Deuteronomy 19:5
Context19:5 Suppose he goes with someone else 1 to the forest to cut wood and when he raises the ax 2 to cut the tree, the ax head flies loose 3 from the handle and strikes 4 his fellow worker 5 so hard that he dies. The person responsible 6 may then flee to one of these cities to save himself. 7
Deuteronomy 20:19
Context20:19 If you besiege a city for a long time while attempting to capture it, 8 you must not chop down its trees, 9 for you may eat fruit 10 from them and should not cut them down. A tree in the field is not human that you should besiege it! 11


[19:5] 1 tn Heb “his neighbor” (so NAB, NIV); NASB “his friend.”
[19:5] 2 tn Heb “and he raises his hand with the iron.”
[19:5] 3 tn Heb “the iron slips off.”
[19:5] 5 tn Heb “his neighbor.”
[19:5] 6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the person responsible for his friend’s death) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:19] 8 tn Heb “to fight against it to capture it.”
[20:19] 9 tn Heb “you must not destroy its trees by chopping them with an iron” (i.e., an ax).
[20:19] 10 tn Heb “you may eat from them.” The direct object is not expressed; the word “fruit” is supplied in the translation for clarity.