““such a translation may beg the interpretive question. Deuteronomy has two other verbs to express a straightforward sense of “destroy.”57 Moreover, the conceptuality of ḥērem is on any reckoning more complex than “destroy,” even if in certain contexts destruction might be entailed. It appears that the prime sense is a matter of making something the exclusive possession of YHWH and thereby removing it from the sphere of regular human use. Even though this could entail destruction, it is important to realize that “‘destruction’ is a secondary implication of ḥērem and not its primary meaning.”58 There is thus a case for translating the verbal form with “put under the ban,” or simply “ban,” not least because such a translation has the merit of being somewhat opaque and thus prevents the contemporary reader from too readily assuming that the meaning of the word is understood.””
