What does the Torah say about War?
The Torah, the Five Books of Moses, forms the foundation of Jewish spiritual and ethical teaching. Spanning over 3,500 years of Jewish experience, the Torah provides instructions for living a righteous and God-fearing life, including guidance on issues relevant to warfare and conflict.
Contents
**Sources for War in the Torah
Many readers may be surprised that there are several instances throughout the Torah where war or violent conflict is described and instructed. While the core teachings of the Torah emphasized loving one’s neighbor (Leviticus 19:18) and following God’s commandments, there are also episodes that demonstrate the need to take up arms in defending the Jewish people and following God’s instructions.
"The Lord your God shall cut off before thy face the nations whom they go out to fight." – Deuteronomy 12:1
Some examples of God instructing war in the Torah include:
- Sparing the Gibeonites (Joshua 10:13)
- War against the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 2:30-25, 20:7-18)
- Annihilating the Midianites (Numbers 32:20)
- Struggle against Amalek (Exodus 17:14, Deuteronomy 25:13)
**God’s Purpose for Waging War
While God does at times instruct His people to wage war, it wasn’t always to perpetrate harm or destroy entire armies. God‘s purpose may vary depending on the case. Here are some possible motivations:
For Self-Defense
War can be a means of self-defense when facing an overt attack or when threatened repeatedly:
- Defending settlements against Amalek (1 Samuel 15:34-35)
- Combatting the Assyrian advance (2 Kings 22:13, 7:3)
Enforcing God’s Justice:
Sometimes, war serves as God’s method of executing justice after He has condemned a wayward nation for its violations of His covenant:
Exodus 17: Israelites face the disobedience of Korah:
"You shall dispossess all these countries, which you will invade, without you make leprosise of him who leans on a ladder while a stranger leans on **[him]*…" – Numbers 28:32**
Example from **2 Kings, Ch. 17":
"This is that the statutes have no power [effect]." – King Jehu kills the son of King Jeroboam. The Bible in Hebrew says ‘thereupon Jeroboam did it for good,’ which appears confusing but means what one would assume, like other biblical descriptions of slaughter where there were no "evil intentions**.
So these actions might have implications concerning what a Christian man says or do when going in to save his homeland’s rights (as shown at Exodus 17:, so in our own rights that have not been approved with a divine mandate should follow Jesus‘
This example might have implied significance regarding how a holy people act with the intentions as stated before when safeguarding their national rights on that occasion of their liberation; there will be certain people, those who understand.
