In light of the admonition in Deuteronomy 20:19 to spare the trees, a contradiction is alleged with 2 Kings 3:19, which says: 'And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.'

Deuteronomy 20:19 refers specifically to destroying trees for the purpose of making siege engines, and it explicitly protects fruit trees. As the next verse clarifies: '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.'

This is not what is in mind in 2 Kings 3:19, which orders a punitive tactical destruction of only the 'good' trees—the best, mature trees—while leaving behind the other, smaller, and younger trees. The contexts and purposes of the two commands are distinctly different.

In light of this, what of the admonition to spare the trees in Deuteronomy 20:19? 2 Kings 3:19 says,

> And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

Deuteronomy 20:19 refers specifically to destroying fruit trees for making siege engines; as the next verse says, "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." This is not what is in mind in 2 Kings 3:19, which only orders the destruction of the "good" trees, the best ones -- which leaves behind other, smaller, younger trees.