What Scripture says
In Deuteronomy, God commands Israel to “devote to complete destruction” (Hebrew herem) the nations of Canaan: “you shall save alive nothing that breathes” (Deuteronomy 20:16–17, ESV). Joshua reports that Israel “devoted to destruction all in the city, both men and women, young and old” at Jericho (Joshua 6:21) and “left none remaining” in the southern campaign (Joshua 10:40).
Scripture gives reasons:
- Judgment on long-standing evil, including child sacrifice: “they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:31). God had waited centuries, since “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Genesis 15:16).
- Not favouritism: “not because of your righteousness” (Deuteronomy 9:4–6). God warns Israel that the land will “vomit” them out too if they do the same things (Leviticus 18:24–28), and later it does, in the exile.
- Protection from idolatry: “that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices” (Deuteronomy 20:18).
What the evidence says
Context
Hyperbole in ancient war reports
Ancient Near Eastern war reports routinely used sweeping language for victories that weren’t total. K. Lawson Younger compared Joshua with Egyptian, Hittite and Assyrian accounts:
- Pharaoh Merneptah claimed “Israel is laid waste, his seed is not” (c. 1208 BC), but Israel continued.
- King Mesha of Moab claimed “Israel has utterly perished forever” (c. 840 BC).
The Bible itself shows the same pattern:
| Passage | Says | But later |
|---|---|---|
| Joshua 10:40 | Joshua “left none remaining” | Joshua 15:63 and Judges 1: Canaanites still live in the same areas |
| Joshua 11:23 | Joshua “took the whole land” | Joshua 13:1: “very much of the land” remains to be taken |
| 1 Samuel 15:7–8 | Saul destroys “all the people” of Amalek | 1 Samuel 27:8 and 30:1: Amalekites raid David |
Deuteronomy itself, in the same chapter as the command, also says “you shall not intermarry with them” (Deuteronomy 7:3), which assumes they would still be around.
So “leave nothing alive” seems to be the conventional language of total victory. Many scholars, including Paul Copan and John Walton, argue the main targets were military strongholds (Jericho and Ai were probably small fortified outposts), and the aim was to drive out the Canaanites and end their religion, not to exterminate every person.
Driving out, not only destroying
Many passages speak of God “driving out” the Canaanites (Exodus 23:28–30, Numbers 33:52), gradually, “little by little”. Not all Canaanites were treated as enemies: Rahab and her family were spared and joined Israel (Joshua 6:25), and the Gibeonites made peace (Joshua 9).
Philosophy
The hard part
Even with all this context, it remains hard. The texts do speak of killing women and children, and the Israelites understood God to command it. Christians respond in different ways:
- Divine judgment. God, as the giver of life, has the right to judge, as in the flood or the destruction of Sodom. Here he used Israel as his instrument, in a unique situation that isn’t a model for anyone today.
- Hyperbole. The commands, like the reports, used conventional war rhetoric, and the actual aim was driving out, not total killing.
- Accommodation. Some Christians, such as Randal Rauser and Greg Boyd, argue Israel understood God’s will through their culture’s lens, and the full revelation of God in Jesus corrects this picture.
Not a model for today
The conquest was limited in time, place and purpose. It was never a general command for Israel, let alone for Christians. Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44), and the New Testament’s warfare is spiritual (Ephesians 6:12).
Where they meet
The conquest reflects ancient war rhetoric and God’s judgment on a society after centuries of patience. It is unique and not a model for any later war. Even so, it’s one of the hardest parts of the Bible, and honest readers feel its weight.
What’s still open
- How literally to read the commands.
- How to understand God’s character in these texts alongside the revelation of Jesus.
Bottom line
Ancient war texts use hyperbole (“left no survivors”, yet the same peoples appear later). The conquest was judgment after centuries of patience (Genesis 15:16). It is still one of the hardest questions, so this is rated Debated.