In Deuteronomy 20:13, why were the children of Israel instructed to kill men only?
Deuteronomy 20:13
ESV - 13 And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword.
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Asked October 26 2016
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johnson matthew
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Tim Maas
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In my opinion, God commanded this for Israel's future wars (after the conquest of the Promised Land) because, once all the opposing men of fighting age had been removed, the remaining population (women and children) would pose no immediate threat to Israel. God therefore ordered them to be spared, both as a sign of His mercy, and (as Moses said in verse 14) as rightful booty or spoils of war, to be used for Israel's benefit and service. (However, as noted in verses 16-18, this same mercy was not to be extended to the current inhabitants of the Promised Land, who were to be totally eradicated by Israel as a judgment from God against their exceptional level of sinfulness and idolatry.)
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