20 Hard Deuteronomy 20 Quiz Questions And Answers

This Deuteronomy 20 quiz tests one of the most overlooked chapters in the Mosaic law: Israel’s rules for war, the four exemptions from battle, the distinction between far cities and inheritance cities, and the protection of fruit trees during a long siege. Pair it with the Deuteronomy 19 quiz and the Deuteronomy 18 quiz for the full sweep of the chapters that govern Israel’s national life. For broader practice, the hardest Bible trivia questions and the entire Bible quiz go wider, while what Moses knew that most Christians don’t reads underneath the legal frame.

Deuteronomy 20 Quiz Questions and Answers

Question 1: Verse 17 lists six nations Israel was to utterly destroy. Which set names them in the order given?

A. Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Jebusites
B. Hittites, Canaanites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites
C. Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites
D. Amorites, Hittites, Canaanites, Hivites, Perizzites, Jebusites
E. Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Hivites, Perizzites, Jebusites

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Answer 1: C. The order is fixed: Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites. The same six nations are named elsewhere in different orders, but verse 17 gives this exact sequence as the LORD’s command.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:17. “But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.”

Question 2: What was the rule for a man who had built a new house but had not dedicated it?

A. He shall return home lest he die and another dedicate it
B. He shall remain at the rear of the army until war ends
C. He shall pay a portion of his harvest to the city priests
D. He shall offer a sacrifice before joining the line of battle
E. He shall send his eldest son to fight in his place that day

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Answer 2: A. The rule is full release from war. The reason is precise: the prospect of dying with an undedicated house and another man dedicating it. The exemption protects the man’s stake in his own life’s work.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:5. “What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.”

Question 3: Verse 19 contains a parenthetical statement explaining why fruit trees must not be cut down during a siege. What does it say?

A. For the fruit of the field is the heritage of the LORD
B. For the trees of the field are planted by the LORD
C. For the trees of the field were known to thy fathers
D. For the trees of the field bear fruit unto Israel
E. For the tree of the field is man’s life

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Answer 3: E. The reasoning is austere and famous: the tree of the field is man’s life. The verse forbids destroying what feeds the next generation, even in war. The principle is that siege strategy does not override creation’s purpose.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:19. “Thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life) to employ them in the siege.”

Question 4: What was the FIRST step required of Israel when approaching a city to fight against it?

A. To survey the size of the army within the city
B. To proclaim peace unto the city before battle
C. To send three witnesses to declare Israel’s terms
D. To wait three days outside the gates for surrender
E. To offer up a sacrifice to God for victory in war

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Answer 4: B. Peace had to be offered first. The proclamation was not a courtesy but a binding step in the law of war, defining whether the city would be tributary, besieged with spoil preserved, or utterly destroyed.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:10. “When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.”

Question 5: When the LORD delivered a far-off city into Israel’s hand after that city refused peace, what was Israel commanded to do?

A. To put to death every soul that breathed in the city
B. To take the city’s cattle but spare every man of war
C. To make all the inhabitants tributaries by force of arms
D. To smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword
E. To burn the city to the ground without any remainder

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Answer 5: D. The males were to die by the sword, but women, children, cattle, and spoil were preserved (verse 14). Option A describes the rule for inheritance cities (verse 16), not far cities. Confusing the two regimes is the trap.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:13. “And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword.”

Question 6: The fourth exemption from war released the fearful and fainthearted. What was the stated reason?

A. That his cowardice not be openly known to the army
B. That he might serve in the camp behind the army’s host
C. That he might till the field while others fought the war
D. That his life be preserved for the sake of his household
E. Lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart

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Answer 6: E. The reason is psychological contagion. Fear in one soldier was understood to spread to his brothers in the line, so the law sent the fearful man home to protect the army’s morale rather than to spare him alone.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:8. “What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.”

Question 7: The priest’s address to the army before battle warned Israel against four reactions to the enemy. Which set names them in order?

A. Faint not, fear not, weep not, neither be ye dismayed
B. Let not your hearts faint, fear not, tremble not, be not terrified
C. Faint not, dread not, tremble not, neither be ye dismayed
D. Faint not, fear not, mourn not, neither be ye terrified
E. Hear not, fear not, tremble not, neither be ye dismayed

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Answer 7: B. Four distinct prohibitions: faint, fear, tremble, terrified. The priest’s address gives the army a complete inventory of disordered responses to the enemy and forbids each one in sequence.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:3. “Let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them.”

Question 8: What was the rule for a man who had betrothed a wife but had not yet taken her?

A. He shall return home lest he die and another take her
B. He shall delay his marriage until after the war ends
C. He shall stand at the rear of the army with his elders
D. He shall give his betrothed to the priest for safekeeping
E. He shall send his servant before her to her father’s house

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Answer 8: A. Same logic as the house and the vineyard: the man’s covenant claim must not be cut off by war before it is consummated. Each of the three exemptions follows an identical legal formula tied to interrupted possession.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:7. “And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.”

Question 9: What distinction did this chapter draw between far-off cities and the cities of the nations God gave as inheritance?

A. Far cities paid tribute, near cities paid in silver to Israel
B. Far cities were surrounded, near cities were besieged in form
C. Far cities yielded captives, near cities were ruined utterly
D. Far cities yielded spoil, near cities were utterly destroyed
E. Far cities sent witnesses, near cities sent royal ambassadors

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Answer 9: D. The distinction is between a regime of selective destruction (males killed, women and goods spared) and total destruction (nothing that breathes spared). The dividing line is whether the city stood within the inheritance.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:15-16. “Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee… But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth.”

Question 10: Concerning the trees outside a besieged city, what kind of trees did this chapter permit Israel to cut down for siege works?

