Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 20:14
But the women, children, livestock, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—you may take as plunder, and you shall use the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God gives you.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, outlining wartime regulations for sieges against distant cities. The command follows the directive to execute every male inhabitant and precedes the general rule for non-Canaanite settlements.
The words — The Hebrew particle רַק (rak) translates literally as "only" or "but," marking a sharp limitation on the preceding command. The term הַטַּף (ha-taf) means "little ones" or children, explicitly separating them from the adult males ordered to be killed in the previous verse.
The thread — This allowance for taking spoil in distant cities is applied to Ai in Joshua 8:2, reflected in the livestock and metals given to the eastern tribes in Joshua 22:8, and matches the captured goods from Midian in Numbers 31:9.
Why it lands — The text explicitly permits the Israelites to seize all remaining women, children, livestock, and goods as authorized plunder. It requires strict adherence to the boundary between total destruction and divinely sanctioned acquisition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.
Cross-references
- Joshua 8:2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”
- Joshua 22:8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies.”
- Numbers 31:9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.
- Numbers 31:12 They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.
- Numbers 31:18 but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.
- Numbers 31:35 and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.
- Joshua 11:14 The Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they put all the people to the sword until they had completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who breathed.
- 2 Chronicles 14:13 Then Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell and could not recover, for they were crushed before the LORD and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great amount of plunder
- 2 Chronicles 20:25 Then Jehoshaphat and his people went to carry off the plunder, and they found on the bodies an abundance of goods and valuables—more than they could carry away. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there was so much.
- Psalms 68:12 “Kings and their armies flee in haste; she who waits at home divides the plunder.