Joshua 10:39
“He took it, with its king and all its cities. They struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining. As he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to its king; as he had done also to Libnah, and to its king.”
What does Joshua 10:39 mean?
This passage describes Joshua's military campaign in Canaan during the conquest, and it's one of the Bible's most difficult passages to sit with. The language reflects the perspective of ancient warfare accounts, where total victory was described in absolute terms, and it shows us a historical moment of violent conquest presented without editorial comment. For many readers, especially those suffering or questioning God's justice, this raises hard questions about what God permits and commands. It's worth knowing that biblical scholars debate how literally to read these accounts, whether "all" means literally every person, and how much the language reflects the writer's theology versus historical reality. What we can say with certainty is that this passage challenges us to wrestle honestly with Scripture rather than pretend difficult parts don't exist. If you're troubled by this, that's not a failing of faith, it's often where deeper faith begins, when we bring our real questions to God rather than keeping them hidden.