-RheimsHebrew (Masoretic text)

But of those cities that shall be given thee, thou shalt suffer none at all to live:
Douay-Rheims

רַ֗ק מֵעָרֵ֤י הָֽעַמִּים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה לֹ֥א תְחַיֶּ֖ה כָּל־נְשָׁמָֽה׃
Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

One Church Father comments on this verse

Isaiah the Hermit

5th centuryChurch Father

From the nations that oppose you, do not permit any life to remain, meaning that you should not allow any sinful thought that brings condemnation to thrive. This is to prevent engaging with it, lest it lead you to adopt its detestable practices, causing you to sin against the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 20:18).

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.

Josh 11:14And the children of Israel divided among themselves all the spoil of these cities and the cattle, killing all the men.
Num 21:2But Israel binding himself by vow to the Lord, said: If thou wilt deliver thus people into my hand, I will utterly destroy their cities.
Num 21:3And the Lord heard the prayers of Israel, and delivered up the Chanaanite, and they cut them off and destroyed their cities: and they called the name of that place Horma, that is to say, Anathema.
Josh 6:17And let this city be an anathema, and all things that are in it, to the Lord. Let only Rahab, the harlot, live, with all that are with her in the house: for she hid the messengers whom we sent.
Josh 6:21And killed all that were in it, man and woman, young and old. The oxen also, and the sheep, and the asses, they slew with the edge of the sword.
Num 33:52Destroy all the inhabitants of that land: Beat down their pillars, and break in pieces their statues, and waste all their high places,
Deut 7:1When the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which thou art going in to possess, and shall have destroyed many nations before thee, the Hethite, and the Gergezite, and the Amorrhite, and the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, seven nations much more numerous than thou art, and stronger than thou:
Deut 7:4For she will turn away thy son from following me, that he may rather serve strange gods, and the wrath of the Lord will be kindled, and will quickly destroy thee.