Deuteronomy 20 — Greek, Translation, Interlinear & Discourse

Discourse notes head each verse: relation · connective · clause-flow. Indentation marks prominence — flush-left = main line of argument; indented = supporting / subordinate material.

ἐὰν δὲ ἐξέλθῃς εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου καὶ ἴδῃς ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην καὶ λαὸν πλείονά σου οὐ φοβηθήσῃ ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν ὅτι κύριος ὁ θεός σου μετὰ σοῦ ὁ ἀναβιβάσας σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου

And if you go out to war against your enemies and see horse and rider and a people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, the one who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

New legal protasis opening the law of war (case-law conditional)ἐὰν δὲ ἐξέλθῃς

The chapter opens with the casuistic ἐάν + aorist subjunctive characteristic of Deuteronomic case-law; δέ marks the transition from the preceding judicial laws (ch. 19) to the law of war. The protasis stacks three vivid images of enemy superiority — cavalry, chariotry, and superior numbers — precisely the assets Israel lacks, so that the apodosis οὐ φοβηθήσῃ must rest entirely on the motive clause: the Exodus God is present. The participial epithet ὁ ἀναβιβάσας σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου anchors fearlessness in remembered deliverance.

Word-by-word analysis· 35 words

ἐὰνifconditional conjunction (introducing protasis + subjunctive)→ discourse linkage or contrastἐάν: 'if (ever)'; takes the subjunctive; the standard particle of Deuteronomic case-law (rendering כִּי / אִם), framing the law as a contingent scenario rather than an absolute command.

δὲnownarrative/transitional continuative (post-positive)→ discourse linkage or contrastδέ: post-positive particle marking the transition to a new legal topic (the law of war) after the laws of homicide and witnesses in ch. 19.

ἐξέλθῃςyou go outAor Act Subj 2 Sg · ἐξέρχομαιverb of the protasis (subjunctive with ἐάν)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (entering upon a campaign)ἐξέρχομαι: 'go out / march out'; renders יָצָא; the idiom 'go out to war' (יָצָא לַמִּלְחָמָה) is the standard Hebrew expression for mustering an army for a campaign; the second-person singular addresses Israel collectively as a single combatant.

εἰςto / forpreposition + accusative (purpose/goal)→ spatial or relational framingεἰς: meaning 'to'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (purpose/goal).

πόλεμονwarAccusativeaccusative object of εἰς (goal: 'to war')→ object specificationπόλεμος: 'war / battle'; renders מִלְחָמָה; the keyword of the chapter (occurring in vv. 1, 2, 3, 7, 12, 20), framing the whole as torat ha-milḥamah, the law of war.

ἐπὶagainstpreposition + accusative (hostile direction)→ spatial or relational framingἐπί + acc.: here in hostile sense, 'against'; renders עַל; marks the enemies as the target of the campaign.

τοὺςtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτοὺς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἐχθρούςenemiesAccusativeaccusative object of ἐπί (hostile: 'against your enemies')→ object specificationἐχθρός: 'enemy / hostile one'; renders אֹיֵב; substantivized adjective; the recurring designation of the opposing nations throughout the chapter (vv. 1, 3, 4, 14).

σουyourGenitivegenitive of possession (2nd person singular)→ relational specificationσου: meaning 'your'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (2nd person singular).

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (continuing the protasis)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἴδῃςyou seeAor Act Subj 2 Sg · ὁράωverb of the protasis (subjunctive, coordinate with ἐξέλθῃς)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (catching sight of the foe)ὁράω (aor. εἶδον): 'see / perceive'; renders רָאָה; the seeing of the enemy's superior force is the psychological trigger the law addresses — fear arises from sight, and faith must overrule it.

ἵππονhorseAccusativedirect object of ἴδῃς (collective singular)→ object specificationἵππος: 'horse'; renders סוּס; cavalry and chariotry were the elite military technology Israel conspicuously lacked (cf. Deut 17:16, the king forbidden to multiply horses); the singular is collective ('cavalry').

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἀναβάτηνrider / charioteerAccusativedirect object of ἴδῃς (coordinate with ἵππον)→ object specificationἀναβάτης: 'rider / mounted man / charioteer'; renders רֶכֶב / רֹכֵב ('chariotry / one who rides'); together ἵππος καὶ ἀναβάτης evoke the very forces drowned at the Sea (Exod 15:1, 'horse and rider he has thrown into the sea'), an implicit reminder that YHWH has already defeated such power.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

λαὸνa peopleAccusativedirect object of ἴδῃς (third item of enemy force)→ object specificationλαός: 'people / host'; renders עַם; here the enemy population/army, not Israel; the threefold horse–rider–people enumerates the full intimidating array of an ancient near-eastern army.

πλείονάmore numerousAccusativecomparative adjective (attributive, modifying λαόν)→ object specificationπλείων (comparative of πολύς): 'more / greater in number'; renders רַב מִמְּךָ ('more than you'); construed with the genitive of comparison σου; the numerical inferiority of Israel is the precise point of the test of faith.

σουthan youGenitivegenitive of comparison (with πλείονα)→ relational specificationσου: meaning 'than you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of comparison (with πλείονα).

οὐnotnegative particle (with future indicative for prohibition)→ discourse linkage or contrastοὐ: the negative with the future indicative φοβηθήσῃ forms a categorical legal prohibition (rendering לֹא תִירָא), stronger than a μή-subjunctive: 'you shall absolutely not fear.'

φοβηθήσῃyou shall be afraidFut Pass Indic 2 Sg · φοβέομαιapodosis main verb (legal prohibition: future-for-imperative)→ imperatival future (binding command not to fear)φοβέομαι: 'fear / be afraid'; renders יָרֵא; the deponent future passive with οὐ functions as an emphatic prohibition; fearlessness in the face of superior force is the keynote of the whole exhortation (vv. 1, 3).

ἀπ᾿of / frompreposition + genitive (object of fear, elided before vowel)→ spatial or relational framingἀπό: with φοβέομαι, 'be afraid of / from'; a Hebraizing construction rendering יָרֵא מִן ('fear because of / away from'), where the preposition marks the source/cause of the dreaded danger.

αὐτῶνthemGenitivegenitive object of ἀπό (the enemy forces feared)→ relational specificationαὐτῶν: meaning 'them'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive object of ἀπό (the enemy forces feared).

ὅτιbecausecausal conjunction (introducing motive clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastὅτι: 'because / for'; renders כִּי; introduces the theological ground of fearlessness — divine presence outweighs material disadvantage.

κύριοςLORDNominativesubject of the motive clause (predicate-of-presence)→ participant prominenceκύριος: the standard LXX rendering of the Tetragrammaton יהוה; subject of the nominal clause 'YHWH your God is with you'; the divine name grounds the prohibition of fear in covenant presence.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with appositional θεός)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

θεόςGodNominativenominative in apposition to κύριος→ participant prominenceθεός: 'God'; renders אֱלֹהִים; the phrase κύριος ὁ θεός σου ('the LORD your God') is the signature covenant designation of Deuteronomy, binding the divine warrior to Israel personally.

σουyourGenitivegenitive of possession (covenant relationship)→ relational specificationσου: meaning 'your'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (covenant relationship).

μετὰwithpreposition + genitive (accompaniment: presence)→ spatial or relational framingμετά + gen.: 'with'; the phrase μετὰ σοῦ ('with you') expresses the divine-presence-in-battle motif (cf. עִמְּךָ, Deut 31:6, 8); the elliptical nominal clause supplies 'is.'

σοῦyouGenitivegenitive object of μετά→ relational specificationσοῦ: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive object of μετά.

ὁthe one whoNominativearticle (substantivizing the following participle)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἀναβιβάσαςbrought upAor Act Part Nom Sg Masc · ἀναβιβάζωsubstantival participle in apposition to κύριος (epithet)→ constative aorist participle (the completed Exodus deliverance)ἀναβιβάζω: 'bring/lead up'; causative of ἀναβαίνω, rendering הֶעֱלָה (Hiphil of עָלָה, 'cause to go up'); the articular participle forms the covenant epithet 'the one who brought you up out of Egypt' (cf. Exod 20:2), making the remembered Exodus the warrant for present courage.

σεyouAccusativedirect object of the participle ἀναβιβάσας→ participant referenceσε: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of the participle ἀναβιβάσας.

ἐκout ofpreposition + genitive (separation/source)→ spatial or relational framingἐκ: meaning 'out of'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + genitive (separation/source).

γῆςlandGenitivegenitive object of ἐκ ('out of the land')→ relational specificationγῆ: 'land / earth'; the phrase ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ('out of the land of Egypt') is the fixed formula of the Exodus deliverance throughout Deuteronomy.

Αἰγύπτουof EgyptGenitivegenitive of place (with γῆς: 'land of Egypt')→ relational specificationΑἴγυπτος: standard LXX form of מִצְרַיִם; the place of former bondage and of the original demonstration of YHWH's military supremacy over horse and chariot (Exod 14–15).

καὶ ἔσται ὅταν ἐγγίσῃς τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ προσεγγίσας ὁ ἱερεὺς λαλήσει τῷ λαῷ

And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall come forward and speak to the people.

Temporal frame introducing the priest's pre-battle addressκαὶ ἔσται ὅταν

The Hebraizing formula καὶ ἔσται ὅταν (וְהָיָה כְּ) sets the temporal stage for the cultic speech that follows; the approach of the army to battle (ἐγγίσῃς τῷ πολέμῳ) is the cue for the priest's intervention. The priest (ὁ ἱερεύς) — not the king or general — delivers the war-oration, marking the battle as a sacral act.

Word-by-word analysis· 13 words

καὶandnarrative conjunction (introducing temporal frame)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἔσταιit shall beFut Mid Indic 3 Sg · εἰμίmain verb of the Hebraizing temporal formula→ predictive future (sets the scene for the apodosis)εἰμί (fut. ἔσται): 'be / happen'; the formula καὶ ἔσται renders וְהָיָה, a Hebraism marking the onset of a new circumstance; here it frames the conditional time-clause that follows.

ὅτανwhentemporal conjunction (+ subjunctive)→ discourse linkage or contrastὅταν: 'when(ever)'; takes the subjunctive ἐγγίσῃς; renders כְּ + infinitive ('as you draw near'), specifying the moment of the priest's address.

ἐγγίσῃςyou draw nearAor Act Subj 2 Sg · ἐγγίζωverb of the temporal clause (subjunctive with ὅταν)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (the army's approach to combat)ἐγγίζω: 'draw near / approach'; renders קָרַב; with the dative τῷ πολέμῳ, 'draw near to the battle'; the imminence of combat is the trigger for the priestly exhortation.

τῷtheDativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτῷ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πολέμῳbattleDativedative complement of ἐγγίσῃς ('draw near to the battle')→ sphere or referenceπόλεμος: 'war / battle'; here in the dative governed by ἐγγίζω; the keyword recurs, now denoting the concrete engagement about to begin.

καὶthenapodotic καί (introducing the main clause after the temporal frame)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαί: here apodotic, a Hebraism (וְ) introducing the consequence of the temporal clause: 'when … then the priest shall…'.

προσεγγίσαςcoming forwardAor Act Part Nom Sg Masc · προσεγγίζωcircumstantial participle (modifying ὁ ἱερεύς)→ antecedent aorist participle (the priest's advance preceding his speech)προσεγγίζω: 'come near / approach'; the doubly-compound (πρός + ἐγγίζω) intensifies the simple verb of v. 2a; the priest physically advances to the front ranks before addressing the troops, dramatizing the sacral leadership of the war.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with ἱερεύς)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἱερεὺςpriestNominativesubject of λαλήσει→ participant prominenceἱερεύς: 'priest'; renders כֹּהֵן; that the priest, not a military officer, delivers the battle-exhortation marks the war as a holy undertaking conducted under YHWH's lordship; later tradition names this figure the 'anointed for war' (mashuaḥ milḥamah, m. Sotah 8).

λαλήσειshall speakFut Act Indic 3 Sg · λαλέωmain verb of the apodosis→ predictive/prescriptive future (the prescribed priestly address)λαλέω: 'speak'; renders דִּבֶּר; the future here has prescriptive force within the legislation — this is what the priest is to do; introduces the direct address of v. 3.

τῷtheDativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτῷ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

λαῷpeopleDativedative indirect object of λαλήσει (the assembled army)→ sphere or referenceλαός: 'people'; here the mustered army of Israel, addressed as the covenant people even in the field; renders עַם.

καὶ ἐρεῖ πρὸς αὐτούς ἄκουε Ισραηλ ὑμεῖς προσπορεύεσθε σήμερον εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν μὴ ἐκλυέσθω ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν μὴ φοβεῖσθε μηδὲ θραύεσθε μηδὲ ἐκκλίνητε ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν

And he shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel! You are drawing near today to battle against your enemies. Let not your heart faint; do not fear, nor be alarmed, nor turn aside from before them.'

Direct speech: the priest's fourfold prohibition against fearκαὶ ἐρεῖ πρὸς αὐτούς

The address opens with the liturgical ἄκουε Ισραηλ ('Hear, O Israel'), the very incipit of the Shema (Deut 6:4), summoning covenant attention. A fourfold prohibition follows — heart not melting, no fear, no alarm, no flight — a rhetorical crescendo of present prohibitive imperatives (μή … μηδὲ … μηδέ) covering inner collapse, emotion, panic, and physical retreat. The exhortation's logic completes in v. 4's motive clause.

Word-by-word analysis· 29 words

καὶandnarrative conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἐρεῖshall sayFut Act Indic 3 Sg · λέγωmain verb introducing direct speech→ prescriptive future (the priest's mandated words)λέγω (fut. ἐρῶ): 'say'; renders אָמַר; introduces the verbatim battle-exhortation that follows.

πρὸςtopreposition + accusative (direction of speech)→ spatial or relational framingπρὸς: meaning 'to'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (direction of speech).

αὐτούςthemAccusativeaccusative object of πρός (the army)→ participant referenceαὐτούς: meaning 'them'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as accusative object of πρός (the army).

ἄκουεhearPres Act Impv 2 Sg · ἀκούωimperative addressed to Israel (summons to attention)→ durative present imperative (sustained covenant listening)ἀκούω: 'hear / listen / obey'; renders שְׁמַע; the opening ἄκουε Ισραηλ is identical to the incipit of the Shema (Deut 6:4), giving the war-summons the gravity of the central covenant confession; the present imperative calls for an attentive, ongoing hearing.

ΙσραηλIsraelvocative of address (indeclinable proper noun)→ participant identificationΙσραηλ: transliteration of יִשְׂרָאֵל; indeclinable in the LXX; the corporate vocative addresses the army as the covenant nation, not merely as soldiers.

ὑμεῖςyouNominativeemphatic subject pronoun (2nd person plural)→ participant referenceὑμεῖς: the explicit nominative pronoun is emphatic (the verb already encodes person), underlining the personal address: 'you, you are the ones going into battle today.'

