Deuteronomy 13:16

Deu 13:16-17. For the Lord — For the satisfaction of God’s justice, the maintenance of his honour and authority, and the pacification of his offended majesty. It shall not be built — It shall be an eternal monument of God’s justice and terror to after ages. Multiply thee — So thou shalt have no loss of thy numbers by cutting off so many people.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13:16 The spoils of war, or plunder, were not to be kept. God had designated them for complete destruction (see 2:34; Lev 27:28-29).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Signifying that no idolatry is so execrable, nor more grievously to be punished, than of them which once professed God.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again--Its ruins shall be a permanent monument of the divine justice, and a beacon for the warning and terror of posterity.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(16) And shalt burn with fire the city.—So Gibeah was treated (Judges xx 40).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And thou shall gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof,.... All the wealth and substance of the inhabitants, their household goods, shop goods, merchandise, utensils in trade and business, and everything that can be named. The Jews say (p), if there is no street, they make one (or a marketplace); if that is without it, they bring them into the midst of it:

and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit; be it what it may, or let it be whose property it will; and all this shall be done for the Lord thy God; as by his appointment and command, and in obedience to him, so for his honour and glory, and the vindication of his righteous law:

and it shall be an heap for ever, it shall not be built again; but lie a waste as Jericho, though not an entire waste; for according to the Jewish writers, though it might not be built as it was before, it might be made into gardens and orchards (q).

(p) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 11. sect. 6. (q) lbid. Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Every whit, for the Lord thy God - Some prefer: “as a whole offering to the Lord thy God.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

For the Lord thy God, i.e. for the satisfaction of God’s justice, the maintenance of his honour and authority and laws, and the pacification of his offended majesty.

It shall be an heap for ever; it shall be an eternal monument of God’s justice, and terror to after-ages, who may be tempted to like practices.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

16. Every whit, for the Lord thy God — כליל, here in our version rendered every whit, is in other places translated a holocaust, or “whole burnt offering.” Better rendered, a whole burnt offering to Jehovah thy God; that is, the city and the spoil were to be as utterly consumed as a whole burnt offering.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

All the spoil thereof every whir, for the Lord thy God; rather, all the spoil booty thereof as a whole offering unto Jehovah thy God; it was to be wholly devoted to God, and as such to be consumed by fire. "It was a destruction, and not properly an offering. Hence the author selects neither hl; wO nor taF; j, but lyilK; whole, whole offering, (Deu_33:10; Lev_6:15) which word, in the law concerning offering, is no technical designation of any particular kind of offering. The rendering omnino is untenable" (Knobel). The city was to be made a ruin, never to be rebuilt; and thus was to be treated the same as a heathen, idolatrous city might be. (cf. Num_21:3)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For the Lord - For the satisfaction of God's justice, the maintainance of his honour and authority, and the pacification of his offended majesty. It shall not be built - It shall be an eternal monument of God's justice, and terror to after ages.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

הכה תכה THOU SHALT SURELY SMITE [THE INHABITANTS OF THAT CITY] — If you cannot put them to death by the death-penalty prescribed regarding them, kill them in some other way (Sifrei Devarim 94:1; Bava Metzia 31b; cf. Rashi on v. 10).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

DESTROY IT UTTERLY, AND ALL THAT IS THEREIN. [Destroy] ‘it’ [utterly] — the men that have gone astray [after the idols]; and all that is therein — the women who followed after the men. But the children who are minors, among males and females, are not killed. And so the Rabbis said in the Sifre: 94. “Chanan: “Abba Chanan.” says: It is written, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers — the verse is speaking with reference to an apostate city.” But in the Tosephta of Tractate Sanhedrin we find a difference of opinion regarding this matter: “Minors, children of people of an apostate city, who have gone astray with [the city] are not killed. Rabbi Eliezer says they are killed. Rabbi Akiba said to him: How do I fulfill then the verse, and He will give thee compassion, and make thee compassionate, and multiply thee etc.? If its intent is to show mercy to the adults, it is already stated, destroy it utterly, and all that is therein and the cattle thereof etc. And how then do I fulfill and make thee compassionate, and multiply thee? By applying it to the children therein etc.” Thus all these commandments are explanatory of what it says in the Torah, He that sacrificeth unto the gods shall be utterly destroyed, and now he explained the nature of this “utter destruction” with reference to inciters and the worshippers [of idols].

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.