Trees were Cut Down by Besieging Armies for Erecting Forts
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In ancient warfare, the practice of cutting down trees to construct siege works and fortifications was a common military strategy. This tactic is documented in the Bible, reflecting the historical and cultural context of warfare in the ancient Near East. The use of timber from local forests was essential for building the necessary structures to breach city defenses and establish a stronghold during a siege.

One of the most notable references to this practice is found in the account of the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah. In Isaiah 37:24 , the Assyrian king boasts of his military prowess, saying, "With the multitude of my chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the far recesses of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines." This passage highlights the Assyrian strategy of using the abundant timber resources of Lebanon, renowned for its high-quality cedar trees, to support their military campaigns.

The use of trees for siege works is also implied in Deuteronomy 20:19-20 , where God instructs the Israelites regarding the conduct of warfare: "When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that they should be besieged by you? But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce food; you may cut them down to build siege works against the city that is waging war with you, until it falls." This directive underscores the importance of preserving fruit-bearing trees for sustenance while allowing the use of non-fruit-bearing trees for military purposes.

The construction of siege ramps and other fortifications required significant amounts of timber. In 2 Kings 19:23 , the Assyrian king Sennacherib's conquests are described, "By your messengers you have taunted the Lord, and you have said, 'With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the far recesses of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines.'" This passage reiterates the strategic importance of timber in military campaigns and the Assyrian reliance on the forests of Lebanon.

The biblical accounts of tree cutting for siege works reflect the broader historical practices of ancient Near Eastern warfare. The use of natural resources, such as timber, was a critical component of military logistics, enabling armies to construct the necessary infrastructure to sustain prolonged sieges and achieve their objectives. These practices also illustrate the interplay between military necessity and environmental considerations, as seen in the divine instructions given to the Israelites regarding the preservation of fruit-bearing trees.
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Deuteronomy 20:20
Only the trees which you know that they be not trees for meat, you shall destroy and cut them down; and you shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it be subdued.
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Jeremiah 6:6
For thus has the LORD of hosts said, Hew you down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the middle of her.
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Library

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
... had their hands, noses, or ears cut off, others ... intervening spurs of Lebanon and
marched down to the ... of Hamath and masters of half Israel, were powerful enough ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm

The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
... the facade of a house or temple cut out of ... say which of the deities handed down by
tradition it ... a very numerous body of landowners, who were particularly proud ...
/.../chapter iithe power of assyria 2.htm

Resources
What is the significance of the olive tree in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What are the meanings of the various visions in the book of Zechariah? | GotQuestions.org

