Did God Command Genocide?
Rev Charlie (August 2025)
Introduction
Some of the most challenging passages in the Bible appear in the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua. These texts describe God commanding the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites and other nations inhabiting the land promised to His people. One example is found in Deuteronomy 20:16: “However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.” How does one reconcile texts like this with a God of love, compassion and mercy?
There are three main approaches to this issue: dismissing the texts altogether, emphasising their interpretation, or taking them at face value.
Dismissing the texts
Christians throughout the ages have struggled with these passages and have come to many different conclusions. One approach has been to regard these writings as a reflection of the barbarism that was prevalent in the ancient world, and therefore not inspired by God. However, it is hard to reconcile this view with an understanding that all scripture is ‘God-breathed’.
Emphasising interpretation
Many emphasise the need to understand the genre of these texts, suggesting that they are not to be interpreted literally. Advocates of this approach posit that these accounts were written long after the events took place, in a style designed to underscore the importance of Israel having nothing to do with the surrounding nations.
The word often used to denote destruction is the Hebrew word Herem (חֵרֶם), which has broader connotations to do with separation, consecration, or prohibition. It is therefore possible that the injunction to completely destroy the Canaanites is more to do with Hebrew theology than actual warfare.
Moreover, many cite the use of hyperbole (or exaggeration). In the same way that you might say of an opposing sports team, ‘We annihilated them!’, without meaning that you literally left them all dead on the sports field. One commentator described this as, ‘exaggerated warfare rhetoric.’
The command to destroy the pagan nations does at times seem ambiguous, when viewed in the wider context of the conquest narratives. For instance, in Deuteronomy 7: 2, the Israelites are commanded to completely destroy these nations. Yet in the very next verse, they are prohibited from intermarrying with them—a command that seems redundant if those nations are truly meant to be annihilated.
Taking the texts at face value
As difficult as these texts might be, many prefer to take them at face value, believing that the commands to destroy the Canaanites are both literal and divine.
The texts emphasize that Israel's conquest of Canaan was not only about granting God's people a land of their own, but also about enacting God's judgment on the land's wicked inhabitants. Recent research outside the Bible has uncovered evidence of deeply disturbing practices, including bestiality and particularly horrific forms of child sacrifice. Throughout scripture, God is consistently revealed as a just judge, who will not allow evil to prevail. Notwithstanding, Genesis 15: 13-16 suggests that God waited four-hundred years, until the evil of the Canaanites was severe enough to warrant their total destruction.
Another reason, given in scripture for the destruction of the Canaanites is that, if left in situ, they would inevitably corrupt God’s people with their idolatry and other evil practices. Sadly, that is exactly what happened.
Those who interpret the conquest of Canaan as a literal command from God stress that it was a unique event in salvation history - never to be repeated. With the coming of Jesus, a new covenant was established, one that calls us, among other things, to love our enemies. Anyone who takes Jesus' teachings seriously could never justify a modern parallel to the actions depicted in the Old Testament conquest narratives.
Conclusion
The Old Testament must be read through the lens of Jesus, who is “the image of the invisible God.” If we want to understand what God is truly like, we must look to Jesus. His life, death, and resurrection reveal a God who not only judges and condemns evil, but also goes to extraordinary lengths to defeat it, and to offer us freedom from its grip.
Over the past 2,000 years, the Western world has been profoundly shaped by the teachings of Jesus. Ironically, it is Christianity itself that has led us to reject the kind of violent conquest once glorified by ancient civilizations.
It is entirely right to find the conquest of Canaan deeply troubling. War, in any form, is a horrific evil - a stark reflection of humanity's brokenness. As we wrestle with these difficult passages of Scripture, it is crucial to remember that God is both perfectly just and wholly loving, as revealed in the person of Jesus. In the end, no one will be able to say, “I have been treated unfairly.”
