Suing for Peace

One of the most striking features of Jewish law regarding warfare is a requirement that has no real parallel in the ancient world: before any war may be waged — offensive or defensive — the other side must first be offered peace. Maimonides, codifying this law in the Mishneh Torah, states the rule without qualification:

"One does not wage war with anyone in the world until one first offers them peace — whether it is an offensive war or a defensive war, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 20:10): 'When you approach a city to wage war against it, you should propose a peaceful settlement to it.'" (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings and their Wars 6:1)

What Peace Actually Means Here

This is not a symbolic gesture before an inevitable attack. If the opposing side accepts the offer and agrees to abide by the universal Noahide Laws — the baseline moral and legal code Jewish tradition holds binding on all of humanity — the law is explicit about the result: no one is to be harmed. Maimonides continues:

"If they make peace and accept upon themselves the Seven Commandments that the Children of Noah were commanded, no soul from among them is killed." (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings and their Wars 6:1)

Why This Rules Out a Genocidal Reading of Jewish Law

A legal tradition oriented toward extermination has no reason to build in a mandatory off-ramp that, if taken, guarantees the safety of every person on the other side. The requirement to sue for peace first — codified as binding law, not mere ethical advice — is direct evidence that the goal of Jewish warfare, as Jewish law itself defines it, is the end of hostility and a return to peaceful coexistence, not the destruction of a people. It sets the framework within which the other wartime protections in Jewish law, such as allowing civilians to flee a besieged city, must be understood.