What is the lily of the valley (Song of Solomon 2:1)? | GotQuestions.org

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Subtopics

Trees

Trees of Christ

Trees of Kings

Trees of the Life and Conversation of the Righteous

Trees of Various Sizes

Trees of Wisdom

Trees were Cut Down by Besieging Armies for Erecting Forts

Trees were Cut Down for Building

Trees were Cut Down for Fuel

Trees were Cut Down for Making Idols

Trees were Cut Down with Axes

Trees were Sold With the Land on Which They Grew

Trees: (Barren) of the Wicked

Trees: (Casting Their Leaves Yet Retaining Their Substance) of

Trees: (Dry) of the Wicked Ripe for Judgment

Trees: (Dry) of Useless Persons

Trees: (Duration of) of Continued Prosperity of Saints

Trees: (Evergreen) of Saints

Trees: (Good and Fruitful) of Saints

Trees: (Green) of the Innocence of Christ

Trees: (Producing Evil Fruit) the Wicked

Trees: (Shaking of the Leaves off) the Terror of the Wicked

Trees: Afford an Agreeable Shade in Eastern Countries During The

Trees: Almond

Trees: Almug or Algum

Trees: Apple

Trees: Ash

Trees: Bay

Trees: Box

Trees: Cedar

Trees: Chestnut

Trees: Cyprus

Trees: Designed to Beautify the Earth

Trees: Different Kinds of Mentioned of the Forest

Trees: Different Kinds of Mentioned of the Wood

Trees: Different Kinds of Mentioned: Bearing Fruit

Trees: Different Kinds of Mentioned: Deciduous or Casting the Leaves

Trees: Different Kinds of Mentioned: Evergreen

Trees: Each Kind Has Its own Seed for Propagating Its Species

Trees: Each Kind of, Known by Its Fruit

Trees: Early Custom of Planting, in Consecrated Grounds

Trees: Fig

Trees: Fir

Trees: Given As Food to the Animal Creation

Trees: God Increases and Multiplies the Fruit of, for his People

Trees: God often Renders, Barren As a Punishment

Trees: Juniper

Trees: Lign-Aloes

Trees: Made for the Glory of God

Trees: Mulberry

Trees: Mustard

Trees: Myrtle

Trees: Nourished by the Earth

Trees: Nourished by the Rain from Heaven

Trees: Nourished: Through Their own Sap

Trees: Oak

Trees: Often Propagated by Birds Who Carry the Seeds Along With Them

Trees: Often Suffered From: Desolating Armies

Trees: Often Suffered From: Fire

Trees: Often Suffered From: Hail and Frost

Trees: Often Suffered From: Locusts

Trees: Oil-Tree

Trees: Olive

Trees: Originally Created by God

Trees: Palm

Trees: Parts of Mentioned: The Branches

Trees: Parts of Mentioned: The Fruit or Seeds

Trees: Parts of Mentioned: The Leaves

Trees: Parts of Mentioned: The Roots

Trees: Parts of Mentioned: The Stem or Trunk

Trees: Parts of Mentioned: The Tender Shoots

Trees: Pine

Trees: Planted by Man

Trees: Pomegranate

Trees: Shittah or Shittim

Trees: Solomon Wrote the History of

Trees: Specially Flourished Beside the Rivers and Streams of Water

Trees: Sycamore

Trees: Teil

Trees: The Jews: Considered Trees on Which Criminals Were Executed

Trees: The Jews: Often Buried Under

Trees: The Jews: Often Executed Criminals On

Trees: The Jews: Often Pitched Their Tents Under

Trees: The Jews: Prohibited from Cutting Down Fruit Bearing, for Sieges

Trees: The Jews: Prohibited from Planting in Consecrated Places

Trees: Vine

Trees: when Cut Down often Sprouted from Their Roots Again

Trees: Willow

Related Terms

Fir-trees (11 Occurrences)

Cedar-trees (11 Occurrences)

Olive-trees (11 Occurrences)

Palm-trees (23 Occurrences)

Cypress-trees (6 Occurrences)

Fig-trees (5 Occurrences)

Fruit-trees (5 Occurrences)

Sycamore-trees (6 Occurrences)

Sycomore-trees (6 Occurrences)

Algum-trees (3 Occurrences)

Mulberry-trees (4 Occurrences)

Myrtle-trees (3 Occurrences)

Almug-trees (2 Occurrences)

Lotus-trees (2 Occurrences)

Plane-trees (1 Occurrence)

Oak-trees (1 Occurrence)

Chesnut-trees (1 Occurrence)

Spice-trees (2 Occurrences)

Pomegranate-trees (1 Occurrence)

Balsam-trees (1 Occurrence)

Acacia-trees (1 Occurrence)

Aloe-trees (1 Occurrence)

Mulberry (6 Occurrences)

Algum (3 Occurrences)

Almug (2 Occurrences)

Myrtle (7 Occurrences)

Pine (28 Occurrences)

Sandal-wood (5 Occurrences)

Cedars (37 Occurrences)

Sycamore (9 Occurrences)

Aloes (5 Occurrences)

Axe (19 Occurrences)

Balsam (10 Occurrences)

Carved (36 Occurrences)

Tall (41 Occurrences)

Boughs (29 Occurrences)

Riverside (4 Occurrences)

Elim (5 Occurrences)

Decorated (12 Occurrences)

Palms (20 Occurrences)

Arches (13 Occurrences)

Sycamore-fig (6 Occurrences)

Shady (3 Occurrences)

Shephe'lah (10 Occurrences)

Apple-tree (3 Occurrences)

Vestibule (36 Occurrences)

Pomegranate (11 Occurrences)

Vines (39 Occurrences)

Porches (13 Occurrences)

Projections (10 Occurrences)

Baca (1 Occurrence)

Baalhanan (5 Occurrences)

Baal-hanan (5 Occurrences)

Cypress (17 Occurrences)

Chestnut (2 Occurrences)

Carvings (6 Occurrences)

Augur's

Almugwood (2 Occurrences)

Producing (20 Occurrences)

Sidonians (16 Occurrences)

Ax (12 Occurrences)

Shade (67 Occurrences)

Supports (25 Occurrences)

Crops (48 Occurrences)

Compared (29 Occurrences)

Acacia (28 Occurrences)

Palm-tree (8 Occurrences)

Planting (57 Occurrences)

Apple (8 Occurrences)

Cherubs (52 Occurrences)

Plains (31 Occurrences)

Palm (49 Occurrences)

Cedar (61 Occurrences)

Portico (37 Occurrences)

Tyrians (3 Occurrences)

Moreh (3 Occurrences)

Masons (8 Occurrences)

Planks (9 Occurrences)

Trees of Wisdom
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