War in Deuteronomy

A commonly discussed controversy in the Old Testament is whether or not Deuteronomy chapter twenty should be read as a rhetorical or historical text. Though this topic has been widely discussed for many years, someone has yet to convince everyone that one way of viewing the text is correct and the other incorrect. Throughout this research paper we will discuss the text found in Deuteronomy chapter twenty along with surrounding text viewed through both the rhetorical lens as well as the historical lens. The surrounding text that we will analyze is chapters seven and thirteen of Deuteronomy. Chapter seven discusses the Israelites expectations for separating from the idolatrous nations. Chapter thirteen informs the Israelites what they are supposed to do when enticed to follow false gods by three different accounts of influence.

In Deuteronomy chapter seven, God commands the Israelites to practice complete separation from the idolatrous nations of the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—all of which reside in the Promised Land they are preparing to enter. Although these nations are stronger than Israel, God insists that he will deliver these nations to the Israelites and they will destroy them completely, make no treaty with them, and destroy them. Following in verse four, God stresses that the Israelites are not to intermarry with any of these nations because doing so would allow them to turn the children of Israelite away from Him to serve other god. In result of such an occasion, God’s anger would drive him to destroy the Israelites. The Israelites were told to basically attack the idolatry of these nations at the origin by destroying all of their altars and idols because they were the chosen ones to be God’s special possession which they were to treasure. In verses nine and ten, it is stated that God is God and will continue being God for all eternity to those who love him. However, to those who do not love God he