What is the meaning of Joshua 11:14? The Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities • After previous battles such as Jericho, where the spoils were devoted to the LORD (Joshua 6:17–19), God now allows Israel to keep the goods. • Deuteronomy 20:14 had already set this precedent: “You may take the women, children, livestock, and everything else in the city as plunder for yourselves.” • Joshua 8:27 shows the same pattern at Ai. Here in chapter 11 the permission continues, highlighting God’s gracious provision for His people as they settle the land. but they put all the people to the sword • This action fulfills commands like Deuteronomy 7:2 and 20:16–18, where Israel was told to “utterly destroy” the Canaanite nations. • The sword is the means of divine judgment. Genesis 15:16 foretold that judgment would fall when “the iniquity of the Amorites” was complete. • Romans 13:4 later reminds us that God may use even earthly swords as instruments of His justice; here He wields Israel as that instrument. until they had completely destroyed them • Obedience had to be thorough. Partial measures would leave idolatry and immorality to spread among the covenant people (Numbers 33:55; Deuteronomy 7:4). • Israel’s later history proves the point: whenever they failed to remove corrupting influences, compromise followed (Judges 1:27–33). • The phrase underscores wholehearted allegiance to God’s directives—contrasting, for instance, Saul’s incomplete obedience in 1 Samuel 15:3, 9. not sparing anyone who breathed • This stark wording mirrors Deuteronomy 20:16 and emphasizes totality. It is not a license for modern violence but a unique, unrepeatable moment in salvation history. • The severity showcases God’s holiness and the seriousness of sin (Habakkuk 1:13; Hebrews 10:31). • It also points forward: just as judgment fell decisively here, so a final judgment will arrive for all nations (Acts 17:31; 2 Peter 2:6). summary Joshua 11:14 records Israel’s complete, obedient execution of God’s wartime directives—keeping livestock and goods for sustenance while serving as instruments of His judgment against entrenched Canaanite wickedness. The verse affirms God’s faithful provision for His people, His uncompromising holiness, and the necessity of thorough obedience. |
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