A. Trees of olive that yielded a low quantity of pure oil
B. Trees of fig only when their fruit had withered away
C. Trees that were known not to be trees for meat
D. Trees of pomegranate near the city’s outer high walls
E. Trees of vine that no longer brought forth ripe grape

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Answer 10: C. The category is non-fruit-bearing trees, framed in the verse as “not trees for meat.” The distinction is functional: edible trees are off limits, while structural timber for bulwarks is permitted.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:20. “Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.”

Question 11: The priest told Israel why they need not fear the enemy. What stated reason did he give?

A. The LORD goeth with you to fight against your enemies and save
B. The angel of the LORD goeth before you to scatter your foes
C. The hand of the LORD has prepared the way before your captains
D. The men of war have been counted and they outnumber the foe
E. The God of your fathers will rebuke the heathen as in old time

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Answer 11: A. The reason is the LORD’s personal participation in the battle, not the strength of Israel’s army or the agency of an angel. He goes with them, He fights for them, He saves them. Three actions, one subject.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:4. “For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

Question 12: What was the rule for a man who had planted a vineyard but had not yet eaten of it?

A. He shall give his first wine to the priest of the camp
B. He shall pay the elders of his city a yearly portion
C. He shall send his servant to keep the vines from harm
D. He shall return home lest another eat of his vineyard
E. He shall sell the vineyard and join the men of battle

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Answer 12: D. The pattern matches the house and the betrothal: full release until the man has eaten of his own vineyard. The verse uses the same legal phrasing about another man enjoying what he planted.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:6. “And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.”

Question 13: If a far-off city accepted Israel’s offer of peace, what was to become of its inhabitants?

A. They were to be exiled from their land of their fathers
B. They were to send hostages of their own princes’ sons
C. They were to be tributaries and serve under Israel
D. They were to lose half of their inheritance to Israel
E. They were to break down their idols at Israel’s word

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Answer 13: C. Tribute plus servitude. Acceptance of the peace offer placed the city under Israel’s authority but preserved life and property. The provision applied only to far cities, not to the inheritance nations.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:11. “And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.”

Question 14: When a far-off city was taken after refusing peace, what could Israel take as spoil?

A. The men of war and their stores of grain alone
B. The vessels of silver and the gold hidden inside
C. The houses standing untouched by the city’s fire
D. The horses and the chariots of the city’s captains
E. The women, the little ones, the cattle, and all the spoil

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Answer 14: E. Four categories explicitly listed: women, little ones, cattle, and all the spoil. The males were killed under verse 13, but every other category in the city became Israel’s portion.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:14. “But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself.”

Question 15: Concerning the cities of the nations the LORD gave Israel for an inheritance, what was the command?

A. To slay only those who lifted up the sword against Israel
B. To save alive nothing that breatheth in those cities
C. To preserve the women and the children for full service
D. To take the spoil of cattle and of vessels of silver alone
E. To leave one in ten of every household alive in the land

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Answer 15: B. Total destruction without exception. The phrase “save alive nothing that breatheth” leaves no category preserved, distinguishing the inheritance cities from the far cities where women and children survived.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:16. “But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth.”

Question 16: When the officers had ended their speech to the people, what was the next action commanded?

A. The men of war shall sing a song before God
B. The priest shall sound the trumpet of the assembly
C. The army shall be divided into companies of fifty
D. They shall make captains of the armies to lead them
E. The elders shall consecrate the chariots and horses

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Answer 16: D. Captains were appointed only after the officers finished their speech and the exemptions had been claimed. The order is deliberate: speak first, sift the army, then appoint leaders for those who remain to fight.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:9. “And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.”

Question 17: What reason did this chapter give for the utter destruction of the inheritance nations?

A. That their idols be broken down without remainder
B. That their houses become inhabited by Israel alone
C. That they teach Israel not to do after their abominations
D. That their fields be free for the herds of the tribes
E. That their kings no longer rise up against the LORD

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Answer 17: C. The reason is preventive, not punitive. Survival of the inheritance nations would mean the spread of their religious practices into Israel, which would itself become Israel’s sin against the LORD.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:18. “That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.”

Question 18: When Israel went out to battle and saw their enemy, what three things were they told they would see?

A. Spears, shields, and a multitude gathered against them
B. Horses, chariots, and a people more than thou
C. Walls, gates, and an army arrayed in battle order
D. Banners, captains, and a host that no man could number
E. Swords, javelins, and many strangers among the people

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Answer 18: B. Horses, chariots, and a numerically larger people. These three are the visible sources of intimidation: superior cavalry, superior weapons platforms, and superior numbers. The verse names them precisely so Israel could anticipate the test.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:1. “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them.”

Question 19: When Israel was nigh unto battle, who was to approach and speak unto the people?

A. The priest of the camp
B. The captain of the host
C. The eldest of the elders
D. The judge of those days
E. The chief of the tribes

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Answer 19: A. The priest, not a military officer. The address before battle was a sacred speech first and a tactical speech second, framing the war as God’s war. The captains were appointed afterwards (verse 9).
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:2. “And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people.”

Question 20: If a city would make no peace with Israel but chose war, what was Israel’s commanded response?

A. To depart from it
B. To wait until the LORD gave a sign of victory
C. To call upon the priest for a fresh word from God
D. To send messengers a second time for surrender
E. To besiege it

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Answer 20: E. The verse is direct and final: besiege it. Refusal of peace closed the door on every alternative. The city’s own choice triggered the siege; no further negotiation was permitted.
KJV Reference: Deuteronomy 20:12. “And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it.”

The chapter that prepares Israel for war is also the chapter that protects the fruit tree.