JOSHUA 10 – DID GOD COMMAND GENOCIDE? THE TRUTH ABOUT JOSHUA AND THE CANAANITES

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Summary – Joshua Chapter 10

It is highly recommended to watch the full lesson, as it goes into greater depth on the difficult questions surrounding the conquest of Canaan, the Gibeonites, and the teachings of Rambam.

Joshua chapter 10 describes the southern campaign of Israel in Canaan. Five Canaanite kings, led by the king of Jerusalem, attack Gibeon because the Gibeonites have made peace with Israel. The Gibeonites call Joshua for help. Although they had previously deceived Israel, Joshua honors the covenant and marches through the night with his army to defend them.

During the battle, it becomes clear that Israel is not fighting alone: Hashem Himself intervenes. The enemy is thrown into confusion, great hailstones fall from heaven, and more enemies die from the hail than from Israel’s sword. Then the sun remains unusually long in the sky so that Israel can complete the victory. The chapter therefore emphasizes that Hashem fought for Israel.

The five kings hide in a cave and are eventually captured and executed. Their bodies are hung on trees, but Joshua orders them to be taken down before sunset. This follows Deuteronomy 21:23 and shows that even a defeated and executed enemy retains human dignity. War does not cancel the Torah.

The chapter then describes the conquest of city after city in southern Canaan. This brings us to the most difficult part of the story: the Bible speaks very clearly about the destruction of the Canaanite population. The lesson emphasizes that we should not soften these passages, but we must understand them in the wider context of the Torah.

That story actually begins with Abraham. When Abraham arrives in Canaan, other people are already living there. G-d promises the land to Abraham’s descendants, but in Genesis 15 G-d says that they cannot yet take possession of it because “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” G-d waits for generations before judgment comes.

According to the Torah, therefore, this is not simply about ethnicity. The Canaanite nations are described as societies that have become deeply corrupted through idolatry and serious immoral practices. At the same time, G-d warns Israel that if Israel behaves in the same way, the land will also vomit Israel out. Israel receives no moral exemption.

The Gibeonites are especially important. They are themselves Canaanites, yet they survive because they make peace with Israel. When other Canaanite kings attack them, Israel even risks its soldiers to defend them. According to the halachic tradition discussed through Rambam, there were possibilities other than war: leave, make peace, or fight. This shows that the story is not simply about destroying people because they belong to a particular ethnic group.

The lesson also connects this with the Seven Noahide Laws, which provide a universal moral foundation for humanity: rejecting idolatry, murder, theft, forbidden sexual relationships and other forms of wrongdoing, while establishing justice. These laws are not merely about individual behavior; together they form a basic moral structure for human society.

The deeper message of Joshua 10 is therefore that land, power, and history ultimately belong to G-d. Rashi emphasizes that the entire earth belongs to G-d. He can give a land to one nation and, when justice requires it, take it away. This applies to Israel as well.

Joshua 10 is therefore not merely a story about a dramatic military campaign. It is a story about divine justice, faithfulness to a covenant, human dignity, and moral responsibility.

Even in the middle of one of the most violent chapters in Joshua, one principle remains clear:

Power does not cancel morality. War does not cancel the Torah. And G-d’s patience does not mean that He is indifferent.

By Rabbi Tani Burton

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