προσπορεύεσθεare drawing nearPres Mid Indic 2 Pl · προσπορεύομαιmain verb of the priest's opening declaration→ progressive present (action presently underway)προσπορεύομαι: 'approach / draw near / go forward'; renders קָרֵב; the present describes the army's current advance toward the enemy lines — the very moment at which courage is most needed.

σήμερονtodaytemporal adverb→ clausal contributionσήμερον: 'today'; renders הַיּוֹם; the Deuteronomic 'today' lends urgency and immediacy, locating the decision of faith in the present hour of battle.

εἰςtopreposition + accusative (goal)→ spatial or relational framingεἰς: meaning 'to'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (goal).

πόλεμονbattleAccusativeaccusative object of εἰς (goal of advance)→ object specificationπόλεμος: 'war / battle'; the recurring keyword, here the imminent engagement the troops are entering.

ἐπὶagainstpreposition + accusative (hostile direction)→ spatial or relational framingἐπὶ: meaning 'against'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (hostile direction).

τοὺςtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτοὺς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἐχθροὺςenemiesAccusativeaccusative object of ἐπί ('against your enemies')→ object specificationἐχθρός: 'enemy'; the opposing forces, echoing v. 1.

ὑμῶνyourGenitivegenitive of possession (2nd person plural)→ relational specificationὑμῶν: meaning 'your'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (2nd person plural).

μὴnotnegative with prohibitive imperative→ clausal qualification or emphasisμή: the negative of prohibition; with the present imperative ἐκλυέσθω, 'let it not (be in the process of) fainting.'

ἐκλυέσθωlet it faintPres Mid Impv 3 Sg · ἐκλύωthird-person prohibitive imperative (subject ἡ καρδία)→ durative present prohibition (do not let the heart go on weakening)ἐκλύω: 'loosen / unnerve / make faint'; the middle/passive 'grow weary / lose heart'; renders רָכַךְ ('be soft / faint'); the first of the four prohibitions targets inner collapse of courage before the foe.

ἡtheNominativearticle (with καρδία)→ noun-phrase markingἡ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

καρδίαheartNominativesubject of ἐκλυέσθω→ participant prominenceκαρδία: 'heart'; renders לֵבָב; in Hebrew anthropology the seat of courage, will, and resolve; the 'melting' or 'fainting' of the heart is the classic idiom for battlefield panic (cf. Josh 2:11; Deut 1:28).

ὑμῶνyourGenitivegenitive of possession→ relational specificationὑμῶν: meaning 'your'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession.

μὴnotnegative with prohibitive imperative→ clausal qualification or emphasisμὴ: meaning 'not'; it negates or qualifies the assertion of the clause.

φοβεῖσθεfearPres Mid Impv 2 Pl · φοβέομαιsecond prohibition (2nd person plural imperative)→ durative present prohibition (do not be afraid)φοβέομαι: 'fear'; renders יָרֵא; the second of the four prohibitions, directly echoing v. 1's οὐ φοβηθήσῃ; the present imperative forbids the continuing state of fear.

μηδὲnorcoordinating negative (continuing the prohibition chain)→ clausal contributionμηδέ: 'and not / nor'; links the successive prohibitions into a single mounting series.

θραύεσθεbe alarmedPres Pass Impv 2 Pl · θραύωthird prohibition (2nd person plural imperative)→ durative present prohibition (do not be shattered/panicked)θραύω: 'shatter / break / crush'; the passive 'be broken / be terror-stricken'; renders חָפַז or עָרַץ ('be in dread / terrified'); the third prohibition addresses the shattering of nerve into panic.

μηδὲnorcoordinating negative→ clausal contributionμηδὲ: meaning 'nor'; it shapes the local clause or phrase relation in this passage.

ἐκκλίνητεturn asideAor Act Subj 2 Pl · ἐκκλίνωfourth prohibition (aorist subjunctive of prohibition)→ ingressive aorist prohibitive subjunctive (do not break and flee)ἐκκλίνω: 'turn aside / swerve / give way'; renders עָרַץ / נוּס; the shift from present imperative to aorist subjunctive sharpens the final, decisive prohibition: do not (at any point) turn and flee from before them; the climax moves from inner state (heart) to outward action (flight).

ἀπὸfrompreposition + genitive (separation)→ spatial or relational framingἀπὸ: meaning 'from'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + genitive (separation).

προσώπουface / presenceGenitivegenitive object of ἀπό (idiom: 'from before')→ relational specificationπρόσωπον: 'face / presence'; the phrase ἀπὸ προσώπου renders מִפְּנֵי ('from before / from the presence of'), a Hebraism for fleeing in the face of an enemy.

αὐτῶνthemGenitivegenitive (with προσώπου: 'their face/presence')→ relational specificationαὐτῶν: meaning 'them'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive (with προσώπου: 'their face/presence').

ὅτι κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν ὁ προπορευόμενος μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν συνεκπολεμῆσαι ὑμῖν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν διασῶσαι ὑμᾶς

For the LORD your God is the one who goes before you with you, to war together against your enemies for you, to deliver you.

Motive clause grounding the prohibition of fear (theological climax of A)ὅτι κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν

The motive clause completes the priest's exhortation: courage is warranted because YHWH himself marches at the army's head (ὁ προπορευόμενος) as the divine warrior. Two purpose-infinitives define his action — συνεκπολεμῆσαι ('to war together against') and διασῶσαι ('to deliver') — framing the battle as YHWH's own and victory as his salvific gift. The participle προπορευόμενος recalls the pillar of cloud/fire that went before Israel (Exod 13:21).

Word-by-word analysis· 16 words

ὅτιforcausal conjunction (motive clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastὅτι: 'because / for'; renders כִּי; grounds the entire fourfold prohibition of v. 3 in the fact of divine accompaniment.

κύριοςLORDNominativesubject of the nominal motive clause→ participant prominenceκύριος: the Tetragrammaton יהוה; the divine warrior whose presence is the sole ground of Israel's fearlessness.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with θεός)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

θεὸςGodNominativenominative in apposition to κύριος→ participant prominenceθεός: 'God'; the covenant designation κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν personalizes the divine warrior as Israel's own God.

ὑμῶνyourGenitivegenitive of possession (covenant relationship)→ relational specificationὑμῶν: meaning 'your'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (covenant relationship).

ὁthe one whoNominativearticle (substantivizing the participle προπορευόμενος)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

προπορευόμενοςgoes beforePres Mid Part Nom Sg Masc · προπορεύομαιsubstantival participle (predicate epithet of κύριος)→ durative present participle (continual divine vanguard)προπορεύομαι: 'go before / march ahead'; the compound πρό- ('before') renders הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם ('who goes before you'); the present participle depicts YHWH as the perpetual vanguard of Israel's army, evoking the pillar of cloud and fire (Exod 13:21; Deut 1:30, 31:8).

μεθ᾿withpreposition + genitive (accompaniment, elided before vowel)→ spatial or relational framingμετά + gen.: 'with'; reinforces the προ- of the participle — YHWH is both ahead of and alongside his people in battle.

ὑμῶνyouGenitivegenitive object of μετά→ relational specificationὑμῶν: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive object of μετά.

συνεκπολεμῆσαιto war together againstAor Act Inf · συνεκπολεμέωinfinitive of purpose (with προπορευόμενος)→ purposive aorist infinitive (the goal of YHWH's advance)συνεκπολεμέω: 'join in waging war to the finish / fight a war together with'; a rare triple compound (σύν + ἐκ + πολεμέω) emphasizing both partnership (σύν, 'together with you') and completion (ἐκ, 'fight out, to the end'); renders לְהִלָּחֵם ('to fight'); the LXX heightens the cooperative-yet-decisive character of the divine warfare.

ὑμῖνfor youDativedative of advantage (with συνεκπολεμῆσαι)→ participant reference or interestthe dative ὑμῖν is a dative of advantage ('on your behalf / for your benefit'), making explicit that YHWH's warfare is conducted for Israel's sake.

τοὺςtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτοὺς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἐχθροὺςenemiesAccusativeaccusative object of συνεκπολεμῆσαι→ object specificationἐχθρός: 'enemy'; the object against whom YHWH wages war alongside Israel.

διασῶσαιto deliverAor Act Inf · διασῴζωinfinitive of purpose (second purpose: 'to save')→ purposive aorist infinitive (the saving goal of divine warfare)διασῴζω: 'bring safely through / rescue / deliver'; the compound διά- ('through') stresses preservation through danger; renders הוֹשִׁיעַ ('save'); the second purpose-infinitive frames the whole war as an act of divine salvation, not mere conquest — YHWH fights to deliver his people.

ὑμᾶςyouAccusativedirect object of διασῶσαι→ participant referenceὑμᾶς: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of διασῶσαι.

καὶ λαλήσουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς πρὸς τὸν λαὸν λέγοντες τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ οἰκοδομήσας οἰκίαν καινὴν καὶ οὐκ ἐνεκαίνισεν αὐτήν πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἕτερος ἐγκαινιεῖ αὐτήν

And the officials shall speak to the people, saying, 'Who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.'

New speaker and unit: the officials' exemption-formulae (section B)καὶ λαλήσουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς

A new section opens: after the priest's exhortation, the officials (γραμματεῖς) address the troops to release the exempt. The first three exemptions share a fixed rhetorical template — interrogative τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ …, a negated unfinished joy, the double imperative πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω, and the motive 'lest he die … and another man' enjoy his portion. The new house unfinished in its dedication is the first such interrupted blessing.

Word-by-word analysis· 36 words

καὶandnarrative conjunction (new section)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

λαλήσουσινshall speakFut Act Indic 3 Pl · λαλέωmain verb (the officials' address)→ prescriptive future (the mandated officers' speech)λαλέω: 'speak'; renders דִּבֶּר; the plural subject (officials) contrasts with the singular priest of v. 2, distinguishing the cultic exhortation from the administrative exemptions.

οἱtheNominativearticle (with γραμματεῖς)→ noun-phrase markingοἱ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

γραμματεῖςofficials / officersNominativesubject of λαλήσουσιν→ participant prominenceγραμματεύς: lit. 'scribe / writer', here 'officer / official'; renders שֹׁטֵר ('officer / marshal'), the military administrators responsible for mustering and ordering the ranks; the LXX's choice of γραμματεύς reflects their record-keeping function in registering the troops.

τὸνtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτὸν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

λαὸνpeopleAccusativeaccusative object of πρός (the assembled army)→ object specificationλαός: 'people'; the mustered troops, addressed for the screening of exemptions.

λέγοντεςsayingPres Act Part Nom Pl Masc · λέγωcircumstantial participle of speech (introducing direct address)→ durative present participle (the manner/content of the speaking)λέγω: the redundant participle of saying (λαλήσουσιν … λέγοντες) is a Hebraism rendering לֵאמֹר, the standard infinitive used to introduce direct speech in the Hebrew Bible.

τίςwhoNominativeinterrogative pronoun (subject of the rhetorical question)→ participant referenceτίς: interrogative 'who?'; renders מִי; the question τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ … functions as a summons: 'whoever the man is who…', inviting the qualifying individual to step forward and be released.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with ἄνθρωπος)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἄνθρωποςmanNominativepredicate nominative of the interrogative clause→ participant prominenceἄνθρωπος: 'man / person'; renders אִישׁ; the generic 'man' here means any individual soldier who fits the described circumstance.

ὁthe one whoNominativearticle (substantivizing the participle οἰκοδομήσας)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

οἰκοδομήσαςhas builtAor Act Part Nom Sg Masc · οἰκοδομέωsubstantival participle (defining the exempt man)→ constative aorist participle (the completed act of building)οἰκοδομέω: 'build / construct'; renders בָּנָה; the aorist marks the building as finished — yet the dedication remains undone, so the enjoyment of the labor is incomplete; this is the rationale for exemption.

οἰκίανhouseAccusativedirect object of οἰκοδομήσας→ object specificationοἰκία: 'house / dwelling'; renders בַּיִת; the new house represents settled life and inheritance — a blessing of the land not yet entered into.

καινὴνnewAccusativeattributive adjective (modifying οἰκίαν)→ object specificationκαινός: 'new / fresh'; renders חָדָשׁ; the newness underscores that the man has not yet lived in or 'inaugurated' the house — his joy is still future and would be cut off by death.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (linking the negated clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

οὐκnotnegative (with ἐνεκαίνισεν)→ clausal qualification or emphasisοὐκ: meaning 'not'; it negates or qualifies the assertion of the clause.

ἐνεκαίνισενdedicatedAor Act Indic 3 Sg · ἐγκαινίζωverb of the negated relative clause→ constative aorist (the dedication not yet performed)ἐγκαινίζω: 'dedicate / inaugurate / renew'; renders חָנַךְ ('dedicate'); the verbal root underlies Hanukkah and the LXX title Ἐγκαίνια ('Dedication', John 10:22); the dedication of a new house likely involved a celebratory inauguration marking first occupancy; until performed, the house is not truly enjoyed.

αὐτήνitAccusativedirect object of ἐνεκαίνισεν (the house)→ participant referenceαὐτήν: meaning 'it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of ἐνεκαίνισεν (the house).

πορευέσθωlet him goPres Mid Impv 3 Sg · πορεύομαιthird-person imperative (the exemption granted)→ durative present imperative (let him proceed homeward)πορεύομαι: 'go / proceed / depart'; renders הָלַךְ; the first of the paired exemption-imperatives (πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω) discharging the man from the ranks.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (linking the paired imperatives)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἀποστραφήτωlet him returnAor Pass Impv 3 Sg · ἀποστρέφωthird-person imperative (coordinate with πορευέσθω)→ ingressive aorist imperative (let him turn back home)ἀποστρέφω: 'turn back / return'; the passive ἀποστραφήτω has reflexive/intransitive force ('let him turn himself back'); renders שׁוּב; the standard discharge formula for the exempt soldier returning to his house.

εἰςtopreposition + accusative (goal of return)→ spatial or relational framingεἰς: meaning 'to'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (goal of return).

τὴνtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

οἰκίανhouseAccusativeaccusative object of εἰς (destination)→ object specificationοἰκία: 'house'; the goal of the discharge — the very house he has built but not yet dedicated.

αὐτοῦhisGenitivegenitive of possession→ relational specificationαὐτοῦ: meaning 'his'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession.

μὴlestnegative purpose particle (introducing μή-clause of apprehension)→ discourse linkage or contrastμή: here introducing a clause of apprehension/negative purpose with the subjunctive ('lest he die'), rendering פֶּן ('lest'); states the danger the exemption averts.

ἀποθάνῃhe dieAor Act Subj 3 Sg · ἀποθνῄσκωverb of the μή-clause of apprehension→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (the feared eventuality of death in battle)ἀποθνῄσκω: 'die'; renders מוּת; the apprehension-clause names the tragedy the exemption forestalls: that a man fall in war before tasting the blessing he has prepared, which would then pass to another.

ἐνinpreposition + dative (locative/circumstantial)→ spatial or relational framingἐν: meaning 'in'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + dative (locative/circumstantial).

τῷtheDativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτῷ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πολέμῳbattleDativedative of place/circumstance ('in the battle')→ sphere or referenceπόλεμος: 'war / battle'; the locus of the feared death; the keyword recurs in each exemption (vv. 5, 6, 7).

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (extending the apprehension-clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἄνθρωποςmanNominativesubject of ἐγκαινιεῖ→ participant prominenceἄνθρωπος: 'man'; 'another man' is the one who would inherit the unenjoyed blessing — the poignant point of the exemption.

ἕτεροςanotherNominativeattributive adjective (modifying ἄνθρωπος)→ participant prominenceἕτερος: 'another / a different one'; renders אַחֵר; the prospect that someone else would dedicate his house heightens the loss and motivates the merciful exemption.

ἐγκαινιεῖwill dedicateFut Act Indic 3 Sg · ἐγκαινίζωverb of the extended apprehension-clause (future after μή)→ predictive future (the dreaded outcome made vivid)ἐγκαινίζω: 'dedicate / inaugurate'; the future indicative within the apprehension-clause vividly portrays the outcome to be avoided; the same verb as ἐνεκαίνισεν above, framing the irony: the builder may never dedicate, but a stranger will.

αὐτήνitAccusativedirect object of ἐγκαινιεῖ (the house)→ participant referenceαὐτήν: meaning 'it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of ἐγκαινιεῖ (the house).

καὶ τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅστις ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα καὶ οὐκ εὐφράνθη ἐξ αὐτοῦ πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἕτερος εὐφρανθήσεται ἐξ αὐτοῦ

And who is the man who has planted a vineyard and has not gladdened himself from it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man gladden himself from it.

Second exemption (parallel template): the unenjoyed vineyardκαὶ τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅστις

The second exemption follows the same template with the variation ὅστις (generalizing relative) for the participle of v. 5. The unfinished joy is the vineyard whose fruit has not yet been 'enjoyed' (εὐφράνθη). The LXX's εὐφραίνομαι ('be gladdened') captures both the literal first vintage and the wine-induced gladness it brings; the verb forms a frame (εὐφράνθη … εὐφρανθήσεται) around the loss-motif.

Word-by-word analysis· 30 words

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (second exemption)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

τίςwhoNominativeinterrogative pronoun (subject of the rhetorical question)→ participant referenceτίς: 'who?'; the same summons-formula as v. 5, inviting the qualifying man forward.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with ἄνθρωπος)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἄνθρωποςmanNominativepredicate nominative→ participant prominenceἄνθρωπος: 'man'; the generic individual fitting the case.

ὅστιςwhoNominativeindefinite relative pronoun (defining the exempt man)→ participant referenceὅστις: 'whoever / the one who'; the generalizing relative (rendering אֲשֶׁר) replaces the articular participle of v. 5, a stylistic variation across the parallel exemptions; 'whoever has planted…'.

ἐφύτευσενhas plantedAor Act Indic 3 Sg · φυτεύωverb of the relative clause (completed planting)→ constative aorist (the planting accomplished)φυτεύω: 'plant'; renders נָטַע; a vineyard required several years before yielding fruit (cf. the 'uncircumcised' fruit of Lev 19:23–25), so the planter's enjoyment is necessarily deferred — making death before the first vintage especially poignant.

ἀμπελῶναvineyardAccusativedirect object of ἐφύτευσεν→ object specificationἀμπελών: 'vineyard'; renders כֶּרֶם; the vineyard symbolizes settled prosperity in the land (cf. Deut 6:11); its fruit and wine are the gladness of peacetime life that war threatens to cut short.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (linking negated clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

οὐκnotnegative (with εὐφράνθη)→ clausal qualification or emphasisοὐκ: meaning 'not'; it negates or qualifies the assertion of the clause.

εὐφράνθηgladdened himself / enjoyedAor Pass Indic 3 Sg · εὐφραίνωverb of the negated clause→ constative aorist (the not-yet-realized enjoyment)εὐφραίνω: act. 'gladden', mid./pass. 'rejoice / make merry / enjoy'; renders חִלֵּל ('put to common use / begin to enjoy', Deut 20:6) — the LXX interprets the first profane use of the vineyard's fruit as the gladness (especially wine-gladness, cf. Ps 104:15) it affords; the man has not yet tasted that joy.

ἐξfrompreposition + genitive (source of enjoyment)→ spatial or relational framingἐξ: meaning 'from'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + genitive (source of enjoyment).

αὐτοῦitGenitivegenitive object of ἐξ (the vineyard as source)→ relational specificationαὐτοῦ: meaning 'it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive object of ἐξ (the vineyard as source).

πορευέσθωlet him goPres Mid Impv 3 Sg · πορεύομαιthird-person imperative (exemption granted)→ durative present imperativeπορεύομαι: 'go'; the recurring discharge-formula, identical to v. 5.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἀποστραφήτωlet him returnAor Pass Impv 3 Sg · ἀποστρέφωthird-person imperative (coordinate with πορευέσθω)→ ingressive aorist imperativeἀποστρέφω: 'turn back / return'; the fixed discharge-formula.

εἰςtopreposition + accusative (goal)→ spatial or relational framingεἰς: meaning 'to'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (goal).

τὴνtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

οἰκίανhouseAccusativeaccusative object of εἰς (destination)→ object specificationοἰκίαν: meaning 'house'; it serves as accusative object of εἰς (destination).

μὴlestnegative purpose particle (apprehension-clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastμή: 'lest'; renders פֶּן; as in v. 5.

ἀποθάνῃhe dieAor Act Subj 3 Sg · ἀποθνῄσκωverb of the apprehension-clause→ ingressive aorist subjunctiveἀποθνῄσκω: 'die'; the feared death in battle, identical to v. 5.

ἐνinpreposition + dative (locative)→ spatial or relational framingἐν: meaning 'in'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + dative (locative).

τῷtheDativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτῷ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πολέμῳbattleDativedative of place ('in the battle')→ sphere or referenceπόλεμος: 'battle'; the locus of feared death.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (extending the clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἄνθρωποςmanNominativesubject of εὐφρανθήσεται→ participant prominenceἄνθρωπος: 'man'; 'another man' who would enjoy the vineyard's fruit in his stead.

ἕτεροςanotherNominativeattributive adjective (modifying ἄνθρωπος)→ participant prominenceἕτερος: 'another'; as in v. 5, the stranger who would inherit the lost joy.

εὐφρανθήσεταιwill gladden himself / enjoyFut Pass Indic 3 Sg · εὐφραίνωverb of the extended apprehension-clause→ predictive future (the dreaded outcome)εὐφραίνω (fut. pass.): 'will rejoice / enjoy'; the framing repetition of εὐφράνθη … εὐφρανθήσεται sharpens the irony — the planter may die unfulfilled while a stranger drinks his wine.

ἐξfrompreposition + genitive (source)→ spatial or relational framingἐξ: meaning 'from'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + genitive (source).

αὐτοῦitGenitivegenitive object of ἐξ (the vineyard)→ relational specificationαὐτοῦ: meaning 'it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive object of ἐξ (the vineyard).

καὶ τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅστις μεμνήστευται γυναῖκα καὶ οὐκ ἔλαβεν αὐτήν πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἕτερος λήμψεται αὐτήν

And who is the man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.

Third exemption (parallel template): the betrothed but unmarried manκαὶ τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅστις

The third and climactic exemption of the 'interrupted joys' triad: the man betrothed but not yet married. The perfect μεμνήστευται marks the binding betrothal as a standing legal state; ἔλαβεν ('took') denotes the consummating act of bringing the bride home. The escalation house → vineyard → wife moves from property to produce to the most intimate human bond; cf. Deut 24:5, which grants the newly-wed a full year's exemption.

Word-by-word analysis· 28 words

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (third exemption)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

τίςwhoNominativeinterrogative pronoun (subject)→ participant referenceτίς: 'who?'; the recurring summons-formula.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with ἄνθρωπος)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἄνθρωποςmanNominativepredicate nominative→ participant prominenceἄνθρωπος: 'man'; the generic individual fitting the case.

ὅστιςwhoNominativeindefinite relative pronoun (defining the exempt man)→ participant referenceὅστις: 'whoever'; the generalizing relative, parallel to v. 6.

μεμνήστευταιhas betrothedPerf Mid Indic 3 Sg · μνηστεύωverb of the relative clause (standing state of betrothal)→ resultative perfect (a binding betrothal in effect)μνηστεύω: 'betroth / espouse'; mid./pass. 'be betrothed / take in betrothal'; renders אֵרַשׂ; the perfect tense aptly conveys the legally binding standing state of betrothal — in Israelite law betrothal (erusin) already constituted a marriage bond (so that a betrothed woman's violation was adultery, Deut 22:23–24), yet cohabitation awaited the wedding.

γυναῖκαa wife / womanAccusativedirect object of μεμνήστευται→ object specificationγυνή: 'woman / wife'; renders אִשָּׁה; the betrothed bride, legally bound but not yet brought into the home.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (linking negated clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

οὐκnotnegative (with ἔλαβεν)→ clausal qualification or emphasisοὐκ: meaning 'not'; it negates or qualifies the assertion of the clause.

ἔλαβενtakenAor Act Indic 3 Sg · λαμβάνωverb of the negated clause→ constative aorist (the marriage not yet consummated)λαμβάνω: 'take / receive'; renders לָקַח; 'to take a wife' (לָקַח אִשָּׁה) is the standard idiom for completing the marriage by bringing the bride home; until this act the union is incomplete and the man's joy unrealized.

αὐτήνherAccusativedirect object of ἔλαβεν (the betrothed woman)→ participant referenceαὐτήν: meaning 'her'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of ἔλαβεν (the betrothed woman).

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἀποστραφήτωlet him returnAor Pass Impv 3 Sg · ἀποστρέφωthird-person imperative (coordinate with πορευέσθω)→ ingressive aorist imperativeἀποστρέφω: 'return'; the fixed discharge-formula.

εἰςtopreposition + accusative (goal)→ spatial or relational framingεἰς: meaning 'to'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (goal).

τὴνtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

οἰκίανhouseAccusativeaccusative object of εἰς (destination)→ object specificationοἰκίαν: meaning 'house'; it serves as accusative object of εἰς (destination).

μὴlestnegative purpose particle (apprehension-clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastμή: 'lest'; renders פֶּן.

ἀποθάνῃhe dieAor Act Subj 3 Sg · ἀποθνῄσκωverb of the apprehension-clause→ ingressive aorist subjunctiveἀποθνῄσκω: 'die'; the feared battlefield death, as in vv. 5–6.

ἐνinpreposition + dative (locative)→ spatial or relational framingἐν: meaning 'in'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + dative (locative).

τῷtheDativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτῷ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πολέμῳbattleDativedative of place ('in the battle')→ sphere or referenceπόλεμος: 'battle'; the locus of feared death.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (extending the clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἄνθρωποςmanNominativesubject of λήμψεται→ participant prominenceἄνθρωπος: 'man'; 'another man' who would marry the betrothed woman in his stead — the sharpest of the three losses.

ἕτεροςanotherNominativeattributive adjective (modifying ἄνθρωπος)→ participant prominenceἕτερος: 'another'; the rival who would take his bride.

λήμψεταιwill takeFut Mid Indic 3 Sg · λαμβάνωverb of the extended apprehension-clause→ predictive future (the dreaded outcome)λαμβάνω (fut. mid. λήμψομαι): 'will take'; the framing repetition ἔλαβεν … λήμψεται echoes the house and vineyard exemptions; the loss of the bride to another is the most personally devastating of the three interrupted joys.

αὐτήνherAccusativedirect object of λήμψεται (the betrothed woman)→ participant referenceαὐτήν: meaning 'her'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of λήμψεται (the betrothed woman).

καὶ προσθήσουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν καὶ ἐροῦσιν τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ φοβούμενος καὶ δειλὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ πορευέσθω καὶ ἀποστραφήτω εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ δειλιάνῃ τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ ὥσπερ ἡ αὐτοῦ

And the officials shall continue to speak to the people, and they shall say, 'Who is the man who is afraid and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest he make the heart of his brother fail like his own.'

Fourth exemption (distinct ground): the fearful and fainthearted manκαὶ προσθήσουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς

The Hebraism προσθήσουσιν … λαλῆσαι ('they shall add to speak' = 'continue/further speak') marks a fresh round of address introducing the fourth exemption, which differs in kind from the first three: it concerns not an interrupted joy but a moral-psychological condition — the fearful and fainthearted soldier. The motive is also distinct: not personal loss but contagion — ἵνα μὴ δειλιάνῃ ('lest he make cowardly') his brother's heart. Fear is treated as communicable, threatening the whole army's morale; cf. the priest's exhortation against fear in vv. 1, 3.

Word-by-word analysis· 37 words

καὶandnarrative conjunction (fourth exemption)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

προσθήσουσινshall continue / addFut Act Indic 3 Pl · προστίθημιmain verb (auxiliary in a Hebraizing 'continue to' construction)→ prescriptive future (a further round of address)προστίθημι: 'add / put to'; the idiom προστίθημι + infinitive ('add to do' = 'do further / continue doing') is a Hebraism rendering יָסַף + infinitive (יָסְפוּ … לְדַבֵּר, 'they shall speak again'); here it signals a fresh, distinct exemption beyond the parallel triad of vv. 5–7.

οἱtheNominativearticle (with γραμματεῖς)→ noun-phrase markingοἱ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

γραμματεῖςofficials / officersNominativesubject of προσθήσουσιν→ participant prominenceγραμματεύς: 'officer / official'; renders שֹׁטֵר; the same administrative officers who granted the first three exemptions (v. 5).

λαλῆσαιto speakAor Act Inf · λαλέωcomplementary infinitive (with προσθήσουσιν)→ ingressive aorist infinitive (the further speaking)λαλέω: 'speak'; the complementary infinitive completing the Hebraizing 'continue to speak' construction.

τὸνtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτὸν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

λαὸνpeopleAccusativeaccusative object of πρός (the army)→ object specificationλαός: 'people'; the assembled troops.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἐροῦσινthey shall sayFut Act Indic 3 Pl · λέγωmain verb introducing direct speech→ prescriptive future (the mandated words)λέγω (fut. ἐρῶ): 'say'; introduces the fourth exemption-formula.

τίςwhoNominativeinterrogative pronoun (subject)→ participant referenceτίς: 'who?'; the same summons-formula, now for the fearful man.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with ἄνθρωπος)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἄνθρωποςmanNominativepredicate nominative→ participant prominenceἄνθρωπος: 'man'; the individual of the described disposition.

