Joshua 6:17-18

JOSHUA—NOTE ON Joshua 6:17 devoted to the LORD for destruction. See notes on Lev. 27:28–29; Deuteronomy 2:34; Deuteronomy 20:16. This order to destroy every living thing was not a license to kill indiscriminately in other warfare situations, because cities outside the Land of Promise were to be treated more leniently (Deuteronomy 20:10). Rather, this was a specific order intended to punish the Canaanites, whose wickedness had become complete (Genesis 15:16; Leviticus 18:1). The decree of destruction was also to protect the Israelites from worshiping other gods because of Canaanite influence (Deuteronomy 7:1). Jericho’s destruction was not a general guideline for the conduct of war. Instead, it is a picture of what will happen in the final judgment to all who continue to rebel against God. Nor can the destruction of Jericho or of the Canaanites in general be seen as a case of ethnic cleansing, for the Lord warns that if Israel does not totally destroy Jericho, the camp of Israel itself will become a thing for destruction. Furthermore, Canaanites such as Rahab (Joshua 2:1) and the Gibeonites (ch. Joshua 9:1) who devote themselves to the Lord are spared, while Israelites who defy the Lord, such as Achan (ch. Joshua 7:1), are killed.