Biblical Parallels Index – Devarim 20
Overview
This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.Making Peace with the Seven Nations?
Devarim 20:16-18 commands extremely harsh warfare against the nations of Canaan, without the possibility of forming a peaceful covenant. However, other sections of the Tanakh, including Yehoshua 11 and Yehoshua 6, seem to indicate a possibility of making peace.
Articles
- See Calling for Peace in the Conquest of Canaan for discussion of the different Biblical sources and how they are interpreted by a range of commentators. Each focuses on one set of verses, reinterpreting others that appear contradictory. Rashi, drawing off the verses in Devarim 20, takes a zero tolerance policy against the Seven Nations, claiming that it is prohibited to call for peace and that no overtures on the Canaanites' part will suffice to override the decree of annihilation. Other exegetes are less comfortable with such a blanket statement of destruction. Thus, Raavad claims that Israel is obligated to seek out peace, but only until they cross the Jordan, while Radak maintains that the obligation persists even after the Wars of Conquest have begun. Rashbam takes a middle approach, claiming that Israel may not initiate a call for peace, but that they are allowed to accept a Canaanite surrender, if they, on their own, submit themselves to Israelite rule.