ὁthe one who isNominativearticle (substantivizing the participle φοβούμενος)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

φοβούμενοςafraidPres Mid Part Nom Sg Masc · φοβέομαιsubstantival participle (defining the exempt man)→ durative present participle (a continuing state of fear)φοβέομαι: 'fear / be afraid'; the present participle denotes a settled, ongoing fearfulness; the same root as the priest's prohibition μὴ φοβεῖσθε (v. 3) — the man who cannot heed that command is dismissed for the army's sake.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (linking the two epithets)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

δειλὸςfainthearted / cowardlyNominativepredicate adjective (coordinate with φοβούμενος)→ participant prominenceδειλός: 'cowardly / timid / fainthearted'; renders רַךְ הַלֵּבָב ('soft of heart'); paired with φοβούμενος it forms the hendiadys 'afraid and fainthearted'; the same root recurs in the verb δειλιάνῃ below, framing fear as both the man's condition and the contagion he spreads (cf. Rev 21:8, where δειλοί head the vice-list).

τῇin theDativearticle (with καρδίᾳ)→ noun-phrase markingτῇ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

καρδίᾳheartDativedative of respect ('fainthearted with respect to the heart')→ sphere or referenceκαρδία: 'heart'; the dative of respect specifies the seat of the cowardice — δειλὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ ('cowardly in heart'), rendering רַךְ הַלֵּבָב; the heart, the seat of courage (cf. v. 3), is where the fearful man's failure lies.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

εἰςtopreposition + accusative (goal)→ spatial or relational framingεἰς: meaning 'to'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (goal).

τὴνtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

οἰκίανhouseAccusativeaccusative object of εἰς (destination)→ object specificationοἰκίαν: meaning 'house'; it serves as accusative object of εἰς (destination).

ἵναso thatpurpose conjunction (with μή: negative purpose)→ discourse linkage or contrastἵνα: 'in order that'; with μή forms a negative purpose clause (rendering וְלֹא / פֶּן), stating the communal reason for the dismissal: to prevent the spread of fear.

μὴnotnegative (with ἵνα + subjunctive)→ clausal qualification or emphasisμὴ: meaning 'not'; it negates or qualifies the assertion of the clause.

δειλιάνῃhe make faintheartedAor Act Subj 3 Sg · δειλιάωverb of the negative purpose clause→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (the feared contagion of fear)δειλιάω: 'be cowardly'; here used transitively (causative), 'make cowardly / cause to lose heart'; cognate with δειλός above; the point is that cowardice is contagious — one fearful man can 'melt' the resolve of those around him, so his removal protects the army's morale (cf. Deut 1:28; Josh 7:5).

τὴνtheAccusativearticle (with καρδίαν)→ noun-phrase markingτὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

καρδίανheartAccusativedirect object of δειλιάνῃ→ object specificationκαρδία: 'heart'; the seat of courage in the brother-soldier, which the fearful man's presence would weaken.

τοῦof theGenitivearticle (with ἀδελφοῦ)→ noun-phrase markingτοῦ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἀδελφοῦbrotherGenitivegenitive of possession ('his brother's heart')→ relational specificationἀδελφός: 'brother'; renders אָח; the fellow-soldier as covenant brother; the term underscores the communal bond that fear would corrode — Israelite warfare is a brotherhood whose courage stands or falls together.

αὐτοῦhisGenitivegenitive of possession (the fearful man's brother)→ relational specificationαὐτοῦ: meaning 'his'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (the fearful man's brother).

ὥσπερjust ascomparative particle (introducing comparison)→ discourse linkage or contrastὥσπερ: 'just as / even as'; renders כְּ; introduces the comparison: the brother's heart would become cowardly 'just like' the fearful man's own — fear reproducing itself.

ἡthe [heart]Nominativesubstantival article (standing for καρδία: 'his own [heart]')→ noun-phrase markingἡ (αὐτοῦ): the feminine article used substantivally for the elided καρδία; ἡ αὐτοῦ = 'his own (heart)'; the elliptical comparison drives home the danger: the coward's heart, left in the ranks, makes other hearts like itself.

αὐτοῦhis ownGenitivegenitive of possession (with elided καρδία)→ relational specificationαὐτοῦ: meaning 'his own'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (with elided καρδία).

καὶ ἔσται ὅταν παύσωνται οἱ γραμματεῖς λαλοῦντες πρὸς τὸν λαόν καὶ καταστήσουσιν ἄρχοντας τῆς στρατιᾶς προηγουμένους τοῦ λαοῦ

And it shall be, when the officials have ceased speaking to the people, that they shall appoint commanders of the army to lead the people.

Closure of section B: appointment of commanders after the exemptionsκαὶ ἔσται ὅταν παύσωνται

The Hebraizing temporal formula καὶ ἔσται ὅταν (as in v. 2) frames the transition: only after the exemptions are complete and the ranks purged of the unwilling and unfit are military commanders appointed. The sequence is deliberate — Israel goes to war with a winnowed, willing army led by appointed officers, the human ordering that complements the divine vanguard of v. 4.

Word-by-word analysis· 18 words

καὶandnarrative conjunction (temporal frame)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἔσταιit shall beFut Mid Indic 3 Sg · εἰμίmain verb of the Hebraizing temporal formula→ predictive future (frames the apodosis)εἰμί (fut. ἔσται): 'be / happen'; καὶ ἔσται renders וְהָיָה, framing the time-clause; parallel to v. 2.

ὅτανwhentemporal conjunction (+ subjunctive)→ discourse linkage or contrastὅταν: 'when'; takes the subjunctive παύσωνται; specifies the completion of the exemption-speeches as the cue for appointing commanders.

παύσωνταιhave ceasedAor Mid Subj 3 Pl · παύωverb of the temporal clause (subjunctive with ὅταν)→ effective aorist subjunctive (the completed cessation of speaking)παύω: act. 'stop / make cease', mid. 'cease / leave off'; renders כָּלָה ('finish'); the middle παύσωνται with the supplementary participle λαλοῦντες means 'cease speaking' — the officials' whole address (vv. 5–8) being now complete.

οἱtheNominativearticle (with γραμματεῖς)→ noun-phrase markingοἱ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

γραμματεῖςofficials / officersNominativesubject of παύσωνται→ participant prominenceγραμματεύς: 'officer / official'; renders שֹׁטֵר; the officers who delivered the exemptions.

λαλοῦντεςspeakingPres Act Part Nom Pl Masc · λαλέωsupplementary participle (with παύσωνται: 'cease speaking')→ durative present participle (the ongoing speaking now brought to an end)λαλέω: 'speak'; the supplementary participle completes παύομαι ('cease from speaking'); a standard Greek construction (παύομαι + participle).

τὸνtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτὸν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

λαόνpeopleAccusativeaccusative object of πρός (the army)→ object specificationλαός: 'people'; the assembled troops addressed in vv. 5–8.

καὶthenapodotic καί (main clause after temporal frame)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαί: apodotic, rendering the Hebrew apodosis-waw: 'when … then they shall appoint…'.

καταστήσουσινthey shall appointFut Act Indic 3 Pl · καθίστημιmain verb of the apodosis→ prescriptive future (the mandated appointment)καθίστημι: 'set / appoint / establish'; renders פָּקַד / שׂוּם; the standard verb for installing officials in office; the commanders are appointed only after the ranks are purified of the exempt and the fearful.

ἄρχονταςcommanders / rulersAccusativedirect object of καταστήσουσιν→ object specificationἄρχων: 'ruler / commander / leader'; renders שַׂר ('captain / commander'); the military commanders set over the winnowed army; the term denotes those with delegated authority over the troops.

τῆςof theGenitivearticle (with στρατιᾶς)→ noun-phrase markingτῆς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

στρατιᾶςarmy / hostGenitivegenitive (commanders 'of the army')→ relational specificationστρατιά: 'army / host'; renders צָבָא; the assembled fighting force; ἄρχοντας τῆς στρατιᾶς = 'commanders of the host', the officer-corps over the troops.

προηγουμένουςleading / going at the headPres Mid Part Acc Pl Masc · προηγέομαιpredicative participle (modifying ἄρχοντας)→ durative present participle (the leaders' ongoing function at the front)προηγέομαι: 'go before / lead the way / take the lead'; the participle describes the commanders' role as those who march at the army's head; note the verbal echo of YHWH the divine vanguard (ὁ προπορευόμενος, v. 4) — the human commanders lead under the leadership of God.

τοῦof theGenitivearticle (with λαοῦ)→ noun-phrase markingτοῦ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

λαοῦpeopleGenitivegenitive object of προηγουμένους ('leading the people')→ relational specificationλαός: 'people'; the army the commanders lead; the genitive is governed by the participle of leading.

ἐὰν δὲ προσέλθῃς πρὸς πόλιν ἐκπολεμῆσαι αὐτήν καὶ ἐκκαλέσῃ αὐτοὺς μετ᾿ εἰρήνης

And if you approach a city to make war against it, then you shall call out to them with terms of peace.

New legal protasis opening section C: the protocol of siegeἐὰν δὲ προσέλθῃς

A new casuistic unit (ἐάν + subjunctive) opens the siege-protocol. The cardinal principle stands first and governs all that follows: before any assault, Israel must call out an offer of peace (μετ᾽ εἰρήνης). The keyword εἰρήνη ('peace') establishes that war is not the first resort even against a hostile city; only a refusal of peace legitimates the siege of vv. 12ff.

Word-by-word analysis· 12 words

ἐὰνifconditional conjunction (protasis + subjunctive)→ discourse linkage or contrastἐάν: 'if'; opens a new case-law unit on the conduct of siege warfare.

δὲnowtransitional continuative (post-positive)→ discourse linkage or contrastδέ: marks the transition from the mustering laws (vv. 1–9) to the siege-protocol (vv. 10–18).

προσέλθῃςyou approachAor Act Subj 2 Sg · προσέρχομαιverb of the protasis (subjunctive with ἐάν)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (advancing upon a city)προσέρχομαι: 'come/draw near / approach'; renders קָרַב; here of advancing on a city to besiege it; the approach triggers the obligation to offer peace first.

πρὸςtopreposition + accusative (direction of approach)→ spatial or relational framingπρὸς: meaning 'to'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (direction of approach).

πόλινa cityAccusativeaccusative object of πρός (the besieged city)→ object specificationπόλις: 'city'; renders עִיר; the fortified city is the object of the siege-law; the keyword of section C (vv. 10, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20).

ἐκπολεμῆσαιto make war againstAor Act Inf · ἐκπολεμέωinfinitive of purpose (with προσέλθῃς)→ purposive aorist infinitive (the aim of the approach)ἐκπολεμέω: 'make war on / wage war to the finish'; the compound ἐκ- intensifies ('war it out'); renders לְהִלָּחֵם עָל; states the hostile purpose of the approach, against which the peace-offer is then set.

αὐτήνitAccusativedirect object of ἐκπολεμῆσαι (the city)→ participant referenceαὐτήν: meaning 'it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of ἐκπολεμῆσαι (the city).

καὶthencoordinate conjunction (here introducing the required first action)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαί: links the obligatory peace-offer to the approach — even with hostile intent, the first act must be the call to peace.

ἐκκαλέσῃyou shall call outAor Act Subj 2 Sg · ἐκκαλέωverb coordinate with προσέλθῃς (the mandated peace-offer)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (issuing the call to peace)ἐκκαλέω: 'call out / summon forth'; renders קָרָא אֵל ('call to') — the LXX has the besieger 'call out to them' with an offer of peace; the obligatory first step before any assault, embodying the principle that peace must be offered before war is waged.

αὐτοὺςthemAccusativedirect object of ἐκκαλέσῃ (the city's inhabitants)→ participant referencethe plural αὐτούς (the inhabitants) shifts from the singular city (πόλιν / αὐτήν) to its people, the actual recipients of the peace-offer.

μετ᾿withpreposition + genitive (accompaniment: terms of peace)→ spatial or relational framingμετά + gen.: 'with'; μετ᾽ εἰρήνης = 'with (an offer of) peace', i.e. on peaceable terms; renders לְשָׁלוֹם ('for peace').

εἰρήνηςpeaceGenitivegenitive object of μετά ('with peace')→ relational specificationεἰρήνη: 'peace'; renders שָׁלוֹם; the keyword of the siege-protocol's opening principle — peace must be offered before war; here it denotes terms of surrender and submission rather than mutual amity, but the priority of the offer is itself significant (contrast the ḥerem of vv. 16–17).

ἐὰν μὲν εἰρηνικὰ ἀποκριθῶσίν σοι καὶ ἀνοίξωσίν σοι ἔσται πᾶς ὁ λαὸς οἱ εὑρεθέντες ἐν αὐτῇ ἔσονταί σοι φορολόγητοι καὶ ὑπήκοοί σου

If, on the one hand, they answer you peaceably and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be tributary to you and subject to you.

First branch (μέν): the city that accepts peace becomes tributaryἐὰν μὲν εἰρηνικὰ ἀποκριθῶσίν

The μέν … δέ structure (vv. 11–12) sets out the two outcomes of the peace-offer. The first branch: if the city answers peaceably and opens its gates, its whole population is spared but reduced to tributary forced labor and subjection (φορολόγητοι καὶ ὑπήκοοι). Acceptance preserves life at the cost of liberty; the LXX's φορολόγητος ('liable to tribute') makes the labor-tax explicit.

Word-by-word analysis· 22 words

ἐὰνifconditional conjunction (protasis of first branch)→ discourse linkage or contrastἐάν: 'if'; introduces the first of two outcome-conditions.

μὲνon the one handcorrelative particle (anticipating δέ of v. 12)→ discourse linkage or contrastμέν: the first member of a μέν … δέ correlation; sets the peaceful-response scenario over against the hostile response of v. 12 (ἐὰν δέ).

εἰρηνικὰpeaceable things / peaceablyAccusativeadverbial accusative (neuter plural: 'a peaceful answer')→ object specificationεἰρηνικός: 'peaceful / peaceable'; the neuter plural εἰρηνικά functions as the content of the answer ('peaceful things') or adverbially ('peaceably'); renders שָׁלוֹם; cognate with εἰρήνη (v. 10), marking the city's acceptance of the peace-terms.

ἀποκριθῶσίνthey answerAor Pass Subj 3 Pl · ἀποκρίνομαιverb of the protasis (subjunctive)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (the giving of a peaceful reply)ἀποκρίνομαι: 'answer / respond'; renders עָנָה; the deponent aorist passive form (ἀπεκρίθην) is standard koine; the city's peaceable reply to the peace-offer.

σοιyouDativedative indirect object of ἀποκριθῶσιν→ participant reference or interestσοι: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as dative indirect object of ἀποκριθῶσιν.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἀνοίξωσίνthey openAor Act Subj 3 Pl · ἀνοίγωverb coordinate with ἀποκριθῶσιν (in the protasis)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (the opening of the gates)ἀνοίγω: 'open'; renders פָּתַח; 'open to you' means open the city gates in surrender — the concrete act of accepting the peace-terms; the implied object is 'the gates' (cf. the city).

σοιto youDativedative indirect object of ἀνοίξωσιν→ participant reference or interestσοι: meaning 'to you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as dative indirect object of ἀνοίξωσιν.

