Study it in the app“When you besiege a city many days, fighting against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them, for from them you may eat, and you shall not cut them down. Is the tree of the field a human being, to come before you in the siege?”
Whenכִּיyou besiegeתָצוּרa cityאֶל עִירmanyרַבִּיםdays,יָמִיםfightingלְהִלָּחֵםagainst itעָלֶיהָto capture it,לְתָפְשָׂהּyou shall notלֹאdestroyתַשְׁחִיתits treesאֶת עֵצָהּby swingingלִנְדֹּחַan axeגַּרְזֶןagainst them,עָלָיוforכִּיfrom themמִמֶּנּוּyou may eat,תֹאכֵלand you shall notוְ לֹאcut them down.אֹתוֹ תִכְרֹתIsכִּיthe treeעֵץof the fieldהַשָּׂדֶהa human being,הָאָדָםto comeלָבֹאbefore youמִפָּנֶיךָin the siege?בַּמָּצוֹר
besiege
To encircle a city, or shut something in.
Where else “tatsur” appearscity
A settled place protected by a wall, with a gate and houses.
Where else “ir” appearsmany
A great number of people or things.
Where else “rabim” appearstime
Literally "the days": a period, an age, or the span of someone's life.
Where else “yamim” appearsfight
To struggle against an enemy with weapons and give battle; God also fights for his people.
Where else “hilachem” appearsseize
To grab or capture someone.
Where else “tafsa” appearsdestroy
To ruin something completely, until it no longer exists or no longer serves.
Where else “tashchit” appearstree
A tall plant with trunk and branches, giving fruit, shade or timber.
Where else “etsa” appearsswing
To swing an axe.
Where else “nedoach” appearsaxe
Axe.
Where else “garzen” appearseat
To bring food to the mouth and swallow it, above all at a shared table.
Where else “tochel” appearscut down
To cut a tree or branch with an axe to get timber.
Where else “tichrot” appearsfield
The open country: "the beasts of the field".
Where else “sade” appearshuman being
All humankind, men and women, as creatures God formed.
Where else “adam” appearscome
To come, arrive: "days are coming".
Where else “vo” appearsbefore
Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.
Where else “pane” appearssiege
Surrounding a city with an army to take it; the siege.
Where else “matsor” appearsThe last sentence is difficult in Hebrew; it is understood as a question: the tree is not an enemy that must be besieged.
18so that they do not teach you to do according to all their abominations that they have done for their gods, and you sin against YHWH your Elohim.
19 · This verse (above)
20Only a tree that you know that it is not a tree for food, it you may destroy and cut down, and build siegeworks against the city that is making war with you, until it falls.