ἔσταιit shall beFut Mid Indic 3 Sg · εἰμίverb of the apodosis (impersonal/anticipatory)→ predictive future (introducing the outcome)εἰμί (fut. ἔσται): 'it shall be / come to pass'; an anticipatory singular introducing the result, before the plural ἔσονται resumes with the actual subject 'all the people'.

πᾶςallNominativeattributive adjective (modifying ὁ λαός)→ participant prominenceπᾶς: 'all / whole'; the entire population without exception is subjected to tribute.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with λαός)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

λαὸςpeopleNominativesubject (the city's population)→ participant prominenceλαός: 'people'; here the inhabitants of the surrendering city (not Israel); the whole populace becomes a labor-force.

οἱthoseNominativearticle (substantivizing the participle εὑρεθέντες)→ noun-phrase markingοἱ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

εὑρεθέντεςfoundAor Pass Part Nom Pl Masc · εὑρίσκωsubstantival participle in apposition to ὁ λαός ('those found')→ constative aorist participle (those present at the city's surrender)εὑρίσκω: 'find'; the passive participle 'those found in it' = all inhabitants present in the city at its capitulation; renders הַנִּמְצָא ('that is found').

ἐνinpreposition + dative (locative)→ spatial or relational framingἐν: meaning 'in'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + dative (locative).

αὐτῇitDativedative of place (the city)→ participant reference or interestαὐτῇ: meaning 'it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as dative of place (the city).

ἔσονταίshall beFut Mid Indic 3 Pl · εἰμίmain verb of the apodosis (predicate of status)→ predictive future (the imposed status of tribute)εἰμί (fut. ἔσονται): 'shall be'; resumes the anticipatory ἔσται with the proper plural subject; introduces the predicate nouns describing the population's new servile condition.

σοιto youDativedative of advantage/relation ('for/to you')→ participant reference or interestσοι: meaning 'to you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as dative of advantage/relation ('for/to you').

φορολόγητοιtributary / liable to tributeNominativepredicate adjective (with ἔσονται)→ participant prominenceφορολόγητος: 'subject to tribute / liable to tax-labor'; renders לָמַס ('forced-labor levy'); the LXX specifies that the spared city's population becomes a corvée/tribute force — life preserved but liberty forfeit; the term combines φόρος ('tribute') and the root of λέγω/collect.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (linking the two predicates)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ὑπήκοοίsubject / obedientNominativepredicate adjective (coordinate with φορολόγητοι)→ participant prominenceὑπήκοος: 'subject / obedient / under authority'; renders עָבַד ('serve'); the second predicate completes the picture: the spared city is both taxed (φορολόγητοι) and politically subordinate (ὑπήκοοι) to Israel.

σουto youGenitivegenitive (subordinate 'to you / under you')→ relational specificationσου: meaning 'to you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive (subordinate 'to you / under you').

ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ὑπακούσωσίν σοι καὶ ποιήσωσιν πρὸς σὲ πόλεμον περικαθιεῖς αὐτήν

But if they do not obey you and make war against you, you shall besiege it.

Second branch (δέ): the city that refuses peace is besiegedἐὰν δὲ μὴ ὑπακούσωσίν

The contrasting δέ-branch: refusal of the peace-offer and active hostility (ποιήσωσιν … πόλεμον) authorizes the siege. The verb ὑπακούσωσιν echoes ὑπήκοοι of v. 11 — the city that will not become 'obedient' by submission is met with force. περικαθιεῖς ('you shall besiege') introduces the encirclement whose grim results follow in vv. 13–14.

Word-by-word analysis· 12 words

ἐὰνifconditional conjunction (protasis of second branch)→ discourse linkage or contrastἐάν: 'if'; introduces the contrasting hostile-response scenario.

δὲbutadversative (post-positive, answering μέν of v. 11)→ discourse linkage or contrastδέ: the answering member of the μέν … δέ correlation; marks the opposite outcome — refusal rather than acceptance of peace.

μὴnotnegative (with subjunctive ὑπακούσωσιν)→ clausal qualification or emphasisμή: the negative in the subjunctive protasis: 'if they do not obey'.

ὑπακούσωσίνthey obeyAor Act Subj 3 Pl · ὑπακούωverb of the protasis (negated subjunctive)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (refusal to submit)ὑπακούω: 'obey / submit / heed'; renders שָׁמַע ('hearken'); cognate with ὑπήκοοι (v. 11) — the city's refusal to 'be obedient' by accepting terms; the verb of submission negated triggers the siege.

σοιyouDativedative object of ὑπακούσωσιν (obey 'you')→ participant reference or interestσοι: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as dative object of ὑπακούσωσιν (obey 'you').

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ποιήσωσινthey makeAor Act Subj 3 Pl · ποιέωverb coordinate with ὑπακούσωσιν (in the protasis)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (the city's resort to war)ποιέω: 'make / do'; the idiom ποιεῖν πόλεμον ('make war') renders עָשָׂה מִלְחָמָה; the city not only refuses terms but actively gives battle, fully justifying the siege.

πρὸςagainstpreposition + accusative (hostile direction)→ spatial or relational framingπρός + acc.: here in hostile sense, 'against'; renders עִם in the war-idiom.

σὲyouAccusativeaccusative object of πρός ('war against you')→ participant referenceσὲ: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as accusative object of πρός ('war against you').

πόλεμονwarAccusativedirect object of ποιήσωσιν ('make war')→ object specificationπόλεμος: 'war / battle'; the keyword; the city's choice of war over peace seals its fate to siege.

περικαθιεῖςyou shall besiegeFut Act Indic 2 Sg · περικαθίζωmain verb of the apodosis→ imperatival future (the prescribed siege)περικαθίζω: 'sit down around / besiege / invest'; the compound περι- ('around') renders צוּר ('lay siege'); the technical term for encircling a city to starve and storm it; the future has prescriptive force within the law.

αὐτήνitAccusativedirect object of περικαθιεῖς (the resisting city)→ participant referenceαὐτήν: meaning 'it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of περικαθιεῖς (the resisting city).

καὶ παραδώσει αὐτὴν κύριος ὁ θεός σου εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου καὶ πατάξεις πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν αὐτῆς ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας

And the LORD your God will give it into your hands, and you shall strike down every male of it with the slaughter of the sword.

Outcome of the siege: divine handover and the killing of the malesκαὶ παραδώσει αὐτὴν κύριος

The fall of the resisting city is framed as YHWH's gift (παραδώσει … κύριος): victory is divinely given, not merely won. The grim consequence is the death of all the males (πᾶν ἀρσενικόν) by the sword. This is the lex talionis of refused peace; the LXX's ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ('with the slaughter of the sword') renders the Hebrew לְפִי חֶרֶב ('by the mouth/edge of the sword') with a stark periphrasis emphasizing the killing itself.

Word-by-word analysis· 19 words

καὶandnarrative conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

παραδώσειwill give overFut Act Indic 3 Sg · παραδίδωμιmain verb (divine handover of the city)→ predictive future (the assured divine grant of victory)παραδίδωμι: 'hand over / deliver up'; renders נָתַן בְּיָד ('give into the hand'); the standard holy-war idiom for YHWH delivering the enemy to Israel (cf. Deut 7:2; Josh 6:2); victory is framed as divine gift, undergirding the fearlessness of vv. 1–4.

αὐτὴνitAccusativedirect object of παραδώσει (the city)→ participant referenceαὐτὴν: meaning 'it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of παραδώσει (the city).

κύριοςLORDNominativesubject of παραδώσει→ participant prominenceκύριος: the Tetragrammaton יהוה; the giver of the city — even in the harsh law of conquest, the victory is attributed to God, not to Israel's might.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with θεός)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

θεόςGodNominativenominative in apposition to κύριος→ participant prominenceθεός: 'God'; the covenant designation κύριος ὁ θεός σου recurs as the agent of victory.

σουyourGenitivegenitive of possession→ relational specificationσου: meaning 'your'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession.

εἰςintopreposition + accusative (idiom: 'into the hands')→ spatial or relational framingεἰς: meaning 'into'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (idiom: 'into the hands').

τὰςtheAccusativearticle→ noun-phrase markingτὰς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

χεῖράςhandsAccusativeaccusative object of εἰς (idiom of delivering into power)→ object specificationχείρ: 'hand'; εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου ('into your hands') renders בְּיָדֶךָ, the idiom for delivering an enemy into one's power/control.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

πατάξειςyou shall strike downFut Act Indic 2 Sg · πατάσσωmain verb (the killing of the males)→ imperatival future (the prescribed execution of the males)πατάσσω: 'strike / smite / kill'; renders הִכָּה (Hiphil of נָכָה); the standard verb for striking down in battle; here the future has prescriptive force — the captured city's males are to be put to death.

πᾶνeveryAccusativeattributive adjective (modifying ἀρσενικόν)→ object specificationπᾶς: 'every / all'; the totality of the male population is the object of the killing — a sober and difficult provision of the war-law for a resisting (non-Canaanite) city.

ἀρσενικὸνmaleAccusativedirect object of πατάξεις (collective)→ object specificationἀρσενικός: 'male'; renders זָכָר; the killing is restricted to the males (combatants), while women and children are spared (v. 14) — a limitation that distinguishes this 'distant city' law from the total ḥerem of the Canaanite cities (vv. 16–17).

αὐτῆςof itGenitivegenitive of possession (the city's males)→ relational specificationαὐτῆς: meaning 'of it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (the city's males).

ἐνwithpreposition + dative (instrumental/manner)→ spatial or relational framingἐν: meaning 'with'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + dative (instrumental/manner).

φόνῳslaughterDativedative of manner/instrument ('with slaughter')→ sphere or referenceφόνος: 'murder / slaughter / killing'; the phrase ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ('with the slaughter of the sword') is the LXX's rendering of לְפִי חֶרֶב ('by the edge of the sword'), substituting the act of slaying for the Hebrew anatomical idiom ('mouth of the sword').

μαχαίραςof the swordGenitivegenitive (with φόνῳ: 'slaughter of the sword')→ relational specificationμάχαιρα: 'sword / knife'; renders חֶרֶב; the instrument of the killing; the whole phrase denotes death by the sword.

πλὴν τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τῆς ἀποσκευῆς καὶ πάντα τὰ κτήνη καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ὑπάρχῃ ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀπαρτίαν προνομεύσεις σεαυτῷ καὶ φάγῃ πᾶσαν τὴν προνομὴν τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου ὧν κύριος ὁ θεός σου δίδωσίν σοι

Except the women and the dependents and all the livestock, and all that is in the city, and all the goods, you shall plunder for yourself, and you shall eat all the spoil of your enemies which the LORD your God gives you.

Limitation on the killing: the spared persons and the spoilπλὴν τῶν γυναικῶν

πλήν ('except') marks the limitation on v. 13's killing: women, dependents, livestock, and all goods are spared and become plunder. The repeated πᾶς (women, all livestock, all that is in the city, all the goods, all the spoil) underscores the comprehensiveness of the permitted booty. The closing relative clause ὧν … δίδωσίν σοι frames even the plunder as YHWH's gift, theologizing the spoils of (distant-city) war.

Word-by-word analysis· 39 words

πλὴνexceptimproper preposition + genitive (exception)→ spatial or relational framingπλήν: 'except / besides'; renders רַק ('only / except'); governs the genitives τῶν γυναικῶν, τῆς ἀποσκευῆς; marks the categories exempt from the killing of v. 13 and designated instead as spoil.

τῶνtheGenitivearticle (with γυναικῶν)→ noun-phrase markingτῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

γυναικῶνwomenGenitivegenitive governed by πλήν (excepted from killing)→ relational specificationγυνή: 'woman'; renders נָשִׁים; the women are spared death and taken as captives/plunder, in contrast to the total ḥerem applied to the Canaanite cities (v. 16).

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

τῆςtheGenitivearticle (with ἀποσκευῆς)→ noun-phrase markingτῆς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἀποσκευῆςdependents / baggageGenitivegenitive governed by πλήν→ relational specificationἀποσκευή: lit. 'baggage / household impedimenta', in the LXX regularly 'dependents / little ones' (the non-combatant members of a household — children and the infirm); renders טַף ('little ones / children'); the LXX subsumes the vulnerable dependents under the spared categories.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction (shifting to accusative spoil-list)→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

πάνταallAccusativeattributive adjective (modifying τὰ κτήνη)→ object specificationπᾶς: 'all'; the construction shifts from the genitive (after πλήν) to the accusative (objects of προνομεύσεις); the booty is enumerated comprehensively.

τὰtheAccusativearticle (with κτήνη)→ noun-phrase markingτὰ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

κτήνηlivestockAccusativedirect object of προνομεύσεις (part of the spoil)→ object specificationκτῆνος: 'beast / livestock'; renders בְּהֵמָה; the animals of the captured city are taken as plunder.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

πάνταallAccusativesubstantival adjective (antecedent of ὅσα)→ object specificationπᾶς: 'all (things)'; here substantival, 'everything', anticipating the relative clause ὅσα ἂν ὑπάρχῃ.

ὅσαwhateverAccusativerelative pronoun (object within the relative clause)→ participant referenceὅσος: 'as much as / whatever'; renders אֲשֶׁר; the indefinite relative with ἄν generalizes: 'all that may be in the city'.

ἂνevermodal particle (with subjunctive in indefinite relative clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastἄν: the modal particle marking the relative clause as indefinite/generalizing; with the subjunctive ὑπάρχῃ.

ὑπάρχῃis / existsPres Act Subj 3 Sg · ὑπάρχωverb of the indefinite relative clause→ durative present subjunctive (whatever is present in the city)ὑπάρχω: 'be / exist / belong / be at hand'; renders הָיָה; 'all that exists/is found in the city' — the entire contents are designated as plunder.

ἐνinpreposition + dative (locative)→ spatial or relational framingἐν: meaning 'in'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + dative (locative).

τῇtheDativearticle (with πόλει)→ noun-phrase markingτῇ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πόλειcityDativedative of place ('in the city')→ sphere or referenceπόλις: 'city'; the captured city whose contents become spoil.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

πᾶσανallAccusativeattributive adjective (modifying τὴν ἀπαρτίαν)→ object specificationπᾶς: 'all'; comprehensiveness again stressed.

τὴνtheAccusativearticle (with ἀπαρτίαν)→ noun-phrase markingτὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἀπαρτίανgoods / furnishingsAccusativedirect object of προνομεύσεις→ object specificationἀπαρτία: 'movable goods / household furnishings / chattels'; a rarer term denoting the portable property of the city; renders שָׁלָל ('spoil') in the broad sense of all the seizable goods.

προνομεύσειςyou shall plunderFut Act Indic 2 Sg · προνομεύωmain verb (the taking of spoil)→ imperatival/permissive future (the sanctioned taking of booty)προνομεύω: 'forage / plunder / take as booty'; denominative from προνομή ('foraging / spoil'); renders בָּזַז ('plunder'); the future grants permission to seize the enumerated booty for oneself.

σεαυτῷfor yourselfDativereflexive dative of advantage→ sphere or referenceσεαυτοῦ: 'yourself'; the reflexive dative marks the spoil as taken for Israel's own benefit and use — a contrast to the ḥerem, where nothing may be retained.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

φάγῃyou shall eatFut Mid Indic 2 Sg · ἐσθίωmain verb (enjoyment of the spoil)→ permissive future (the lawful consumption of the booty)ἐσθίω (fut. mid. φάγομαι): 'eat / consume'; renders אָכַל; 'eat the spoil' means enjoy and consume the plunder; the verb extends the permission from seizing to consuming — the booty is genuinely Israel's to use.

πᾶσανallAccusativeattributive adjective (modifying τὴν προνομήν)→ object specificationπᾶς: 'all'; the totality of the spoil is enjoyable.

τὴνtheAccusativearticle (with προνομήν)→ noun-phrase markingτὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

προνομὴνspoil / plunderAccusativedirect object of φάγῃ→ object specificationπρονομή: 'foraging / booty / spoil'; cognate with προνομεύσεις above; renders שָׁלָל ('spoil'); the captured goods now framed as the enjoyable produce of victory.

τῶνof theGenitivearticle (with ἐχθρῶν)→ noun-phrase markingτῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἐχθρῶνenemiesGenitivegenitive of possession/source ('spoil of your enemies')→ relational specificationἐχθρός: 'enemy'; the defeated foe whose goods become Israel's spoil.

ὧνwhichGenitiverelative pronoun (genitive by attraction; object of δίδωσιν)→ relational specificationὅς: relative pronoun; the genitive ὧν is attracted to the case of its antecedent (ἐχθρῶν) — strictly the object 'spoil' which YHWH gives; the relative clause frames even the spoils as a divine gift.

κύριοςLORDNominativesubject of δίδωσιν→ participant prominenceκύριος: the Tetragrammaton יהוה; the giver of victory and spoil alike.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with θεός)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

θεόςGodNominativenominative in apposition to κύριος→ participant prominenceθεός: 'God'; the covenant designation, framing the booty as YHWH's provision.

δίδωσίνgivesPres Act Indic 3 Sg · δίδωμιverb of the relative clause (divine giving of spoil)→ customary/durative present (YHWH's continual giving)δίδωμι: 'give'; renders נָתַן; the present tense presents the giving as YHWH's characteristic, ongoing provision; the spoil is gift, not mere conquest.

σοιto youDativedative indirect object of δίδωσιν→ participant reference or interestσοι: meaning 'to you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as dative indirect object of δίδωσιν.

οὕτως ποιήσεις πάσας τὰς πόλεις τὰς μακρὰν οὔσας ἀπὸ σοῦ σφόδρα αἳ οὐχὶ ἐκ τῶν πόλεων τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτων

Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far away from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.

Summary application: the foregoing law applies to distant cities onlyοὕτως ποιήσεις

οὕτως ('thus') gathers up the protocol of vv. 10–14 and restricts its scope: this graduated law — peace offered, males killed if it resists, women/spoil taken — applies only to far-off cities outside the promised land. The relative clause αἳ οὐχί … explicitly excludes the Canaanite cities, setting up the sharp antithesis (ἰδοὺ δέ) of vv. 16–18.

Word-by-word analysis· 19 words

οὕτωςthusadverb of manner (summarizing the foregoing protocol)→ adverbial qualificationοὕτως: 'thus / in this way'; renders כֵּן; gathers the whole distant-city protocol (vv. 10–14) into a single rule of application.

ποιήσειςyou shall doFut Act Indic 2 Sg · ποιέωmain verb (prescriptive summary)→ imperatival future (the prescribed treatment of distant cities)ποιέω: 'do / act'; renders עָשָׂה; 'thus you shall do' (with the accusative of the cities treated) prescribes the foregoing protocol as the rule for all distant cities.

πάσαςallAccusativeattributive adjective (modifying τὰς πόλεις)→ object specificationπᾶς: 'all'; the rule covers every distant city without exception.

τὰςtheAccusativearticle (with πόλεις)→ noun-phrase markingτὰς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πόλειςcitiesAccusativeaccusative of the thing affected (with ποιήσεις: 'do to the cities')→ object specificationπόλις: 'city'; here the distant cities to which the lenient protocol applies; the double accusative construction ('do thus to the cities') is a Hebraism (עָשָׂה לְ).

τὰςtheAccusativearticle (with the participial phrase μακρὰν οὔσας)→ noun-phrase markingτὰς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

μακρὰνfar awayadverb (with οὔσας: 'being far')→ clausal contributionμακράν: adverb 'far / at a distance'; renders רָחוֹק; defines the cities as geographically remote — outside the land of inheritance, hence subject to the milder rule.

οὔσαςbeingPres Act Part Acc Pl Fem · εἰμίattributive participle (modifying τὰς πόλεις: 'the cities that are far')→ durative present participle (the cities' settled remoteness)εἰμί (pres. part. οὖσα): 'being'; the attributive participle with μακράν forms the relative idea 'which are far away'; defines the category of distant cities.

ἀπὸfrompreposition + genitive (separation/distance)→ spatial or relational framingἀπὸ: meaning 'from'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + genitive (separation/distance).

σοῦyouGenitivegenitive object of ἀπό (point of reference for distance)→ relational specificationσοῦ: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive object of ἀπό (point of reference for distance).

σφόδραveryadverb of degree (intensifying μακράν)→ clausal contributionσφόδρα: 'very / exceedingly'; renders מְאֹד; intensifies the distance — these are cities well outside the promised territory, emphasizing the contrast with the nearby Canaanite cities.

αἳwhichNominativerelative pronoun (subject of the relative clause)→ participant referenceὅς: relative pronoun (fem. pl. αἵ); introduces the defining clause that excludes the Canaanite cities from the lenient rule.

οὐχὶnotemphatic negative (in the nominal relative clause)→ clausal contributionοὐχί: emphatic form of οὐ, 'not (at all)'; renders לֹא; the elliptical clause 'which are not of the cities of these nations' supplies an implied 'are'; the emphatic negation sharpens the exclusion.

ἐκof / from amongpreposition + genitive (partitive/origin)→ spatial or relational framingἐκ: 'from / of'; partitive, 'not (belonging) among the cities of these nations'.

τῶνtheGenitivearticle (with πόλεων)→ noun-phrase markingτῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πόλεωνcitiesGenitivegenitive object of ἐκ (partitive)→ relational specificationπόλις: 'city'; the Canaanite cities, expressly excluded from the milder protocol.

τῶνof theGenitivearticle (with ἐθνῶν)→ noun-phrase markingτῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἐθνῶνnationsGenitivegenitive (defining the cities: 'of these nations')→ relational specificationἔθνος: 'nation / people / Gentile'; renders גּוֹי; here the Canaanite peoples whose cities fall under ḥerem (named in v. 17); the term distinguishes the indigenous nations of the land from foreign states.

τούτωνtheseGenitivedemonstrative (modifying ἐθνῶν: 'these nations')→ relational specificationοὗτος: 'this / these'; the demonstrative points to the specific Canaanite nations about to be named (v. 17), set apart for total destruction.

ἰδοὺ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτων ὧν κύριος ὁ θεός σου δίδωσίν σοι κληρονομεῖν τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν οὐ ζωγρήσετε ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν πᾶν ἐμπνέον

But behold, of the cities of these nations which the LORD your God gives you to inherit their land, you shall not take alive anything that breathes.

Antithesis: the Canaanite cities under total ḥerem (no survivors)ἰδοὺ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων

ἰδοὺ δέ ('but behold') sharply turns from the distant-city protocol to the exceptional, severe law for the Canaanite cities within the inheritance. The contrast is stark: there, women and children spared; here, οὐ ζωγρήσετε … πᾶν ἐμπνέον — nothing that breathes is to be taken alive. This is the most difficult provision of the chapter, to be read soberly within its ancient holy-war horizon and its stated rationale (v. 18: lest Israel learn the nations' abominations).

Word-by-word analysis· 25 words

ἰδοὺbeholdpresentative interjection (marking sharp contrast)→ clausal contributionἰδού: 'behold / look'; renders הִנֵּה; the attention-marker signals the emphatic antithesis between the distant cities (vv. 10–15) and the Canaanite cities (vv. 16–18).

δὲbutadversative (post-positive, marking the contrast)→ discourse linkage or contrastδέ: the strong adversative turning from the lenient rule to the severe ḥerem; with ἰδού it heightens the contrast.

ἀπὸof / frompreposition + genitive (partitive: 'of the cities')→ spatial or relational framingἀπό: here partitive ('of / from among'), fronted for emphasis; the construction 'of the cities … you shall not take alive anything' resumes the partitive idea with ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν below.

τῶνtheGenitivearticle (with πόλεων)→ noun-phrase markingτῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πόλεωνcitiesGenitivegenitive object of ἀπό (the Canaanite cities)→ relational specificationπόλις: 'city'; the cities of the Canaanite nations within the land, subject to total destruction.

τῶνof theGenitivearticle (with ἐθνῶν)→ noun-phrase markingτῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἐθνῶνnationsGenitivegenitive (defining the cities)→ relational specificationἔθνος: 'nation'; the indigenous Canaanite peoples whose land Israel inherits.

τούτωνtheseGenitivedemonstrative (modifying ἐθνῶν)→ relational specificationοὗτος: 'these'; the specific nations listed in v. 17.

ὧνwhichGenitiverelative pronoun (genitive; antecedent 'cities/nations')→ relational specificationὅς: relative pronoun; the genitive relates to the nations/cities whose land YHWH gives — the gift of the land is itself the warrant for its purification.

κύριοςLORDNominativesubject of δίδωσιν→ participant prominenceκύριος: the Tetragrammaton יהוה; the giver of the land — the conquest is framed as receiving a divine inheritance.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with θεός)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

θεόςGodNominativenominative in apposition to κύριος→ participant prominenceθεός: 'God'; the covenant designation.

δίδωσίνgivesPres Act Indic 3 Sg · δίδωμιverb of the relative clause (divine gift of the land)→ customary present (YHWH's giving of the inheritance)δίδωμι: 'give'; renders נֹתֵן; the present participle/indicative of the land-gift formula pervasive in Deuteronomy; the land is inheritance, not mere conquest.

κληρονομεῖνto inheritPres Act Inf · κληρονομέωinfinitive of purpose/result (with δίδωσιν: 'gives to inherit')→ purposive present infinitive (the goal of the gift: possession)κληρονομέω: 'inherit / take possession of'; renders יָרַשׁ; the key Deuteronomic verb for taking possession of the promised land as an inheritance (κληρονομία); the land's status as covenant inheritance grounds the demand for its purification from idolatry.

τὴνtheAccusativearticle (with γῆν)→ noun-phrase markingτὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

γῆνlandAccusativedirect object of κληρονομεῖν→ object specificationγῆ: 'land'; renders אֶרֶץ; the promised land, here specifically the territory of the Canaanite nations.

αὐτῶνtheirGenitivegenitive of possession (the nations' land)→ relational specificationαὐτῶν: meaning 'their'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (the nations' land).

οὐnotnegative (with future indicative for prohibition)→ participant referenceοὐ: the negative with the future ζωγρήσετε forms a categorical prohibition (rendering לֹא): 'you shall by no means spare alive'.

ζωγρήσετεyou shall take alive / spareFut Act Indic 2 Pl · ζωγρέωmain verb (negated: the prohibition of survivors)→ imperatival future (binding prohibition against sparing life)ζωγρέω: 'take alive / capture alive / spare the life of'; from ζωός ('alive') + ἀγρέω ('catch'); renders חָיָה (Piel, 'let live'); the prohibition οὐ ζωγρήσετε ('you shall not leave alive') is the lexical core of ḥerem — total devotion to destruction, no captives taken; the difficult force of this holy-war command is mitigated only by its narrow scope (the Canaanite nations) and its stated rationale (v. 18).

ἀπ᾿of / frompreposition + genitive (partitive, elided before vowel)→ spatial or relational framingἀπό: partitive, 'of them / from among them'; resumes the fronted ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων.

αὐτῶνthemGenitivegenitive object of ἀπό (the cities/nations)→ relational specificationαὐτῶν: meaning 'them'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive object of ἀπό (the cities/nations).

πᾶνanythingAccusativeattributive adjective (modifying ἐμπνέον)→ object specificationπᾶς: 'every / any'; with the negative, 'not anything' — the totality of the prohibition: no living being is to survive.

ἐμπνέονthat breathesPres Act Part Acc Sg Neut · ἐμπνέωsubstantival participle (object of ζωγρήσετε: 'anything breathing')→ durative present participle (any living, breathing creature)ἐμπνέω: 'breathe / draw breath'; the neuter participle πᾶν ἐμπνέον ('everything that breathes') renders כָּל נְשָׁמָה ('every breath / living thing', Deut 20:16; cf. Josh 11:11); the idiom designates every breathing being — the comprehensive object of the ḥerem.

ἀλλ᾿ ἢ ἀναθέματι ἀναθεματιεῖτε αὐτούς τὸν Χετταῖον καὶ Αμορραῖον καὶ Χαναναῖον καὶ Φερεζαῖον καὶ Ευαῖον καὶ Ιεβουσαῖον καὶ Γεργεσαῖον ὃν τρόπον ἐνετείλατό σοι κύριος ὁ θεός σου

But rather you shall utterly devote them to destruction — the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite and the Girgashite — just as the LORD your God commanded you.

Positive command of ḥerem with the list of seven nationsἀλλ᾿ ἢ ἀναθέματι ἀναθεματιεῖτε

The strong adversative ἀλλ᾽ ἤ ('but rather') replaces the prohibition with its positive counterpart: total devotion to destruction. The cognate-dative Hebraism ἀναθέματι ἀναθεματιεῖτε ('with devotion you shall devote') renders the emphatic infinitive absolute הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִימֵם, intensifying the ḥerem. The roll of seven Canaanite nations (here in sevenfold form) is the standard Deuteronomic list (cf. Deut 7:1). The closing ὃν τρόπον … ἐνετείλατο grounds the command in prior divine instruction.

Word-by-word analysis· 27 words

ἀλλ᾿butstrong adversative (elided before vowel)→ clausal contributionἀλλά: 'but'; the strong adversative replacing the negated leniency with the positive command of destruction.

ἢratherparticle reinforcing the adversative (ἀλλ᾽ ἤ = 'but rather')→ discourse linkage or contrastἤ: in the combination ἀλλ᾽ ἤ ('but rather / except'), a fixed LXX idiom rendering כִּי אִם ('but rather'); marks the emphatic contrast between sparing and devoting to destruction.

ἀναθέματιwith devotion-to-destructionDativecognate dative (Hebraism: rendering the emphatic infinitive absolute)→ sphere or referenceἀνάθεμα: 'devoted thing / accursed thing / what is set apart for destruction'; renders חֵרֶם (ḥerem); the cognate dative ἀναθέματι ἀναθεματιεῖτε ('with a devoting you shall devote') is the LXX's standard rendering of the Hebrew emphatic infinitive absolute הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִימֵם, expressing the certainty and completeness of the ḥerem; ἀνάθεμα later acquires in the NT the sense 'accursed' (e.g. Rom 9:3; Gal 1:8).

ἀναθεματιεῖτεyou shall devote to destructionFut Act Indic 2 Pl · ἀναθεματίζωmain verb (cognate-accusative/dative construction: ḥerem)→ imperatival future (the binding command of total devotion)ἀναθεματίζω: 'devote to destruction / place under the ban'; denominative from ἀνάθεμα; renders הֶחֱרִים (Hiphil of חרם); to place persons or things under ḥerem was to consecrate them irrevocably to YHWH by destruction, removing them from common use; this is the technical verb of holy-war annihilation, and its sober severity must be read within its ancient covenantal and cultic frame (the rationale follows in v. 18).

αὐτούςthemAccusativedirect object of ἀναθεματιεῖτε (the Canaanite nations)→ participant referenceαὐτούς: meaning 'them'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of ἀναθεματιεῖτε (the Canaanite nations).

τὸνtheAccusativearticle (with Χετταῖον; in apposition to αὐτούς)→ noun-phrase markingτὸν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ΧετταῖονHittiteAccusativeaccusative in apposition to αὐτούς (first nation listed)→ object specificationΧετταῖος: 'Hittite'; gentilic adjective rendering חִתִּי; the first of the seven Canaanite nations; declinable in the LXX (unlike indeclinable personal names); the collective singular ('the Hittite') denotes the people.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ΑμορραῖονAmoriteAccusativeaccusative in apposition to αὐτούς→ object specificationΑμορραῖος: 'Amorite'; renders אֱמֹרִי; the second nation; sometimes a general term for the pre-Israelite hill-country peoples.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ΧαναναῖονCanaaniteAccusativeaccusative in apposition to αὐτούς→ object specificationΧαναναῖος: 'Canaanite'; renders כְּנַעֲנִי; the third nation; in narrower usage the lowland and coastal peoples, in broader usage the whole population of the land.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ΦερεζαῖονPerizziteAccusativeaccusative in apposition to αὐτούς→ object specificationΦερεζαῖος: 'Perizzite'; renders פְּרִזִּי; the fourth nation; possibly 'villagers / rural dwellers' (from פֶּרָזוֹת, 'open settlements').

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ΕυαῖονHiviteAccusativeaccusative in apposition to αὐτούς→ object specificationΕυαῖος: 'Hivite'; renders חִוִּי; the fifth nation; associated with Shechem (Gen 34:2) and Gibeon (Josh 9:7).

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ΙεβουσαῖονJebusiteAccusativeaccusative in apposition to αὐτούς→ object specificationΙεβουσαῖος: 'Jebusite'; renders יְבוּסִי; the sixth nation; the inhabitants of Jebus/Jerusalem (Josh 15:63; 2 Sam 5:6).

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ΓεργεσαῖονGirgashiteAccusativeaccusative in apposition to αὐτούς (seventh nation)→ object specificationΓεργεσαῖος: 'Girgashite'; renders גִּרְגָּשִׁי; the seventh nation, completing the symbolic sevenfold list (cf. Deut 7:1; the MT of Deut 20:17 lists six, but the LXX, like Deut 7:1, includes the Girgashite to make seven).

ὃνwhichAccusativerelative pronoun (with τρόπον: 'in which manner')→ participant referenceὅς: relative pronoun; in the fixed phrase ὃν τρόπον ('in the manner which / just as').

τρόπονmannerAccusativeadverbial accusative (ὃν τρόπον = 'just as')→ object specificationτρόπος: 'way / manner'; the adverbial accusative ὃν τρόπον renders כַּאֲשֶׁר ('just as'); introduces the appeal to YHWH's prior command.

ἐνετείλατόcommandedAor Mid Indic 3 Sg · ἐντέλλομαιverb of the comparative clause (the prior divine command)→ constative aorist (the antecedent commandment)ἐντέλλομαι: 'command / charge / enjoin'; renders צִוָּה; the ḥerem is grounded not in Israel's initiative but in YHWH's explicit prior command (cf. Deut 7:1–2), framing the destruction as obedience to divine instruction rather than human aggression.

σοιyouDativedative indirect object of ἐνετείλατο→ participant reference or interestσοι: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as dative indirect object of ἐνετείλατο.

κύριοςLORDNominativesubject of ἐνετείλατο→ participant prominenceκύριος: the Tetragrammaton יהוה; the commander of the ḥerem — the authority behind the difficult command.

ὁtheNominativearticle (with θεός)→ noun-phrase markingὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

θεόςGodNominativenominative in apposition to κύριος→ participant prominenceθεός: 'God'; the covenant designation.

ἵνα μὴ διδάξωσιν ὑμᾶς ποιεῖν πάντα τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτῶν ὅσα ἐποίησαν τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν καὶ ἁμαρτήσεσθε ἐναντίον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν

so that they may not teach you to do all their abominations which they did for their gods, and so you would sin before the LORD your God.

Rationale of the ḥerem: prevention of religious contaminationἵνα μὴ διδάξωσιν ὑμᾶς

The ἵνα μή purpose-clause supplies the stated rationale for the severe ḥerem: not ethnic hatred or territorial greed, but the prevention of religious-moral contagion — lest the Canaanites teach Israel their idolatrous abominations (βδελύγματα) and so lead it into sin against YHWH. The danger is apostasy by imitation; the law's logic is the protection of covenant fidelity. This rationale must be weighed in any sober reading of the holy-war command.

Word-by-word analysis· 21 words

ἵναso thatpurpose conjunction (with μή: negative purpose)→ discourse linkage or contrastἵνα: 'in order that'; with μή introduces the negative purpose stating the rationale of the ḥerem; renders לְמַעַן לֹא / פֶּן.

μὴnotnegative (with ἵνα + subjunctive)→ clausal qualification or emphasisμὴ: meaning 'not'; it negates or qualifies the assertion of the clause.

διδάξωσινthey teachAor Act Subj 3 Pl · διδάσκωverb of the negative purpose clause→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (the feared instruction in idolatry)διδάσκω: 'teach / instruct'; renders לִמֵּד; the danger is pedagogical contamination — survivors of the nations would teach Israel their idolatrous practices; the verb frames apostasy as something learned by cultural-religious proximity (cf. Deut 7:4; Exod 23:33).

ὑμᾶςyouAccusativedirect object of διδάξωσιν→ participant referenceὑμᾶς: meaning 'you'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of διδάξωσιν.

ποιεῖνto doPres Act Inf · ποιέωcomplementary infinitive (with διδάξωσιν: 'teach to do')→ durative present infinitive (the practicing of the abominations)ποιέω: 'do / practice'; the complementary infinitive specifies the content of the feared teaching — the doing of the nations' abominable rites.

πάνταallAccusativeattributive adjective (modifying τὰ βδελύγματα)→ object specificationπᾶς: 'all'; the totality of the abominations — none excepted; emphasizes the comprehensiveness of the corrupting danger.

τὰtheAccusativearticle (with βδελύγματα)→ noun-phrase markingτὰ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

βδελύγματαabominationsAccusativedirect object of ποιεῖν→ object specificationβδέλυγμα: 'abomination / detestable thing'; from βδελύσσομαι ('feel disgust'); renders תּוֹעֵבָה; the LXX's standard word for idolatrous and morally repugnant practices (child sacrifice, cultic prostitution, etc., cf. Deut 12:31; 18:9–12); these abominations are the contagion the ḥerem aims to extirpate.

αὐτῶνtheirGenitivegenitive of possession (the nations' abominations)→ relational specificationαὐτῶν: meaning 'their'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (the nations' abominations).

ὅσαwhichAccusativerelative pronoun (object of ἐποίησαν)→ participant referenceὅσος: 'as many as / which'; renders אֲשֶׁר; introduces the relative clause specifying the abominations as cultic acts done for the nations' gods.

ἐποίησανthey didAor Act Indic 3 Pl · ποιέωverb of the relative clause→ constative aorist (the nations' idolatrous practices)ποιέω: 'do / perform'; the abominable acts the nations performed in worship of their gods — the concrete idolatrous cult Israel must not adopt.

τοῖςfor theDativearticle (with θεοῖς)→ noun-phrase markingτοῖς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

θεοῖςgodsDativedative of advantage/reference ('for their gods')→ sphere or referenceθεός: here plural 'gods' (the pagan deities); renders אֱלֹהֵיהֶם; the dative marks the recipients/objects of the idolatrous cult; the same word that designates YHWH (singular, with article and covenant suffix) here denotes the false gods, sharpening the contrast with κύριος ὁ θεός ὑμῶν below.

αὐτῶνtheirGenitivegenitive of possession (the nations' gods)→ relational specificationαὐτῶν: meaning 'their'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (the nations' gods).

καὶand socoordinate conjunction (consecutive: 'and as a result')→ discourse linkage or contrastκαί: here consecutive, linking the result — that Israel, having learned the abominations, would sin against YHWH; the shift to the future indicative ἁμαρτήσεσθε marks the actual outcome feared.

ἁμαρτήσεσθεyou would sinFut Mid Indic 2 Pl · ἁμαρτάνωverb of the consecutive clause (future indicative after ἵνα μή)→ predictive future (the ultimate result to be averted: apostasy)ἁμαρτάνω: 'sin / miss the mark / offend'; renders חָטָא; the future indicative within the purpose-clause names the final danger — that Israel would actually sin against YHWH; the whole ḥerem is thus subordinated to the prevention of covenant infidelity.

ἐναντίονbeforeimproper preposition + genitive (in the sight of)→ spatial or relational framingἐναντίον: 'before / in the presence of'; Hebraism rendering לִפְנֵי; sin is committed 'before' YHWH, i.e. in his sight and against him personally.

κυρίουthe LORDGenitivegenitive object of ἐναντίον→ relational specificationκύριος: the Tetragrammaton יהוה; the one against whom apostasy would be sin; the covenant Lord whose exclusive worship the ḥerem protects.

τοῦtheGenitivearticle (with θεοῦ)→ noun-phrase markingτοῦ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

θεοῦGodGenitivegenitive in apposition to κυρίου→ relational specificationθεός: 'God'; the covenant designation κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν, here in the genitive; the true God set in pointed contrast to the θεοί (false gods) of the nations.

ἐὰν δὲ περικαθίσῃς περὶ πόλιν ἡμέρας πλείους ἐκπολεμῆσαι αὐτὴν εἰς κατάλημψιν αὐτῆς οὐχὶ ἐξολεθρεύσεις τὰ δένδρα αὐτῆς ἐπιβαλεῖν ἐπ᾿ αὐτὰ σίδηρον ἀλλ᾿ ἢ ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ φάγῃ αὐτὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐκκόψεις μὴ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ξύλον τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ εἰσελθεῖν ἀπὸ προσώπου σου εἰς τὸν χάρακα

And if you besiege a city many days, making war against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by putting iron to them; but you shall eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. Is the tree of the field a man, that it should come before you into the siege-rampart?

New legal protasis (section D): the siege-ecology law sparing fruit treesἐὰν δὲ περικαθίσῃς

A fresh casuistic unit (ἐάν + subjunctive) opens the final law: in a prolonged siege, fruit-bearing trees may not be destroyed. The prohibition οὐχὶ ἐξολεθρεύσεις … is grounded by a striking rhetorical question — μὴ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ξύλον … ('is the tree of the field a man, that it should enter the siege before you?') — which expects the answer 'no': the tree is not a combatant and must not be treated as one. This enshrines the early conservation principle later codified by the rabbis as bal tashḥit ('do not destroy').

Word-by-word analysis· 45 words

ἐὰνifconditional conjunction (protasis + subjunctive)→ discourse linkage or contrastἐάν: 'if'; opens the final case-law unit on siege-ecology.

δὲnowtransitional continuative (post-positive)→ discourse linkage or contrastδέ: marks the transition to the concluding siege-tree law.

περικαθίσῃςyou besiegeAor Act Subj 2 Sg · περικαθίζωverb of the protasis (subjunctive with ἐάν)→ ingressive aorist subjunctive (laying siege)περικαθίζω: 'sit down around / besiege'; the compound περι- ('around'), as in v. 12; renders צוּר; here of a protracted investment of a city; the prolonged siege is the setting for the tree-law.

περὶaroundpreposition + accusative (encirclement)→ spatial or relational framingπερί + acc.: 'around / about'; reinforces the περι- of the verb — the siege encircles the city.

πόλινa cityAccusativeaccusative object of περί (the besieged city)→ object specificationπόλις: 'city'; the object of the prolonged siege.

ἡμέραςdaysAccusativeaccusative of duration ('for many days')→ object specificationἡμέρα: 'day'; the accusative of extent of time; ἡμέρας πλείους ('many days') renders יָמִים רַבִּים, indicating the protracted nature of the siege that makes the trees a tempting source of timber.

πλείουςmany / moreAccusativeattributive adjective (modifying ἡμέρας)→ object specificationπλείων (comparative of πολύς): 'more / many'; here 'many days', a prolonged siege; the same comparative as in v. 1 (λαὸν πλείονα).

ἐκπολεμῆσαιto make war againstAor Act Inf · ἐκπολεμέωinfinitive of purpose (with περικαθίσῃς)→ purposive aorist infinitive (the aim of the siege)ἐκπολεμέω: 'make war on / war to the finish'; as in v. 10; the purpose of the siege is to subdue the city.

αὐτὴνitAccusativedirect object of ἐκπολεμῆσαι (the city)→ participant referenceαὐτὴν: meaning 'it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as direct object of ἐκπολεμῆσαι (the city).

εἰςforpreposition + accusative (purpose: 'for the capture')→ spatial or relational framingεἰς: meaning 'for'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (purpose: 'for the capture').

κατάλημψινcaptureAccusativeaccusative object of εἰς (purpose of the war)→ object specificationκατάλημψις (κατάληψις): 'seizure / capture / taking'; from καταλαμβάνω ('seize'); renders תָּפַשׂ ('capture'); εἰς κατάλημψιν αὐτῆς ('for its capture') states the siege's objective — to take the city.

αὐτῆςof itGenitiveobjective genitive (with κατάλημψιν: 'the capture of it')→ relational specificationαὐτῆς: meaning 'of it'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as objective genitive (with κατάλημψιν: 'the capture of it').

οὐχὶnotemphatic negative (with future indicative for prohibition)→ clausal contributionοὐχί: emphatic 'not (at all)'; with the future ἐξολεθρεύσεις forms the categorical prohibition against destroying the fruit trees (rendering לֹא תַשְׁחִית, the verse underlying the bal tashḥit principle).

ἐξολεθρεύσειςyou shall destroyFut Act Indic 2 Sg · ἐξολεθρεύωmain verb (negated prohibition)→ imperatival future (binding prohibition against destroying the trees)ἐξολεθρεύω (ἐξολοθρεύω): 'destroy utterly / exterminate'; renders שָׁחַת (Hiphil, 'ruin / destroy'); the same severe verb used of the ḥerem elsewhere is here forbidden against the fruit trees — even the violence of war must spare the food-giving tree; the prohibition is the textual root of the rabbinic bal tashḥit ('do not destroy / lay waste').

τὰtheAccusativearticle (with δένδρα)→ noun-phrase markingτὰ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

δένδραtreesAccusativedirect object of ἐξολεθρεύσεις→ object specificationδένδρον: 'tree'; renders עֵץ; specifically the fruit-bearing trees (clarified by v. 20's contrast with non-fruit trees); the protected object of the conservation law.

αὐτῆςitsGenitivegenitive of possession (the city's trees)→ relational specificationαὐτῆς: meaning 'its'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive of possession (the city's trees).

ἐπιβαλεῖνby putting / to putAor Act Inf · ἐπιβάλλωepexegetic/consecutive infinitive (specifying the manner of destruction)→ epexegetic aorist infinitive (the means: applying the axe)ἐπιβάλλω: 'throw upon / lay on / apply'; the infinitive explains how the trees would be destroyed — by 'laying iron upon them' (i.e. the axe); renders לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן ('to wield an axe against it').

ἐπ᾿uponpreposition + accusative (elided before vowel)→ spatial or relational framingἐπ᾿: meaning 'upon'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (elided before vowel).

αὐτὰthemAccusativeaccusative object of ἐπί (the trees)→ participant referenceαὐτὰ: meaning 'them'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as accusative object of ἐπί (the trees).

σίδηρονiron / axeAccusativedirect object of ἐπιβαλεῖν ('to put iron upon them')→ object specificationσίδηρος: 'iron'; here by metonymy the iron axe/tool; renders בַּרְזֶל / גַּרְזֶן; the instrument of felling, forbidden against the fruit trees.

ἀλλ᾿butstrong adversative (elided before vowel)→ clausal contributionἀλλά: 'but'; turns from the prohibition to the positive permission (eating the fruit).

ἢratherparticle reinforcing the adversative (ἀλλ᾽ ἤ = 'but rather')→ discourse linkage or contrastἤ: in ἀλλ᾽ ἤ ('but rather'), as in v. 17; marks the contrast — instead of destroying, you are to eat from them.

ἀπ᾿frompreposition + genitive (source, elided before vowel)→ spatial or relational framingἀπ᾿: meaning 'from'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + genitive (source, elided before vowel).

αὐτοῦitGenitivegenitive object of ἀπό (the tree as source of food)→ relational specificationαὐτοῦ: the singular ('from it') refers collectively to the tree(s) as the source of edible fruit — the besieger may eat the produce while sparing the tree itself.

φάγῃyou shall eatFut Mid Indic 2 Sg · ἐσθίωmain verb (the permitted use of the tree)→ permissive future (you may eat the fruit)ἐσθίω (fut. mid. φάγομαι): 'eat'; renders אָכַל; the positive permission — the fruit is for eating, not the tree for felling; the tree's purpose (food) is the reason to preserve it.

αὐτὸitAccusativedirect object of ἐκκόψεις (the tree)→ participant referenceαὐτό: the neuter pronoun ('it') refers to τὸ δένδρον/ξύλον — the tree which is not to be cut down.

δὲbutmild adversative (post-positive)→ discourse linkage or contrastδέ: 'but'; contrasts eating the fruit with cutting down the tree.

οὐκnotnegative (with future indicative for prohibition)→ clausal qualification or emphasisοὐκ: with the future ἐκκόψεις, categorical prohibition: 'you shall not cut it down'.

ἐκκόψειςyou shall cut downFut Act Indic 2 Sg · ἐκκόπτωmain verb (negated: prohibition of felling)→ imperatival future (binding prohibition against felling the fruit tree)ἐκκόπτω: 'cut down / cut off / fell'; renders כָּרַת; the specific verb for felling a tree; forbidden for fruit trees here but commanded for non-fruit trees in v. 20 (καὶ ἐκκόψεις).

μὴsurely not?interrogative particle (introducing a question expecting 'no')→ discourse linkage or contrastμή: here introducing a rhetorical question that expects a negative answer; renders the Hebrew interrogative כִּי / הֲ; 'is the tree a man? — surely not!'; the device grounds the prohibition in the tree's non-combatant nature.

ἄνθρωποςa manNominativepredicate nominative of the rhetorical question→ participant prominenceἄνθρωπος: 'man / human'; the predicate of the question 'is the tree of the field a man?'; the point is that a tree is not an enemy combatant who 'comes against you' in the siege, and so must not be destroyed as if it were; the famously difficult Hebrew (כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה) the LXX renders as a clear rhetorical question.

τὸtheNominativearticle (with ξύλον)→ noun-phrase markingτὸ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ξύλονtree / woodNominativesubject of the rhetorical question→ participant prominenceξύλον: 'wood / tree'; renders עֵץ; here synonymous with δένδρον; τὸ ξύλον τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ ('the tree of the field') is the subject — is it a man, that it should be besieged? The poignant personification underscores the law's restraint: trees are not enemies.

τὸthe oneNominativearticle (substantizing the prepositional phrase: 'the [one] in the field')→ noun-phrase markingτὸ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἐνinpreposition + dative (locative)→ spatial or relational framingἐν: meaning 'in'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + dative (locative).

τῷtheDativearticle (with ἀγρῷ)→ noun-phrase markingτῷ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

ἀγρῷfieldDativedative of place ('in the field')→ sphere or referenceἀγρός: 'field / countryside'; renders שָׂדֶה; the tree 'of the field' — the cultivated, food-bearing tree of the surrounding land, distinguished from the besieged city itself.

εἰσελθεῖνto enter / comeAor Act Inf · εἰσέρχομαιconsecutive infinitive (with the rhetorical question: 'that it should enter')→ consecutive aorist infinitive (the absurd consequence denied)εἰσέρχομαι: 'enter / go in'; the infinitive expresses the (denied) consequence: 'is the tree a man, that it should come before you into the siege-works?' — i.e. the tree does not flee before you into the rampart as a fugitive enemy would; rendering לָבֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר.

ἀπὸfrompreposition + genitive (idiom: 'from before you')→ spatial or relational framingἀπό: in ἀπὸ προσώπου σου ('from before you'), the Hebraism מִפָּנֶיךָ, picturing flight/retreat before an attacker — which the tree, not being human, cannot do.

προσώπουface / presenceGenitivegenitive object of ἀπό ('from before')→ relational specificationπρόσωπον: 'face'; ἀπὸ προσώπου σου ('from your presence'), as in v. 3; here the imagery is of the tree supposedly 'coming before you into the siege' — an absurdity that exposes the folly of treating it as an enemy.

σουyourGenitivegenitive (with προσώπου: 'your face/presence')→ relational specificationσου: meaning 'your'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as genitive (with προσώπου: 'your face/presence').

εἰςintopreposition + accusative (goal)→ spatial or relational framingεἰς: meaning 'into'; here it marks the relation signaled by preposition + accusative (goal).

τὸνtheAccusativearticle (with χάρακα)→ noun-phrase markingτὸν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

χάρακαsiege-rampart / palisadeAccusativeaccusative object of εἰς (the siege-works)→ object specificationχάραξ: 'palisade / stake / siege-rampart'; renders מָצוֹר ('siege / siege-works'); the entrenchment thrown up around a besieged city (the same word used by Jesus of the siege of Jerusalem, Luke 19:43); the rhetorical question denies that the tree 'enters' the siege as a combatant — it is a passive, food-giving thing, not a foe.

ἀλλὰ ξύλον ὃ ἐπίστασαι ὅτι οὐ καρπόβρωτόν ἐστιν τοῦτο ἐξολεθρεύσεις καὶ ἐκκόψεις καὶ οἰκοδομήσεις χαράκωσιν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἥτις ποιεῖ πρὸς σὲ τὸν πόλεμον ἕως ἂν παραδοθῇ

But a tree which you know is not fruit-bearing — this you shall destroy and cut down, and you shall build a siege-work against the city which makes war against you, until it is given over.

Permitted counterpart: non-fruit trees may be used for siege-worksἀλλὰ ξύλον ὃ ἐπίστασαι

The adversative ἀλλά balances the prohibition of v. 19: trees known to be non-fruit-bearing (οὐ καρπόβρωτον) may indeed be felled and built into siege-works (χαράκωσιν) against the resisting city. The law thus draws a precise line — destruction is permitted only where it serves the military purpose without wasting a food-source. The chapter closes with the temporal ἕως ἂν παραδοθῇ ('until it is given over'), echoing the divine παραδώσει of v. 13: the siege ends in YHWH's handover of the city.

Word-by-word analysis· 27 words

ἀλλὰbutstrong adversative (balancing v. 19's prohibition)→ discourse linkage or contrastἀλλά: 'but'; contrasts the permitted felling of non-fruit trees with the forbidden destruction of fruit trees.

ξύλονa treeAccusativefronted accusative (resumed by τοῦτο; object of ἐξολεθρεύσεις)→ object specificationξύλον: 'tree / wood'; here the non-fruit tree, fronted for emphasis (casus pendens) and resumed by τοῦτο; renders עֵץ.

ὃwhichAccusativerelative pronoun (object of ἐπίστασαι)→ participant referenceὅς: relative pronoun; introduces the defining clause 'which you know is not fruit-bearing'.

ἐπίστασαιyou knowPres Mid Indic 2 Sg · ἐπίσταμαιverb of the relative clause (cognition)→ durative present (settled knowledge)ἐπίσταμαι: 'know / understand / be acquainted with'; renders יָדַע; the permission to fell depends on the besieger's knowledge that the tree bears no edible fruit — a deliberate, discriminating judgment, not indiscriminate destruction.

ὅτιthatconjunction (introducing object clause of ἐπίστασαι)→ discourse linkage or contrastὅτι: 'that'; introduces the content of the knowledge — that the tree is non-fruit-bearing.

οὐnotnegative (with the predicate καρπόβρωτον)→ participant referenceοὐ: meaning 'not'; pronoun marking person, possession, or reference within the clause; here it functions as negative (with the predicate καρπόβρωτον).

καρπόβρωτόνfruit-bearing / fruit-edibleNominativepredicate adjective (with ἐστιν: 'is not fruit-bearing')→ participant prominenceκαρπόβρωτος: 'bearing edible fruit / whose fruit is for eating'; a compound of καρπός ('fruit') + βιβρώσκω ('eat'); a rare LXX word rendering מַאֲכָל ('food'); the precise criterion distinguishing the protected fruit trees (v. 19) from the fellable non-fruit trees — only the latter, useless for food, may be cut for siege-works.

ἐστινisPres Act Indic 3 Sg · εἰμίcopula of the object clause→ stative present (the tree's nature)εἰμί: 'be'; the copula linking subject (the tree) and predicate (not fruit-bearing).

τοῦτοthisAccusativeresumptive demonstrative (object of ἐξολεθρεύσεις, resuming ξύλον)→ participant referenceοὗτος: 'this'; the resumptive pronoun picks up the fronted ξύλον (a Hebraic casus-pendens construction): 'a tree which… — this you shall destroy'.

ἐξολεθρεύσειςyou shall destroyFut Act Indic 2 Sg · ἐξολεθρεύωmain verb (permission to destroy non-fruit trees)→ permissive future (you may destroy)ἐξολεθρεύω: 'destroy utterly'; the same verb forbidden for fruit trees (v. 19) is here permitted for non-fruit trees — the contrast pinpoints the law's discriminating principle.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

ἐκκόψειςyou shall cut downFut Act Indic 2 Sg · ἐκκόπτωmain verb (coordinate with ἐξολεθρεύσεις)→ permissive future (you may fell)ἐκκόπτω: 'cut down / fell'; the same verb forbidden in v. 19 (οὐκ ἐκκόψεις) is here permitted — the non-fruit tree may be felled for the siege.

καὶandcoordinate conjunction→ discourse linkage or contrastκαὶ: meaning 'and'; conjunction or particle linking this unit with the surrounding discourse.

οἰκοδομήσειςyou shall buildFut Act Indic 2 Sg · οἰκοδομέωmain verb (the use of the felled timber)→ permissive/prescriptive future (constructing the siege-works)οἰκοδομέω: 'build / construct'; renders בָּנָה; here the timber of the non-fruit trees is built into siege-works; the same verb used of building the house in v. 5, now redirected to military engineering.

χαράκωσινa siege-work / rampartAccusativedirect object of οἰκοδομήσεις→ object specificationχαράκωσις: 'palisading / siege-rampart / entrenchment'; cognate with χάραξ (v. 19); renders מָצוֹר; the constructed siege-works (towers, ramps, palisades) built from the permitted timber to invest the city.

ἐπὶagainstpreposition + accusative (hostile direction)→ spatial or relational framingἐπί + acc.: 'against'; the siege-works are built against the resisting city.

τὴνtheAccusativearticle (with πόλιν)→ noun-phrase markingτὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πόλινcityAccusativeaccusative object of ἐπί (the besieged city)→ object specificationπόλις: 'city'; the resisting city against which the siege-works are raised; the keyword closing the chapter as it opened the siege-protocol (v. 10).

ἥτιςwhichNominativerelative pronoun (subject of ποιεῖ)→ participant referenceὅστις: indefinite relative 'which / whichever'; introduces the clause characterizing the city as one waging war — only the actively hostile city is besieged thus.

ποιεῖmakesPres Act Indic 3 Sg · ποιέωverb of the relative clause→ durative present (the city's ongoing hostility)ποιέω: 'make / do'; the idiom ποιεῖν πόλεμον ('make war'), as in v. 12; the present marks the city's continuing belligerence as the ground for the siege.

πρὸςagainstpreposition + accusative (hostile direction)→ spatial or relational framingπρός + acc.: 'against'; in the war-idiom, as in v. 12.

τὸνtheAccusativearticle (with πόλεμον)→ noun-phrase markingτὸν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.

πόλεμονwarAccusativedirect object of ποιεῖ ('makes war')→ object specificationπόλεμος: 'war / battle'; the chapter's keyword in its final occurrence, closing the law of war as it began (v. 1).

ἕωςuntiltemporal conjunction (with ἄν + subjunctive)→ discourse linkage or contrastἕως: 'until'; with ἄν and the subjunctive expresses an indefinite future endpoint: 'until it is (eventually) given over'.

ἂν—modal particle (with subjunctive in indefinite temporal clause)→ discourse linkage or contrastἄν: the modal particle marking the temporal clause as indefinite, with the subjunctive παραδοθῇ.

παραδοθῇit is given overAor Pass Subj 3 Sg · παραδίδωμιverb of the indefinite temporal clause→ effective aorist passive subjunctive (the city's eventual surrender/handover)παραδίδωμι: 'hand over / deliver up'; the passive παραδοθῇ ('until it is given over') echoes the active παραδώσει … κύριος of v. 13 — a divine passive: the city falls because YHWH gives it over; the chapter closes with victory framed, as it began, as the gift of God.

The Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 20ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΝΟΜΙΟΝ Κ′

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Translation & textual notes